Wandering Cooks’ seasonal event Small Batch is like the food tradeshow for those who are anti-tradeshow. Providing exposure and industry connections for local producers, the upcoming Small Batch Autumn (Sunday 29th March) is the second installment of Brisbane’s first artisan food showcase.
Getting a leg-up as a new food business can be tough. Even once you’ve secured a suitable working space and jumped through the hoops to meet council and food safety approval, you’re in for some hard yards of farmers markets and dropping in samples to potential stockists. The foodie angels at Wandering Cooks have taken away the soul crushing cold-calling, and are bringing the investors and store-owners straight to 20 new businesses.
Although the serious, business-y, hand-shake-y and (hopefully) cheque-writing-y part of the day is for industry big wigs and media only, from 6pm the doors will be thrown open so that the rest of us can get in and support our local producers the best we know how – with our appetites.
Until 10pm, you can have a sticky-beak at the trade-show participants (we all like knowing the next big thing before our friends), make a beeline for the bar where Beard & Brau and Green Beacon will be bringing their A-game, or check out the killer range of food stalls in the courtyard.
Get in early to be one of the first to get a sneak-peek taste of Alejandro Cancino’s (of Urbane renown) new, vegan venture in Fortitude Valley – the real deal won’t be opening for a few months yet. Alejandro’s sous chef at Urbane, Josh Raine, will also be on the scene, debuting his new pop-up Underground Food Project, alongside partner and fellow pom Phil Marchant.
The team behind Beerkary (one of whom has just been named Queensland’s Next Gen Chef by Delicious Magazine) will be causing a few gluten-spiked food babies, while innovative Alphabet Café will be laying down their sugar bags for the day to help with some savoury carb-loading.
Get in before it’s all gone – your next dose of good karma, great food and I-knew-them-before-they-were-cool smugness won’t be back until Small Batch Winter.
Words by Jessimin Horder
