Each year, Eat Drink Blog is organised by a different volunteer committee of local bloggers from the host state.

The Eat Drink Blog 5 organising committee is now looking for a new team to organise Eat Drink Blog 6.

Eat Drink Blog 6 follows on from the five previous conferences:

• Eat Drink Blog 1, Melbourne, 2010;
• Eat Drink Blog 2, Sydney, 2011;
• Eat Drink Blog 3, Adelaide, 2012;
• Eat Drink Blog 4, Perth 2013 and
• Eat Drink Blog 5, Brisbane 2014.

As this is a national food blogging conference, each state has the opportunity to host Eat Drink Blog. All parties are encouraged to submit a proposal, but we are particularly interested in hearing from states that have not yet hosted the conference.

The format of Eat Drink Blog each year is entirely up to the organising committee. There is no requirement to duplicate what has been done in previous years.

The organising committee is responsible for:

• Choosing the date of the conference.
• Organising and managing a venue.
• Finding and working with speakers and presenters to deliver the conference programme.
• Securing and managing sponsors (if desired) to provide in-kind or cash support to cover the expenses required to run the conference. Traditionally, Eat Drink Blog has been completely free to attend as costs have been covered by sponsors. In the past, delegates have only been responsible for their flights, accommodation and personal expenses.
• Organising refreshments (breakfast, morning and afternoon tea, lunch, and dinner).
• Promotion, marketing, PR and social media for the event.
• Creating conference collateral (printed programme, slideshows and venue signage).
• Communication with potential and confirmed conference delegates before, during and after the event.
• Organising the conference competitions (i.e. food writing, photography), judging panels and prizes (if desired).
• Organising any other food and wine experiences (if desired).
• Organising gifts for speakers and bags for delegates (if desired).
• Documentation of the conference (videos and photographs).

From experience, we recommend no fewer than three people on the organising committee to share the workload for organising Eat Drink Blog.

It is recommended that you discuss your interest in hosting Eat Drink Blog with fellow bloggers in your state to get an idea of who can be part of the organising committee and discuss what your vision is.

If you are interested in organising Eat Drink Blog 6 we would love to hear from you.

Simply email us at [email protected] with the following details:

1. Your full name, blog name + url (add extra lines for extra people if you are applying together)
2. Your telephone number and/or Skype name.
3. Your city and why you think it would be a great place to host Eat Drink Blog 5.
4. A few paragraphs detailing your vision for Eat Drink Blog 5.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss any aspect of Eat Drink Blog, please contact Aga, Chair of Eat Drink Blog 5, at [email protected] to arrange a confidential discussion.

Deadline for expressions of interest: 5pm AEST, Monday, 5 January 2015.

The Eat Drink Blog 5 Organising Committee

Each year, Eat Drink Blog is organised by a different volunteer committee of local bloggers from the host state.

The Eat Drink Blog 4 organising committee is now looking for a new team to organise Eat Drink Blog 5.

Eat Drink Blog 5 follows on from the four previous conferences:

• Eat Drink Blog 1, Melbourne, 2010;
• Eat Drink Blog 2, Sydney, 2011;
• Eat Drink Blog 3, Adelaide, 2012.and
• Eat Drink Blog 4, Perth 2013.

As this is a national food blogging conference, each state has the opportunity to host Eat Drink Blog. All parties are encouraged to submit a proposal, but we are particularly interested in hearing from states that have not yet hosted the conference.

The format of Eat Drink Blog each year is entirely up to the organising committee. There is no requirement to duplicate what has been done in previous years.

