Ambassadors – with this festival you are really spoiling us!
Sheffield Food Festival returns for its ninth year to the city centre in May, a celebration of the city’s vibrant food scene, showcasing great local produce, talented chefs, mouthwatering street food and outstanding brewers and distillers.
The city’s largest free to attend event was originally introduced by Sheffield City Council and the University of Sheffield in 2000.
Events Collective’s Bob Worm became involved with site production in year two, before taking a step up when Events Collective expanded its role to take on the day-to-day co-ordination and event management from 2017.
For Bob that meant becoming event manager – but he prefers the term ‘ambassador’.
“It’s all about the people that value the festival,” he tells unLTD. “we’re just ambassadors, but it’s the people that value it that are key to its success.
“It’s an event that’s by the people, for the people – and that’s the traders, the speakers and the thousands who attend every year to buy and sample the food.”
Those attendees have been steadily on the rise, too – from 30,000 to 50,000 – so it’s no surprise that the festival’s size and duration has grown accordingly and big-name sponsors like Just Eat are on board, too.
This year the festival’s footprint, which began in the Peace Gardens and the top of Fargate, will extended the event to now take over more of Fargate, with a focus on local produce traders and also embrace the Winter Gardens, Millennium Square, Town Hall Square, Orchard Square and Pinstone Street.
There’s also an extra day, too, as the event will start on the Friday 24 May and run until Bank Holiday Monday May 27.
“We’ll be welcoming new kids on the block like Cutlery Works, as well as well-established previous supporters like Proove and Gravy Train,” said Bob.
“There will be lot to choose from when it comes to street food from as out-of-towners like Meltworks and Sticky Beaks from the Midlands will be returning and Manchester’s The Ottö-Men.
“But, of course, the strong focus as always will be on local traders and grass roots organisations like Regather co-operative and the opportunity for people to get their hands dirty with homegrown produce and poly tunnels.
“Also returning this year will be the chef demos in our Theatre Kitchen marquee which are always a crowd-pleaser, the Eats, Treat and Beats festival village tent, and a variety of guest speakers including Justin Rowntree of the Sweet Spot and a speaker from award-winning Barlow pub Tickled Trout.
“There’s loads on offer for children, too, with activities in orchard Square and a link-up with the Festival of Debate, too – we’re always looking for something new to refresh and attract festival goers old and new.”