Melbourne Food & Wine Festival’s “World’s Longest Lunch” Kicks Off Early

The main venue of the Food & Wine Festival — Queensbridge Square by the Yarra River — will unveil an exclusively designed creative three-tiered “Immersery” space during the festival. Top chefs will use various water-based cooking techniques, drawing inspiration from the concept of Chinese dim sum, showcasing globally fused flavors through exquisite culinary skills. Meanwhile, on the Yarra River, floating bars on vessels sway gently with the waves, exuding the aroma of wine. Melbourne’s rising mixologists have created special cocktails for the festival, inspired by the three states of water. The Rain Garden shares eco-friendly knowledge about water collection, filtration, and recycling, shaping a green Food & Wine Festival. A cloud-shaped canopy “suspended” on an abandoned railway bridge parallel to Sandridge Bridge, adorned with drought-resistant plants, decorates the third tier. Lush vegetation covers the entire “Immersery” space under the sky-like canopy, adding even more dimension to the area.

The most anticipated highlight of the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival over the years, the 2014 “World’s Longest Lunch,” will be held at Alexandra Park by the Yarra River. It will feature top culinary masters from Melbourne’s food scene, including Jacques Reymond, who has earned the highest honor of three chef hats in the Australian Good Food Guide, innovative traditional cuisine chef Adam D'Sylva, and cross-disciplinary food writer and Italian cuisine master Stefano de Pieri. Together, they will present a perfectly paired gourmet feast for a thousand guests. The event runs from February 28 to March 2, with a single ticket priced at 155 AUD (approximately 4,300 TWD).