The organising committee is responsible for:

• Choosing the date of the conference.
• Organising and managing a venue.
• Finding and working with speakers and presenters to deliver the conference programme.
• Securing and managing sponsors (if desired) to provide in-kind or cash support to cover the expenses required to run the conference. Traditionally, Eat Drink Blog has been completely free to attend as costs have been covered by sponsors. In the past, delegates have only been responsible for their flights, accommodation and personal expenses.
• Organising refreshments (e.g. breakfast, morning and afternoon tea, lunch, and dinner).
• Promotion, marketing, PR and social media for the event.
• Creating conference collateral e.g. printed programme, slideshows and venue signage.
• Communication with potential and confirmed conference delegates before, during and after the event.
• Organising the conference competitions (i.e. food writing and photography), judging panels and prizes (if desired).
• Organising any other food and wine experiences (if desired).
• Organising gifts for speakers and bags for delegates (if desired).
• Documentation of the conference (videos and photographs).

From experience, we recommend no fewer than three people on the organising committee to share the workload for organising Eat Drink Blog.

It is recommended that you discuss your interest in hosting Eat Drink Blog with fellow bloggers in your state to get an idea of who can be part of the organising committee and discuss what your vision is.

If you are interested in organising Eat Drink Blog 5 we would love to hear from you.

Simply email us at [email protected] with the following details:

1. Your full name, blog name + url (add extra lines for extra people if you are applying together)
2. Your telephone number and/or Skype name.
3. Your city and why you think it would be a great place to host Eat Drink Blog 5.
4. A few paragraphs detailing your vision for Eat Drink Blog 5.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss any aspect of Eat Drink Blog, please contact Ai-Ling Truong, Chair of Eat Drink Blog 4, at [email protected] to arrange a confidential discussion.

Deadline for expressions of interest: Monday, 13 January 2014.

The Eat Drink Blog 4, 2013 Organising Committee

A massive thank you to all the delegates, speakers and sponsors for making Eat Drink Blog 4 in Perth (9-10 November 2013) a fantastic weekend!

Has everyone recovered?

The committee could not be happier with the way things turned out and there have already been some great blog posts with delegates sharing their thoughts and experiences which we have collated on our media page. Please email ([email protected]) or tweet your posts (@eatdrinkblogau #EDB13) to us so that we can link to them

If you missed the announcements of the winners of the Photography and Writing Competition at the Eat Drink Blog Pop-Up Dinner or social media, here they are:

PHOTOGRAPHY

(1) IMPACT Photography Award: “Spices” by Emma of My Darling Lemon Thyme.

(2) IMPACT Communications and KitchenAid Community Award (public voted): “Calvados” by Karen of citrus and candy.

(3) Nescafé Dolce Gusto Runner Up: “Vanilla pannacotta w/rose gelle, sherbet meringue” by Cheryl of The Krooked Spoon

Click here for all the details.

WRITING

First place: “Wrapping Bakcang” by Sheryl of onebitemore.

Second place: “Broad Bean Salad” by Laura of Laura’s Mess.

Third place: “Hoi An” by Gillian of My Square Frying Pan.

Click here for all the details.

What’s next?

Eat Drink Blog has become an amazing annual event that brings together the Australian blogging community and we look forward to seeing what the future will bring. We will be announcing an expression of interest for Eat Drink Blog 5 soon.

Littlesweet Baking believes indulgence should be worthwhile, food should be made with premium ingredients from scratch, free from harmful additives and eaten with joy.

Littlesweet Baking is the home baking business of Megan, launched in 2010 to fill a gap in the market for beautifully baked, great tasting treats that are created using only the highest quality, all-natural ingredients. Megan produces baking mixes and a range of cakes, cookies, pastries & confections that taste as amazing as they look, supplying to cafés such as Chalkys and Cookie Dough in Fremantle.

In 2011, Littlesweet Baking was accredited with the National Baking Institute of Australia‘s ‘Seal of Excellence’.

We look forward to seeing what sweets Littlesweet Baking will share with delegates at Eat Drink Blog.

Red Hot Spatula is headed by Yvonne Bleach, not chef by trade but definitely a cook by heart. Having learnt the finer points of cooking sitting on her grandmother’s kitchen bench, her youth revolved around the many food-centric businesses her family was involved in as well as a multitude of gastronomic family feasts. Somehow, her career always veered into the foodie direction.

