{"id":103720,"date":"2015-04-21T23:59:49","date_gmt":"2015-04-21T13:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=103720"},"modified":"2020-11-13T16:08:01","modified_gmt":"2020-11-13T06:08:01","slug":"south-burnett-hits-the-streets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2015\/04\/21\/south-burnett-hits-the-streets\/","title":{"rendered":"South Burnett Hits The Streets"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
All roads lead to the South Burnett … as Rob and Chris Patch, from The Peanut Van, know<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Goomeri<\/a>
TV chef Miguel Maestre lets fly in the Celebrity Roll at the 2014 Pumpkin Festival<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 22, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

by Bronwyn Marquardt *<\/strong><\/p>\n

Create it, and they will come … that was the message from celebrity chef and passionate country produce promoter Miguel Maestre as he helped the South Burnett take over the city on the weekend at Brisbane’s trendy Eat Street Markets<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Miguel, of Channel 10’s “The Living Room” fame, is known for his love of showing city foodies where their meals and drinks come from.<\/p>\n

While he\u2019s never been to Kingaroy or the Bunya Mountains, Miguel is more than familiar with Goomeri after filming at last year\u2019s Pumpkin Festival for a hugely popular segment on The Living Room.<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m not kidding, people did not know the name \u2018Goomeri\u2019 but they knew it was the place the pumpkins come from,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was so exciting, I loved it. I dressed up as a pumpkin, and I rolled my pumpkin really straight.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe made pumpkin risotto, and as soon as we put the recipe up on our website we had 15,000 hits, straight away. People loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miguel enjoyed getting to meet South Burnett producers and products during their debut appearance at the Eat Street Markets at Hamilton Wharf.<\/p>\n

However, he said it was no longer enough for a region just to have good food, wine and accommodation to stand out from the crowd.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s wonderful to have the wine, the oils, the produce, the scenery,” he said. You have that in the South Burnett, but I have to be honest with you, so do many other parts of Australia, too.<\/i><\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like Goomeri. You have to have something quirky, original, a little bit different.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you put on an unusual festival or have something different, we (The Living Room) will come to look at it and film a segment on it. We\u2019ll taste it and create with it and show people where it comes from.<\/p>\n

“And then people will come, too. I would love to do that and come and see you in the South Burnett.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miguel was in Brisbane to promote rural Queensland and the role farmers and producers play in providing food and drink for the rest of the State and the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think the people in the cities know how hard the country people work to bring the food to them that is on the table,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why markets like this are so important. People need to see that the meat comes from the lamb, the milk comes from a teat that has to be pulled just right, the wine is produced from grapes that are grown in just the right conditions. It\u2019s key.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Taste South Burnett’s watermelon fudge proved popular<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

South Burnett producers – and their Granite Belt, Southern and Western Downs and Toowoomba colleagues – have been taken under the wing collectively by Tourism and Events Queensland under the media-friendly title of “Southern Queensland Country”\u00a0 (hashtag #sqcountry).<\/strong><\/p>\n

SQ Country Tourism CEO\u00a0 Mary Clare Power said part of the rationale behind the link-up was the fact that the Southern Queensland region was the only part of the State to experience a “true” Autumn.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s the only place in Queensland where visitors can experience four seasons in one day, and we want to celebrate that point of difference,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ms Power said pointing out that to Eat Street fans of food, wine, art and other products could bring new life \u2013 and tourists \u2013 to the country.<\/p>\n

Throughout the event, organisers were keen to point out that the correct pronunciation of South Burnett was “Burn-It” not “Burr-net” … “the locals will get very annoyed with you if you say it like that”, the crowds were told.<\/p>\n

Maps, brochures, and tastes were available throughout, and all signs led to the Bunya Mountains and Kingaroy.<\/p>\n

South Burnett producers at\u00a0the Eat Street Markets included:<\/strong><\/p>\n