SUNSHINE Coast chef and television presenter Peter Kuruvita (Noosa Beach House) has launched the Sunshine Coast Food Trail.
A new interactive website will enable visitors to create their own food trail taking in the region's best producers, markets, restaurants, cooking schools, events, wineries and brewers.
The aim is to showcase the freshness and rich variety of the region's food and produce.
The Sunshine Coast has been a rich agricultural destination for more than 100 years, based originally on sugar cane, pineapples and dairy, but now covering everything from feijoas and snails to ginger, macadamias and world-renowned seafood.
Complementing this has been the expansion of high-quality restaurants, cooking schools, food events, wineries and breweries.
With the Sunshine Coast's ease of access and relatively compact space, the drive trails can be designed to suit anything from a half-day taste to a multi-day buffet.
"Since moving to the Sunshine Coast three years ago and then recently filming the region for SBS Coastal Kitchen, I have been amazed at how the area has expanded both its food scene and variety of produce," Kuruvita said.
"We have incredible and abundant seafood, a huge variety of ethical organic produce being farmed covering everything from nomadic chickens, macadamias and indigenous bush tucker to camel milk.
"The producers are passionate and the local community incredibly supportive of them.
"All this, along with a thriving and expanding restaurant scene and food and wine festivals throughout the year, have really cemented Sunshine Coast on the culinary map. Oh, and the surf and beaches aren't bad either!"