Yvonne has worked as a food journalist for Elle magazine and launched a series of bars and restaurants for a luxury hotel group in Singapore. Working in these environments opened many a professional kitchen door where she had the opportunity to be privy to many a masterchef kitchen, learning tips and tricks from the experts.

Leaving the rat race behind in Singapore, she settled down in Perth. Realising that there are heaps of foodies in Perth but a definite gap in the market for the type of food she can bring to the table, Red Hot Spatula was born.

Her food is greatly inspired by the melting pot food paradises of Singapore and Malaysia, bringing together the pure essence of South East Asian styled street food but with a gourmet touch.

Since its inception, Red Hot Spatula has entertained the local Perth tastebuds as a catering company as well as roving caterers at food festivals and special events. Yvonne also provides cooking classes, sharing her knowledge about food, spices and traditions.

We look forward to the more-ish bites of tasty Asian delights that Red Hot Spatula will provide for afternoon tea at Eat Drink Blog!

The Classroom Bar – Perth’s home of avant-garde bartenders – presents the third choice of Sunday activity for delegates – a one-off Cocktail and cuisine Masterclass.

The Classroom Bar is one of WA’s premier Small Bars. One part time capsule, one part small bar, the space pays tribute to the school days of yesteryear and fond memories of childhood. It presents a distinctive, ‘behind our school’ theme experience that is currently not offered elsewhere in Australia or the world.

The bar has three specially-themed areas: the Classroom, the School Library and School Canteen. The venue has been designed, lovingly by hand by the owners, to evoke the cherished memories of schooldays. With donations from local schools and some lucky finds on Ebay, 90% of The Classroom’s fit-out was assembled from recycled and reused materials.

The walls are lined with dusty chalkboards, superhero-themed lunchboxes, old-school listening stations, gold-embossed encyclopedia sets, rusty pencil sharpeners and faded school satchels. Recycled wooden school desks and benches make for quirky tables, and the bar’s collection of spirits reside in a row of repurposed gym lockers.

The Canteen’s menu is creative and playful, offering smartly updated tuck shop staples, using thoughtful techniques to create dishes that have a point of difference and intense flavours.

The Classroom prides itself in pushing the boundaries of contemporary mixology and modern beverage. Its cocktails have become the signature element of the Bar’s offering and set out to introduce and champion new offerings never seen before in Perth. It’s signature cocktails are Liquid Nitrogen Espresso Martini (exemplifying the dramatic qualities of liquid nitrogen with freezing the crema of the cocktail) and Bunsen After Burner (featuring caramelized bananas on a Bunsen Burner) which combine theatrics with bartending skill to provide twists on classic cocktails, while keeping in line with an education theme.

Join the owners of the bar themselves as the guide you though a tailored one-off cocktail and cuisine matching masterclass to explore the possibilities of food and cocktail matching!

You never stop learning, so get back into The Classroom!

Check out The Classroom happenings on Twitter and Facebook.

We have already announced that award winning blogger Adam Roberts of Amateur Gourmet will be a part of Eat Drink Blog 4 in Perth (http://eatdrinkblog.org/adam-roberts-joins-eat-drink-blog-2013).

Adam will be joined by an amazing line-up of local presenters and speakers on Saturday 9 November at Perth City Farm.

• Ed Charles (internet consultant, journalist, blogger – Tomato)

• Russell Blaikie (Chef – MUST Wine Bar)

• Anthony Georgeoff (editor Spice Magazine, blogger – Manthatcooks)

• Simon Park (photographer, blogger – The Heart of Food)

• Thang Ngo (food writer, commentator, blogger – Noodlies )

• Paul Kilmurray (founder – Urban Locavore)

• Kiren Mainwaring (Chef – Co-Op Dining)

• Katrina Lane (Chef – Taste of Balingup)

• Michael Tucak (arts lawyer – Creative Legal)

• Cynthia Chew (blogger – The Food Pornographer)

• Phil Lees (social media manager, food writer – The Last Appetite)

• Max Brearley (freelance journalist, blogger – Pub Diaries)

• Emma Galloway (cookbook author, blogger – My Darling Lemon Thyme)

Preliminary Program

Registrations for the conference will open on Monday 19 August and close on Monday 2 September by 20.00 (ACST)

You will be emailed confirmation of your registration and a separate email will be sent to select your choice of Sunday activity.

