Kapiti events & eateries confirmed for Festival

Media Release for Immediate Release | 17 June 2011

Kapiti events & eateries confirmed for VISA Wellington on a Plate festival

Visa Wellington on a Plate culinary festival was launched this week, confirming seven Kapiti events and five Kapiti eateries as part of the Festival's DINE Wellington 2011 and Festival Events programmes.

Helene Judge from Nature Coast Enterprise, one of the driving forces behind encouraging Kapiti entrants in the festival, says "it's an exceptional opportunity to be part of a large food and beverage festival that will achieve national and international marketing exposure for local food producers, suppliers and manufacturers".

DINE Wellington offers diners enticing incentives to visit cafes and restaurants. Five Kapiti eateries are participating including Lembas Cafe who won the Festival's Burger Wellington Little Piggy award last year for their Lembastic burger. They are keen to defend their title.

Other participating restaurants include Mediterranean Food Warehouse and Pizzeria, Soprano Ristorante, The Front Room Café & Restaurant and The Office.

Kapiti Vintage returns to the festival events programme after a successful inaugural event last year. A steam train will once again take passengers from Wellington to the Milk Station, Otaki's old milk factory, for a slow, relaxed five course lunch. Graeme Harris, Kapiti Vintage organiser says "many people in Wellington don't realise that some of the great products they buy originate right on their door step.

"We have smaller scale but highly passionate food producers here. Kapiti Vintage is about them getting together," says Mr Harris. "These artisan producers and others that are now following them are a major part of the future of this region."

Other Kapiti events in the events programme include a 1920s Murder Mystery evening at Southwards Car Museum; a long Limoncello lunch at Soprano Ristorante; and three events at Ruth Pretty Catering.

Annemarie Tiffen from Limoncello Soprano has created a factory tour and long Italian lunch event for the festival. Guests will get to see how Limoncello is made, label their own bottles and enjoy authentic Italian food.

"It's a good platform to trial new concepts," says Ms Tiffen."The festival also gives us a really good promotion opportunity."

Festival Co-Director Anna Nielson says "the strong number of Kapiti businesses participating in the festival shows how collaboration can raise the profile of the quality culinary products that Kapiti has to offer."

This is the third Visa Wellington on a Plate festival. This year's programme includes a total of 81 events from over 100 eateries from the Wellington region.

Visa Wellington on a Plate runs 5-21 August 2011 and is organised by regional tourism organisation Positively Wellington Tourism and regional economic development agency Grow Wellington.
ends

© Scoop Media