Margaret River Gourmet Escape

Trips out to the Margaret River wine-making region – a 3hr drive south of Perth – are a common feature on many a travel itinerary, but November is shaping up to be the yummiest time to visit. 

At the Margaret River Gourmet Escape, 40 big-name culinary and drinks personalities from around the world – including the enfant terrible of British cooking, Marco Pierre White – are putting on a series of master classes and meals that celebrate the area’s produce, wineries, beaches and even forests. White leads a conversation about his career, as well as a Godfather Dinner at the Vasse Felix winery, where his protégés re-create the dishes iconic to his career. 

Other notable chefs like Gaggan Anand, Matt Moran, David Thompson, Ryan Clift and Sam Leong – the latter two based in Singapore – pair up with the stellar vineyards of the region to work their culinary magic into the Margaret River’s best harvests and pluckings.

Before chefs ventured into jungle patches to pick out their ingredients, there were people like the Wadandi tribe in Western Australia who lived off the land. Josh Whiteland, or 'Koomal' (bushtail possum) as his family know him, is one of the champions for his culture, founding Koomal Dreaming to get visitors acquainted with tribal basics like bush medicine, lighting fires, the food and their music. We learn more about his connection to the food of his land, and how he plans to get visitors to this year's Margaret River Gourmet Escape enlightened about Wadandi culture. 

There are picnics, and then there are the grand experiences that Fervour, run by chef Paul Iskov, puts together. Harnessing untamed natural settings across Australia, Iskov – once NOMA and 11 Madison Park- trained – puts on pop-up dinners deep in forests, the bush, and on beaches, cooked up with ingredients harvested and sourced from their surroundings. We find out more about his work, and his plans for the Margaret River Gourmet Escape.