Sunday Activities

This year the committee is organising 3 separate food and drink activities for Sunday 10 November. The activities will be for groups of 30-35 people, providing delegates the opportunity to engage with a local business/industry and learn a thing or two.

Delegates will get a choice to participate in one of the activities.

Option 1: Mastering French Pastries with Emmanuel Mollois

Option 2: Unearth the Mystery of Mushrooms  (mushroom farm tour and cooking challenge)

Option 3: The Classroom Bar Cocktail and Cuisine Masterclass

Accommodation special

The Goodearth Hotel which is located a short walk from Perth City Farm has offered Eat Drink Blog 4 delegates a special deal valid for the nights of 8 – 10 November 2013. Reservations made with the Goodearth quoting our promo code will get 25% off the best available rate which will vary depending on when the booking is made ie: the earlier you book, the cheaper it will be.

This special offer also includes free breakfast buffet for your stay which is usually an additional $16 per day.

A variety of different accommodation options are offered by the Goodearth Hotel so we encourage delegates to share – there are twin studio rooms and also open plan apartments that can fit up to 4-5 people.

The process for booking and promo code will be email to selected delegates in the confirmation email.

The winning entry for this year’s writing competition will be published in SBS Feast magazine!

Thanks to SBS Feast magazine for coming on board this year and supporting the writing competition, and sponsors Grand Cucina, Booktopia and MOO for contributing some great prizes.

Prizes

1^st – Entry published in SBS Feast magazine, $200 voucher from Grand Cucina, Luxe Business cards from Moo.

2^nd – Booktopia pre-selected cookbook prize pack RRP $600, Cookut Cocotte valued at $179.95 from Grand Cucina, postcard and sticker bundle from Moo.

3^rd – Booktopia pre-selected cookbook prize pack RRP $400, Cookut frypan 24cm valued at $102.95 from Grand Cucina, stickerbook from Moo.

Judges

Entries will be judged by an esteemed panel consisting of Alix Clark (Editor, SBS Feast Magazine), Jane Cornes (Freelance Writer) and Renee Bergere (Deputy Editor, Scoop Magazine).

Entry Conditions

This year entrants can submit an original piece of published blog writing that must be no more than 1000 words on any food related subject. It could be on a food traveling experience, a restaurant review, the headnote for a recipe, a story or article on an aspect of food that interests, excites or frustrates you.

Note: If the entry features a recipe, the story supporting the recipe will be judged, not the recipe itself so the ingredients and methodology are not included in the word count.

Entries for the competition will be based on blog posts published within the last six (6) months, up to and including the closing date, between 7 April 2013 – 7 October 2013.

All entries must be submitted via email to: writingcomp @ eatdrinkblog.org with the full name of the author, name of the blog, email address, social media ID, a link to blog post and attach a PDF copy of the text only, no images.

This competition is open to ALL Australian food and drink bloggers that meet the criteria, not just conference delegates.

Before entering, check out the terms and conditions page  to check your eligibility, full terms and conditions, details of prizes and bios of our judging panel.

Entries must be submitted by 20.00 (ACST) on Monday 7th October 2013

So we’d like to say a huge thank you to all of the companies and organisations who have partnered with us this year to ensure that Eat Drink Blog 3 is our biggest conference yet.

In particular, we’d like to acknowledge our three major sponsors: the South Australian Tourism Commission, the Adelaide Central Market and the Adelaide City Council through its Splash Adelaide programme.

Check out the full list of Eat Drink Blog 3 sponsors.

Check out these blogs and galleries for the lowdown before and after the event. If I have missed your post, please tweet me @tummyrumbles.

