Ashburton Food Festival will have a new community focus this year, with local food charities taking part, as well as the traditional street market full of food stalls, kids’ activities, cabaret, poetry and music.
The popular festival is now entering its 13th year, with a new ‘Head Chef’ organising it. Dee Kilkelly is a local Ashburton resident with a background in marketing and video production. He’s formed a new not-for-profit CIC and has been busy pulling together a band of local volunteers to bring a new burst of energy to the festival.
He said “I’ve always had a love for food and festivals, so it was a natural project for me. When I moved to Ashburton in 2014, I made a short film about the festival, which you can still find on YouTube. The festival has been run in recent years by Born Hectic Events, but I knew the team behind it were planning to hang up their aprons and realised it wouldn’t continue to run unless someone like me took it on.
One of my main goals with the festival is to use it as a platform to discuss important topics around food. Getting food right is so important to our health, the environment and ultimately our happiness. This year at the festival we’re focusing on food in schools and how we can change attitudes and culture from those really early stages.”
Events at the festival will include a panel discussion with Hilary Priest from the Grove primary school in Totnes, who recently appeared on the BBC Food Programme, and the charity Chefs in Schools.
Ashburton’s Mayor, Saskia Hogbin, said the festival was “a chance to showcase the best of Ashburton’s fantastic culinary community, from its destination restaurants and cafés to charities like the Growing Space and Ashburton Community Fridge.”
Ashburton Food Festival is on Saturday 14th September 2024 from 10am-5pm – find out more at www.ashburtonfoodfestival.com.
