Tasting Australia has turned its focus towards families and children in 2021 by introducing four family events to be held at this year’s Town Square activation, open from April 30 to May 9.

With a focus on inspiring young minds, these sessions will be guided by top chefs such as Duncan Welgemoed, Emma McCaskill and Mark Labrooy, with each session hosted by journalist, cookbook author and food writer Magdalena Roze.

Cooking for Your Family

As a leading chef working in kitchens such as Penfolds Magill Estate, as well as Michelin-starred restaurants in the UK and Japan, Emma McCaskill has cooked for some discerning crowds; however, it’s the smallest diners who are often the toughest critics.

On Sunday, May 2, McCaskill will be joined by her own two children as she leads a one-hour session on Cooking For Your Family at Town Square from 4pm to 5pm.

Cooking For Your Family is aimed to help make weeknight mealtime fast, affordable and fun. McCaskill will demonstrate how to prepare go-to dinners, with participants enjoying a small dish of each and taking home a recipe booklet from the session.

Honey 101

A founding member of popular Sydney restaurant Three Blue Ducks, Mark Labrooy has a passion for foraging and hunting, with a desire to make Australian dining more sustainable.

A co-author of three books and an OzHarvest ambassador, Labrooy will host Honey 101 alongside Josh D’Ambosio from The Urban Bee, to explain the honey process from hive to jar.

LaBrooy will demonstrate a tasty honey recipe, while D’Ambosio will provide insights into the fascinating and wonderful world of bees.

At the end of this one-hour session, each guest will receive a jar of honey from the Town Square hive. The event runs from 4pm to 5pm on Thursday, May 6.

An edible chocolate garden from your little petal

In this session, Scoffed Cooking School’s pastry chef will be on hand to help children through the steps to create an edible garden arrangement and create a gift for Mother’s Day.

Children will spend an hour working creatively with the chef to create and package their masterpieces.

Various sessions and times will be held in the RAA Travel Lounge Bar in Town Square from May 1 to 8.

All ingredients are included, as is the equipment necessary to create an edible arrangement, which will be beautifully packaged as a gift and is suitable for ages eight and up.

Parents are advised they do not need to stay and supervise (and should also bear in mind there’s a bar nearby).

The Deep Sigh of Broccoli

Broccoli is the kryptonite on many children’s dinner plates, but if anyone can turn around this disgust for the much-maligned cruciferous it would be vegetable vanguard chef Duncan Welgemoed.

Welgemoed will be joined by his two young boys as he leads this session featuring recipes from his upcoming children’s vegetarian cookbook, The Deep Sigh of Broccoli.

Participants will enjoy kids’ mocktails from Hellbound wine bar’s Mark Reginato, plus an Ivy House floristry workshop with the business’ founder and floral genius Jessica Taylor.

The Deep Sigh of Broccoli will be held from 4pm to 5pm on Saturday, May 1.

Town Square

Free to enter, Tasting Australia’s Town Square returns in 2021 with a new look and new eating and drinking experiences from April 30 to May 9, open from 11am each day.

Situated in Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga, Town Square welcomes families to meet for a drink, stay for a meal and explore. It is accessible for people in wheelchairs, including all events held in Town Square Kitchen and in the Masterclass Pavilion.