“I just want to get the conversation back to real food,” says Rhonda Doyle, original F.O.O.D Week founder and, along with husband Stephen, pioneer of the wine industry here in Orange.

Seeing the promise of cool climate wines, Rhonda and Stephen began planting vines on their property west of Orange in 1983, with the first Bloodwood vintage following in 1986.

The idea for F.O.O.D. Week sprung from some particularly good raspberries, according to Rhonda, who says she inherited a love for food from her father. 

“He just loved eating, he'd be talking about what he was going to have for breakfast after he just had a big dinner!” recalls Rhonda.

“So I was always mad keen on food and a lot of people in orange, people who love food,  used to go to Sydney for dinner. So I thought, well how about we actually get those chefs to come here, teach us and then we can do it because the quality of the produce here was absolutely sensational!

“I'd pay a lot of money for one and a half raspberries in a dessert and yet, here was I… making summer pudding or something, eating handfuls of raspberries that tasted fantastic!”

From those early years, Rhonda is thrilled to see how far F.O.O.D. Week has come and how much it has grown.

“I’d hoped it would, but I'm actually gobsmacked that the idea has lived quite so long,” says Rhonda. 

“I just thought food and wine going together would be fantastic — and it was! And it has created a lot of employment for the town. Look, how many wineries are here now. Look at how many cafes there are. Look at how many restaurants we've had open in that time.”

With the 32nd F.O.O.D. Week program about to get underway, Rhonda has put out a little food challenge of her own (one that may or may not involve raspberries) and she is seeking recipe submissions for a tasty two-bite morsel (savoury or sweet) for the opportunity to win a $120 meal voucher for Birdie Noshery & Drinks Est. and a bottle of Bloodwood Wine.

But more than just a delicious treat, Rhonda wants the cake, slice, biscuit or muffin to be inspired by — and named after —  a woman who has inspired you in some way.

“It sprang from an idea a friend of mine had to celebrate International Women's Day with a group of women and eat cakes that had women's names,” says Rhonda. “Queen Victoria sponge, Madeleine… we had an apple Charlotte that was divine. Then I thought, why do they have to have royal names and French names? Why don't we create our own?”

Rhonda sees the challenge as an art project done with food: Prepare a small treat, something that you crave when you have a quiet moment to yourself, but also use the memory of an inspiring woman to guide you.

And if you can use local produce, all the better.

As an example, Rhonda shares her idea for the “Irene” named for her friend, Irene Finneran.

“Irene influenced me to champion local produce and create Food Of Orange District (F.O.O. D. Week) when she flew kites for the Orange Agricultural College’s Open Day promoting agricultural courses to parents of prospective students,” says Rhonda.

“She organised serving them warmed cinnamon apple juice, berry jams from the local Berry Farm, honey from a local apiarist and some soup made by a woman who was fundraising for a local charity.

“Irene is not really a sweets eater but loves lemon curd, a bit of caramel and chocolate and adores raspberries. So the “Irene” would be a raspberry “jam tart” with a thin caramel underlay, and a splodge of lemon butter on top with a fresh raspberry.”

The most important thing is to have fun with it, says Rhonda, who just wanted to inspire a little hope and joy when there’s so much to worry about in the world.

“It's just got to be something that you have when you've got a moment to yourself. A cup of tea, a cup of coffee, a sip of wine – and then what would you absolutely love to have with it?” she explains.

If you or anyone else you know would like to enter, simply send your recipe along with a photograph of the finished morsel to jamtarts@bloodwood.biz by March 31, 2023.

To help judge the winner, Rhonda has called on the services of Birdie proprietor Simonn Hawke and food writer Kathy Snowball.

The best entry will win a $120 meal voucher for Birdie Noshery & Drinks Est. and a bottle of Bloodwood Wine.