Why we heart Melbourne
We recently moved our HQ to Melbourne, and golly gosh, we’re so pumped.
What an incredible food community here - we want to visit / taste / rejoice / support them all! To help christen our relocation, we asked YFMers in the Melbourne food community to give us some of their local food highlights. If you’re ever in town to visit (or even if you’re already a Melbournite), remember to chuck these in your itinerary!
ALL ABOUT THE MARKETS
Slow Food Melbourne Market!! (Recently moved from Abbotsford Convent to Spotswood). 4th Saturday of every month 8-1! Based around the global Slow Food movement, this market is all about celebrating good, clean and fair food! It’s great because you know the produce you’re buying is locally and sustainably sourced. It’s the best way to start your weekend being surrounded by fabulous people and delicious food!-LaurenShout out for all the great Melbourne Farmers Markets. So many locations, including Melbourne Uni, Abbotsford, the Food Hub at Alphington, Carlton, and more!-SophieDandenong Market! A cultural adventure in Melbourne. You can get lucky with free parking with tickets passed from person to person on a busy day. You can grab an Aldi shopping trolley from a stranger for the dollar deposit, and get some Sri Lankan or Turkish food for lunch. I go out there to get boxes of fruit and veg for jams, chutneys and krauts:)-Larissa
CAFES THAT GIVE A SH*T
I love the foodie and fair food culture in Melbourne. There are so many great cafes like East Elevation growing their own mushrooms, Kinfolk supporting skill sharing, and home.one (started by a YFM volunteer!) operating through the social enterprise model.-Bee
THE ORGANISATIONS THAT BRING US TOGETHER
CERES! Once a landfill, now a thriving community of urban farmers, horticulturalists, makers, eaters, gardeners, creators, artists, and lovers of all things food, plants, nature and community! CERES is not just a community hub, but a home away from home, a school, and a place to bathe yourself in the tranquil gardens and peaceful surrounds.-JessThe sheer number of amazing fair food organisations - The Community Grocer, Free to Feed, Open Table, Fair Food Challenge, FareShare, Farmer Incubator, Cultivating Community, Australian Food Sovereignty Alliance, CERES Environment Park, 3000acres, Open Food Network Australia, just to name a few. The support and collaboration among the community, the volunteering opportunities they bring, the work they do on the ground and the causes they highlight<3-Jas
THE DIVERSITY
Living in the UK, I miss the variety of international foods and the quality of those foods. Each cafe, garden center, rooftop bar or farmers market was a memorable experience that you could share with others or want to revisit with friends and family.-ShereeFor me, as a Dutch ‘expat’, the most amazing thing was how the restaurants, bars etc. reflected the cultural diversity of Melbourne. For every single person in this city, there is a unique food place where you feel at home and can be yourself to the fullest!-Simone
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THE DESSERT!
Some of my favourite food memories in Melbourne so far involve gelato. From the first time I experienced nutella fountain at Pidapipo, to the affogato I had Gelateria Primavera on Spring Street, the gelato in this city holds a special place in this dessert lover’s heart.-Ally