We have Sydney’s western suburbs to thank for some of the country’s hottest food talent, including Dan and Angie Hong. Parklands Food Festival is back to shine the light on the region’s rising stars and latest food offering.

This year, Parklands will be headlined by MasterChef Australia star and delicious. Senior Food Editor Matt Preston. He’ll be giving visitors a sneak peek of his latest
cookbook, Yummy, Easy, Quick via a live cooking demo. Matt will also be cooking
some of his favourite recipes from his delicious. column on the day.

Matt will be joined by a string of other local talent, many of whom cut their teeth
in western Sydney. They reflect this year’s festival theme: Homegrown. Channel Nine’s Celebrity Food Fight winners the Shahrouk Sisters will also be cooking on the day, sharing their Middle Eastern food arsenal.

The Shahrouk Sisters are among 50 stalls who will be spruiking their tasty wares, including Aunty’s Ginger Tonic. Aunty’s founder Yarrie Bangura fled war-torn Sierra Leone, aged eight, arriving in Sydney to brew her homemade recipe, handed down to her by her aunty and grandmother. For Yarrie, it’s a symbol of
the power of community, which is what Parklands is all about.

As well as Aunty’s, local hero Joe Papandrea of Wetherill Park’s Joe Papandrea’s Quality Meats will be attending. There’s plenty of fresh fruit, veggies and smallgoods to stock up on at their new Food Fest market, an exciting new kids’ zone, and Sweet Spot – Parklands’ own dedicated dessert HQ – is back by popular demand. Head to the Lizard Log Amphitheatre in Abbotsbury for all this and more as Parklands swings into western Sydney on Saturday September 8. Register here.