EAT! Festival Objectives

EAT! NewcastleGateshead aims to:

• Elevate the profile of the North East as a producer and provider of quality food and drink
• Raise the status of professions in food production, retail and hospitality
• Highlight entry points and development options for those considering a career in food or employed within it
• Raise standards of customer service in hospitality businesses
• Encourage strong connections between NewcastleGatehead and its regional food producers and awareness of the farm-to-fork journey
• Encourage pleasurable and convivial encounters at the table
• Develop enthusiasm for the discovery and enjoyment of good food in local children
• Attract visitors from outside the region to the North East to sample the hospitality available

Our High-Profile Steering Group

Food Producers and Retailers
Matt Boyle (Wylam Brewery), Dan May and Becky McKenzie (Trees Can't Dance), Peter Craig (Beckleberry's)

Hoteliers, Restaurants and Cafés
Terry Laybourne (21 Hospitality), Lizzy Kelk (Malmaison Newcastle), Craig Campbell (Copthorne Hotel) Cristina di Georgi (Gusto Group), Andy Hook (Blackfriars), Sam Storey (Belle & Herbs), Felix Busch (Hilton Newcastle Gateshead), Justin Perkins (Flatbread Café)

Public Representatives
Carol Bell (Culture10/NGI), Jenny Walton (Northumbria Larder), Stephen Dyer (Gateshead College), Stephen Savage (Newcastle City Council), Jamie Sadler (East End Health), Stephen Patterson (NE1 Ltd)