Castlemaine cooks welcome UNESCO City of Gastronomy bid team

"When you know how to cook and how to grow you're always rich," says Jane Grylls, Kitchen Specialist in the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden (SAKG) program at Winters Flat Primary school, Castlemaine.

Jane and her team of eager students and volunteers welcomed Dag Hartman from the UNESCO Creative Cities of Gastronomy into their kitchen this week. All part of the City of Greater Bendigo's bid to become the first Australian city to make the list.

Dag, who travelled from his home in Ostersund, Sweden via the Chinese city of Chengdu (both Cities of Gastronomy), greeted the group warmly then donned an apron to help the children prepare lunch.

"I come from almost exactly the opposite side of the world to you," Dag told the group. "My city is small and surrounded by nature, so not so different from yours."

"Cities just like ours all over the world are working together with UNESCO, with food, with plants and with gastronomy for the good of the planet and for sustainability."

Winters Flat student Oslan talks UNESCO's Dag Hartman through the plans for lunch. : Celebrating the freshest of produce.

The UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) was created in 2004. The 180 cities currently involved work together towards a common objective: placing creativity and cultural industries at the heart of their development and cooperating at an international level.

Several Australian cities are already in. Geelong for design, Melbourne for literature, Adelaide for music and Sydney for film; gastronomy however is the only category that allows applicants to reach outside city boundaries. Bendigo's appointment would celebrate our entire region, including the Mount Alexander Shire.

Bendigo restaurateur and member of the reference advisory group, Sonia Anthony, was part of the local tour, which included a visit to indigenous elder Aunty Julie and local artist Catherine Pilgrim. She said the whole application process had been a chance to bring together and further strengthen our incredible local food community.

"Being recognised as a city of gastronomy would take our region onto an international stage," she said. "Opening the doors to so many wonderful conversations and opportunities."

Delicious food ready for the oven : Winters Flat Primary SAKG Kitchen Specialist Jane Grylls and Ryan prepare lunch for their visitors.

And with that it was time to share a meal and celebrate what the SAKG program does so well.

"For us it's all about creating a pleasurable experience around food," says Jane. "It's not just about being healthy, it's about how food makes you feel and how you show people that you care."

It's also, adds Dag, how you show where you come from.

We couldn't be prouder of our local food heroes and eagerly await the outcome from UNESCO by the end of the year.

Main image: Lila, Mille and Lily hard at work in the Winters Flat Primary School kitchen.