Across the entire 31-day stretch of August, New Zealand’s trendy capital of Wellington will once again host Visa Wellington on a Plate (VWOAP).
The long-running food and wine festival, which touches everywhere from Wellington City to the Kāpiti Coast, picturesque Hutt Valley, and Wairarapa, is set to reach unprecedented levels in 2019, thanks to an extended reach and reimagined structure, broken down into “Dine Wellington” (first two weeks), “Burger Wellington” (second two weeks), and “Cocktail Wellington” (all month long).
This is the first time the festival has run for the entire month, and will benefit from the expanded program with hundreds of food-focused events, creative set menus, exclusive pop ups, and of course those limited edition burgers and cocktails that have been created just for the event. That’s five weekends of serious dining and wine-ing to once again push VWOP as one of the biggest (and best – we’ve been, it was delicious) foodie festivals in Australasia.
More than 20 top international and local chefs will make Wellington their home for the festival, dispersed around various events and popping up at some of the city’s finest restaurants. This includes Chef Monique Fiso who will be bringing back Hiakai Hangi after a sell-out event last year, highlighting Polynesian culture around a hangi pit (heated rocks buried in a pit oven) through four courses of slow-cooked kai, accompanied by Tutu cider and new release wines, alongside entertainment and a team of international chefs.
Other events include Sydney chef Mark Best joining Fiso for a six-course tasting menu; highly awarded L.A Chef and baker Nancy Silverton bringing her Osteria Mozza to Shephard for a three-night collaboration; and the “Rimutaka Prison Gate to Plate” where prisoners at Rimutaka work with Chef Martin Bosley and guest Chef Chetan Pangam to prepare and serve canapes and a three-course menu to guests, intended to highlight the skills and hidden talent in Wellington’s prisons and the potential that is possible when the community supports those who want to make positive changes in their lives.
For the full program and tickets head to the official Visa Wellington on a Plate website HERE.
Image supplied.
