Long lunch is the launch for festival

By Melissa Donchi
STONES of the Yarra Valley in Coldstream held its inaugural World’s Longest Lunch last Friday on the first day of the 15th annual Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.
With cooler conditions taking hold the event was held in a circa-1868 barn under century-old oak trees providing a memorable afternoon at one of the Yarra Valley’s oldest properties.
Guests dined on a selection of outstanding Yarra Valley produce prepared by head chef Dale Prentice as they enjoyed 360-degree views across the vineyard.
Managing director Steve Frazer said he was very happy with the results.
“We’ve only be around for six months so it was very flattering to be invited by Tourism Victoria to participate,” he said.
“We produced a lunch that was made exclusively from Yarra Valley products, which was excellent.
“More importantly, more than 90 per cent of our guests came from inner Melbourne which is fantastic considering our whole objective was to try and get people to visit the region.”
The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival runs for two weeks from 16-30 March and features the return of the Original MasterClass and Restaurant Express among the 150 culinary events.
The Yarra Valley features widely with events held at Domain Chandon, Healesville Sanctuary, Healesville Hotel and Dominique Portet, just to name a few.