The Mutual Bank helps Novocastrians to rediscover the local dining scene
The Mutual Bank is helping people in Newcastle and the Hunter to embrace their inner foodie! We’re sponsoring the inaugural Newcastle Food Month. During April 2021 you will be able to treat yourself to a new dining experience, gather your friends for a hearty meal over a Plate Date, catch the autumn sun with a drink in hand at one of the many outdoor festivals or nourish your mind and bellies in a hands-on cooking workshop.
Our local food and hospitality industry does a great job of feeding us, employing people and bringing visitors to our region. Our business banking team supports a number of local hospitality businesses, so we wanted to give back to that industry and help all Novocastrians enjoy some deliciousness during April. We can all help contribute to the revival of an industry that was significantly impacted by Covid-19.
We asked the event organisers – Gus and Louise Maher – to tell us a little more about Newcastle Food Month.
Why Newcastle Food month?
This is a festival for Newcastle by Newcastle. To say here's cheers to our ever-growing dining scene; the chefs, the providores, the farmers, the hoteliers and the hospitality workers.
We live in an enviable patch of Australia with the beach in our front yard, and the Hunter Valley and Port Stephens out ‘back. The local produce, which adorns our plates and fills our glasses, is amongst the best in the country. And that is worthy of a month-long toast.
What can people expect from Newcastle Food Month?
For the 30 days of April, Newcastle Food Month is dishing up over 30 individual feature events, 60 restaurants are serving Plate Date dining deals, and as our headlining signature event, we’re bringing the world-renowned dining experience Le Dîner en Blanc to Newcastle for the very first time. Newcastle Food Month incorporates the weekend long Newcastle Seafood Festival too – which will be jam-packed with masterclasses with top seafood chefs, Seafood Co-op open days, family catch and release fishing comps and a meet and greet with our local fishermen.
How can people have a plate date?
60 restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs across Newcastle are cooking up a Newcastle Food Month dish in April. The specially designed meal could be breaky, lunch or dinner matched with an alcoholic or non-alcoholic drink for a dashing $25.
Le Dîner en Blanc – please explain!
Le Dîner en Blanc is a Parisian-style pop-up dinner famous for its all-white dress code and surprise location. The dinner has been hosted under the Eiffel Tower, on the steps of the Sydney Opera House and along New York’s Hudson River. Now, it’s Newcastle’s turn to don their best whites and party at the world’s most elegant picnic. Be quick and get on the waitlist
For more information about Newcastle Food Month including dining guides and pre-sale event opportunities, visit their website at www.newcastlefoodmonth.com.au
