In 1991, local wine producer and food fanatic Rhonda Doyle came up with the idea of an 'Orange Autumn Gourmet Weekend', and from this the Food of Orange District (F.O.O.D) was born, with an active group of 'foodies' forming the Orange F.O.O.D Week committee, with the aim to put Orange on the map as the country food capital.

In 2011, Orange F.O.O.D Week celebrates its 20th anniversary, and the vision remains the same - to encourage the use of and promote locally grown produce from the Orange, Cabonne and Blayney shires - the 'food basket' of NSW.

F.O.O.D Week is now a ten-day food festival held each year in April, showcasing the producers, local products, chefs and restaurants, and other enterprises that provide the Orange region with its great reputation for fine food and wine.

Starting on April 8 and running through to April 17, F.O.O.D Week 2011 will feature over 123 events, including cooking demonstrations, brunches, banquets, dinners, and feasts. During F.O.O.D Week you can visit farms, markets, kitchens, restaurants, cafes, wineries, attend special celebration dinners, workshops and events and sample fine wines, orchard fruits, beef, lamb, venison, vegetables and more.

Visitors can meet those who grow the produce, the chefs, caterers and cooks who create extraordinary dishes from it, and everyone else who works in the food and hospitality industries. These people are overwhelmingly passionate about what they do and are equally passionate about sharing what they do.

Key events include the Night Market on April 8, the 100-Mile Dinner in Canowindra on April 11, and the F.O.O.D Affair on April 17. Two new events being introduced in this special anniversary year are FORAGE on April 9, a movable feast across the countryside from Borenore to Nashdale and sponsored by Industry and Investment, and the F.O.O.D Train, departing Sydney for Orange on April 8 for three days of F.O.O.D Week activities and events.

Another new feature is F.O.O.D Central at Union Bank, which will be open daily from 9am - 10.30am and 5pm - 7pm, where people can call in and find out what's happening on the day, pick up a program, speak to a F.O.O.D Week ambassador and share their F.O.O.D Week experiences.

"These new initiatives are sure to become as popular as the 100-Mile Dinner, which is one of the most popular events and one which a ticket is coveted" - said F.O.O.D Week President, Cynthia Jarratt.

"Our 20th anniversary will be a true celebration of how far F.O.O.D Week has come, not only applauding the great food and wine of our area, but the spirit of support and sheer determination of those who started it".

We encourage people to visit during F.O.O.D Week as we celebrate this wonderful milestone and guarantee an entertaining and gastronomically exciting time that you won't forget!

A full listing of the activities and events taking place during F.O.O.D Week 2011 is available in the special edition anniversary F.O.O.D Week program available online.