Celebrities set to spice up food and wine at Lara

Television celebrities Catriona Rowntree and Gabriel Gate will rub shoulders with patrons of this month’s Lara Food and Wine Festival.
Ms Rowntree will host the second annual festival, while renowned chef Mr Gate will return for a cooking demonstration to pass on tips for mastering any kitchen.
Australian Young Chef of the Year, Geelong’s Matt Dempsey, will also attend to make the event a feast of entertainment and information for gourmands and wine lovers.
Organisers expect more than 8000 patrons after last year’s inaugural event lured about 5000 to sample the region’s leading delights from dozens of food and wine stalls.
Other drawcards will include live jazz and funk bands.
Organising committee member Libby Bate was thrilled Ms Rowntree and Mr Gate had again agreed to help spice up the festival.
“Catriona was fantastic at our first festival. Her bubbly chat with Gabriel while he was cooking kept the audience thoroughly entertained,” Ms Bate said.
Independent managing editor Tony Galpin, whose paper has signed on to help promote the festival, encouraged food and wine lovers to make the most of the event after the success of last year.
“The festival is a great opportunity to sample the truly world-class food and wine of the Lara and Geelong regions. It’s also a wonderful, relaxed day out for families or couples,” Mr Galpin said.
“The Independent is thrilled to be part of such a positive community event for our local food and wine producers and anyone else who just loves to eat and drink well.
“We encourage the community to book the date into their calendars as soon as possible.”
Lara Food and Wine Festival will be at Lara’s historic Pirra Homestead, 108 Windemere Road, from 10am to 4pm on March 28.
Entry and parking are free.