Le Cordon Bleu Food and Wine Writing Workshop

Experience Tasting Australia from a new perspective. Go behind the scenes with Le Cordon Bleu, the leading global network of culinary arts and hospitality management institutes, for three days of real industry experience as a food writer. Join respected food and wine journalist David Sly to understand the secret to pitch winning ideas and craft compelling food stories, ripe for publication.

In partnership with Tasting Australia, Le Cordon Bleu is offering passionate foodies and aspiring writers a delicious slice of the action, joining the media corps in reporting on the country’s pre-eminent eating and drinking festival.

• Cost: $475
• Duration: 3 Days
• Date: Friday 13th to Sunday 15th April 2018
• Time: 9.00am to 4.00pm
• Location: Students will be based in a central location in the Adelaide CBD for tutorials and will then disperse to Victoria Square and across Adelaide to attend events they wish to write about.

• Student Requirements: Students must bring a computer with Word software or compatible to submit articles.
• Entry Requirements: No prior knowledge or experience is required

Contact australia@cordonbleu.edu for further information or see the Tasting Australia Website.

David Sly

After more than 35 years in print journalism, freelance writer and editor David Sly has a wealth of experience in food and wine writing, including national awards and a graduate degree in the University of Adelaide/ Le Cordon Bleu Gastronomy course. A former food and wine editor of The Advertiser and now a contributor for national and international magazines, from Australian Gourmet Traveller and SALife to James Halliday Wine Companion magazine and Decanter, David focuses intently on specialised regional produce and wines of South Australia. This has been highlighted in a quartet of 250-page SALife Food & Wine publications issued since 2010. He has also written extensively about many of his other consuming passions; music, theatre, comedy, snow skiing and travel. David received the SA Restaurant and Hospitality Award of Excellence for Food Media in 2002, 2007 and 2012.

Course Structure

The workshop runs each day from 9am – 4pm and consists 5 hours of tuition, comprising lectures and guest speakers, writing workshops and editing coaching sessions, over 3 days (1-2 hours in the morning and 1-2 hours editing in the afternoon)

AIMS/ OBJECTIVES (OF THE COURSE)

• Develop practical skills for writing for food media
• Gain valuable feedback from a working journalist
• Learn how to develop original ideas and angles to pitch to editors
• Network with and interview people ‘behind the scenes’ at Australian food events
• Write a minimum 3 print-worthy articles about the event
• Hear from local food writers and guest speakers
• Enjoy the event from a whole new perspective

Day 1 & 2

• 9am – 10am Introduction
• 10am – 11am – Workshop
• 11am – 3pm – Students cover events. Media access to festival events, contact opportunities with various festival participants and a genuine taste of what it’s like to work in food media by having participants post daily stories on a specific event blog.
• 3pm – 4pm – Students submit written work for editing/ coaching sessions

Day 3

• 9am – 10am – Workshop 3
• 11am – 3pm – Students cover events. Media access to festival events, contact opportunities with various festival participants and a genuine taste of what it’s like to work in food media by having participants post daily stories on a specific event blog.
• 3pm – 4pm – Students submit written work for editing/ coaching sessions
• 4pm - Graduation Drinks & Nibbles – presentation of Certificates

Who is the programme for?

• Passionate foodies
• Restaurant reviewers
• Aspiring writers
• Freelance writers, bloggers and social media content creators who want to write about food/ wine in original and delectable ways

What qualification will I gain?

• A Le Cordon Bleu Certificate of Participation will be issued to all participants

Assessment

• Each afternoon students will be asked to submit written work for editing and coaching.

Course Credit

• No course credit will be given for this workshop.

Campus Location

• Students will be based in a central location in the Adelaide CBD for tutorials and will then disperse to Victoria Square and across Adelaide to attend events they wish to write about.

Term Dates & Apply

• Friday 13th – Sunday 15th April
• Application via Eventbrite.

Testimonials

Alyssa Mittiga

As a Law and Media student, my initial intention for enrolling in the Tasting Australia food writing course was to satisfy a growing itch for food writing, one that I considered an amateur passion and not a future career pathway. Little did I know that the professional environment of Le Cordon Bleu would ignite a spark within me, inspiring me to turn my passion into a real job. The course exposed me to the best-of-the-best within Adelaide’s professional food writing scene. Through the casual guidance of our experienced teacher, guest speakers and the Le Cordon Bleu team, I gained confidence and fine-tuned my skills, allowing me to; improve my ability to arrange and conduct interviews with key players including celebrity chefs, to meet tight deadlines and to pitch story ideas with unique angles. By the end of the week, I had produced a professional portfolio of work, one that has helped me secure paid food writing jobs in Adelaide, an internship in Sydney with Delicious Magazine and an invitation to the Copenhagen Cooking and Food festival in Denmark. The week was so much fun, plus I was able to experience all that the Tasting Australia festival had to offer.

Jessie Spiby

The Le Cordon Bleu writing course is a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in Tasting Australia under the guidance of one of the industries most experienced minds, David Sly. Soak it all up by interviewing chefs and event organisers as well as attending a multitude of events in the choose-your-own-adventure style course. Quite honestly one of the most fantastic weeks I have had.