Crave Sydney International Food Festival

The month-long celebration on all things food has finally arrived as part of Crave Sydney International Food Festival.

Presented by Citibank, the International Food Festival will convert October into every foodie’s heaven.

Kicking off celebrations tomorrow will be Danish head chef of the world’s number one restaurant, Rene Redzepi. With tickets still available, in his only public Australian appearance, Redzepi will be presenting his culinary vision at the Sydney Opera House. It’s also part of his worldwide tour to launch his first cookbook, Norma: Time and Place in Nordic Cuisine.

In a separate event, the World Chef Showcase brings 20 international chefs to Sydney, including New York’s WD~50 restaurant Wylie Dufrese; London’s Berkeley Hotel Marcus Wareing; and rising new-generation star Alexandre Gauthier. Joining them will also be local talents, such as Peter Gilmore, Tetsuya Wakuda and Luke Nguyen – all of who’ll each be demonstrating their talents in the kitchen.

Rene Redzepi will make his exclusive appearance at the Sydney Opera House.

And if plans haven’t already been made for this coming Labour long weekend, Barbecue Madness will be held around different parts of the city on Saturday, so expect to smell whiffs of sizzling sausages and steaks as they cook up on the barbie.

Also happening throughout the month is the opportunity to wine and dine at some of Sydney’s high-end restaurants at affordable prices through Good Pub Grub, High Tea, Let’s Do Brunch, Let’s Do Lunch, Sunday Family Lunch and (my favourite) Sugar Hit.

But of course, the month isn’t just about sitting around and indulging in great food. It’s also about learning and exploring different parts of Sydney with Island Hopping, Hands On, Art & Food, Green & Sustainable, Talk & Taste and tours.

Over two weekends, Hyde Park will be transformed into an authentic Asian hawker market for the Night Noodle Markets.

(If you had missed the chance on hitting up Cabramatta during the Moon Festival, there’s a chance to go on a culinary tour with Betty and Jen for their ‘I ate my way through Cabramatta’ tours).

And with Junior Masterchef being the big buzz, there’ll be plenty of focus on kids. Give them the chance to take over the kitchen with Kids in the Kitchen or let them learn more about food through Week of Tastes.

But all in all, the International Food Festival, which is now in its second year after it replaced the SMH’s Good Food Month, is about being in good company and being surrounded by the festivities of the Night Noodle Markets, The Perfect Picnic and buzzing community festivals.