India gets a taste of Western Australia

24 Jan 2011

Western Australia’s best produce was put on show in Bangalore, India in December in a promotion designed to showcase the range of food and beverage products the state has to offer. The 10-day promotion, called ‘A Taste of Indulgence’ featured premium products from the south west region of WA.

Western Australian celebrity chef Dennis Mifsud prepared gourmet cuisine with fine wines from South West region wineries.  Internationally acclaimed winemakers Vanya Cullen, Cliff Royle and Dr Peter Thompson of Thompson Estates, conducted an interactive Margaret River wine master class, chaired by TradeStart Export Advisor Mat Lewis. A culinary tourism master class was presented by Professor Jack Carlsen of Curtin University.

The venues for the promotion were Caperberry and Fava restaurants, two premium restaurants in Bangalore; owned and operated by award-winning chef Abhijit Saha of Avant Garde Hospitality (AGH).

Mr Saha took part in the Western Australian Wine Trail—a TradeStart wine buyers mission—and was very impressed by the food and wine he tasted. He said, “Having the Indulgence wine and food festival at Fava and Caperberry is in line with my vision of bringing exciting food and beverage experiences to our guests.

“The wine and cuisine I tasted during my visit to Western Australia were outstanding and I wanted our guests to experience the same,” he said.

Austrade’s Delhi-based Trade Commissioner Michael Carter said, “Globally, tourism is changing from passive service provision to an active engagement with visitors, from the delivery of products to the provision of extraordinary experiences. This promotion showcased the culinary tourism options in Western Australia, to whet the appetite of the discerning Indian consumer.

“There has already been the first small commercial shipment of premium Western Australian seafood directly into Bangalore along with the Thompson Estate wines now being sold in the state,” he said.

A five-member parliamentary delegation from Western Australia, led by the Hon Mr Barry House, President of the WA Legislative Council, also attended the event.

Indulgence was first staged in Singapore in 2005, coordinated by the South West Development Commission. The Commission works in partnership with Austrade, the Western Australian Trade Office, Tourism Australia, Curtin University, Singapore Airlines and Avant Garde Hospitality.

The next Indulgence event is being planned for Jakarta, Indonesia, in May 2011.