• Abstract Gourmet – Eat. Drink.Blog. – The Food Bloggers Conference
• Abstract Gourmet – Flickr gallery
• confessions of a food nazi – Eat.Drink.Blog – Australian food bloggers conference (part 1)
• confessions of a food nazi – Australian food bloggers conference – how and why I blog about food (part 2)
• Cooking Down Under – Why we blog
• Cooking Down Under – Flickr gallery
• Fitzroyalty – 2010 Australian food blogger conference
• Fitzroyalty – EatDrinkBlog – the Australian food bloggers conference
• Fitzroyalty – EatDrinkBlog – the afterparty
• Green Gourmet Giraffe – Eat Drink Blog Conference – notes and reflections
• I Am Obsessed With Food | No really I am…. – Eat.Drink.Blog.2010
• “…it pleases us” – Eat. Drink. Blog – Australian food bloggers conference
• Jeroxie (addictive and consuming) – Eat.Drink.Blog – The Australian food and drink bloggers’ conference
• Lisa Dempster Unwakeable – Eat Drink Blog 2010
• Lisa Dempster Unwakeable – How and why I blog
• Lisa Dempster – Flickr gallery
• Melbourne Gastronome – MFWF and Eat.Drink.Blog. round-up
• My Aching Head – EatDrinkSpew
• Once a waitress, always a waitress – The how and why of blog photography
• Progressive Dinner Party – Eat.Drink.Blog – Australia’s first food bloggers conference
• Progressive Dinner Party – Eat.Drink.Blog – the washup
• Progressive Dinner Party – What we talk about when we talk about food blogging
• ravenous – Eat.Drink.Blog. 2010
• SBS Food – The Australian Food Bloggers’ Conference 2010
• SBS Food – Eat Drink Blog Photo Gallery
• Second helping – Eat.Drink.Blog. 2010
• 6lumens.com – SBS Food Bloggers Photo Exhibition
• Spatula, Spoon and Saturday – Eat.Drink.Blog. 2010 Australian Food Bloggers Conference (Part I)
• The Cake Mistress – Eat Drink Blog Conference 2010 – How and Why We Blog
• The Last Appetite – Getting my focus back
• th0i3 – Flickr gallery
• Tomato – Food blogger photo exhibition this week at St Ali
• Tomato – Flickr gallery
• Travelling in Mary Janes – Australia’s Inaugural Food Bloggers Conference 2010 – Eat.Drink.Blog
• Travelling in Mary Janes – St. Ali, South Melbourne & The food bloggers of Australia: Eat Drink Blog 2010
• tummyrumbles.com – How and why I blog

We even got a mention in The Age.

Speaking of tweets, the conference was enthusiastically captured under the hash tag #EatDrinkBlog and #EatDrinkBlog2010.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank the generosity of our sponsors, without which it would have been a very dull day indeed:

• The Essential Ingredient provided the venue, staff and a prize for a tweet your favourite @EsntlIngredient competition. It was totally inspiring to have our conference about food blogging in such a hallowed space.
• SBS Food sponsored the exhibition of photographs from food and wine blogs,  and provided each attendee with a little goodie bag to take home, which included episode 2 of Italian Food Safari, before it airs on TV!
• St Ali provided attendees with lunch and the evening meal by chef Ben Cooper, plus the space for the exhibition and kick-off cocktail party.  We applaud the fantastic floor staff for their enthusiasm, and Ben and his team for taking us on an interesting culinary adventure.  Many people broke their fish eye cherries that night.
• Der Raum provided some seriously inventive cocktails and drinks. Check the twitter pics for smoking poison bottles and hip flasks in paper bags.
• Prentice Wine provided a corker of a wine matched to our evening meal.
• Red Hill Brewery slaked our thirst with some local hand crafted ales.
• Daylesford and Hepburn Springs Mineral Springs Co kept us hydrated throughout the day with sparkling mineral water and soft drinks.

One must also not forget to thank the people that made it all happen so smoothly on the day; Ed, Reem, April, Mellie, Michael, Tammi and Jess, plus our fabulous panel members.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the bloggers who made this such a successful event. Your excitement and willingness to discuss what all this food and wine blogging business is about just made it totally rock.