Gourmet Escape cancelled for 2020 in wake of COVID-19

WA’s leading foodie event, the Gourmet Escape, has been canned amidst ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

Widely considered the premier event on the annual culinary calendar, the festival was set to return in November with a line-up of celebrity chefs, tastings and dinners.

However, director Sarah Lovell today announced the Gourmet Escape will not go ahead as planned.

In a statement, she said the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and movement restrictions meant the organisers had no choice but to cancel.

“The health and wellbeing of our guests, contributors, venue hosts, staff and the wider community is paramount,” Lovell said.

“Given the severe impacts of the pandemic on the travel and hospitality sectors, we look forward to working with Tourism Western Australia to support an inbound tourism revival and boosting efforts to increase visitation and promote the region’s culinary offerings.”

Gourmet Escape was founded in 2012 and has grown to encompass Perth, the Swan Valley and Margaret River.

Since its inception, the food and wine experiences have attracted close to 150,000 from Australia and beyond and injected $70 million into the economy.

Past world-class talent who have headlined the festival include Marco Pierre White, Heston Blumenthal, Nigella Lawson and David Chang.

Lovell said they were already working on securing top names for next year’s event.

“We are pleased to share that plans are already underway for Western Australia Gourmet Escape in November 2021, which will see the beloved festival return with an even bigger lineup,” she said.