ALBURY-Wodonga has made the final to host a Jamie Oliver pop-up kitchen.
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The twin cities were selected as the NSW entrant for the competition that will see the celebrity British chef set up a kitchen for 12 months as part of his Ministry of Food initiative.
North Albury mother Cathy Giltrap launched a Facebook campaign last month to lure the prize and was thrilled her efforts would see the Border compete against other state finalists for the honour on March 23.
“I have been overwhelmed at the response I have received and know that this pop-up kitchen would positively impact the lives of people,” Ms Giltrap said.
“Within six days I had the commitment from The Goods Shed, support from both local councils, over 2300 Facebook fans and a great show of support from local organisations.
“There is no way we would have got there if the support wasn’t 100 per cent behind us from all sectors of the community.”
If the twin cities win, the kitchen will be set up in the former railway goods shed in central Wodonga.
It will host cooking classes and educate people about where their food comes from, how it affects their bodies and how to make nutritiously minded decisions.
Ministry of Food Australia chief executive Alicia Peardon said the competition has drawn a big reaction.
“We received 170 applications from all over Australia, over 1100 letters of support, 15,000 signatures on petitions, 30,000 likes on Facebook and a groundswell of media support,” Ms Peardon said.
“It’s abundantly evident there is a huge desire from people all over the country to do something about the obesity crisis and the lack of food knowledge of healthy food choices and home cooking in Australia.”
Ms Giltrap and her husband Christian Trebley will fly to Sydney on March 23 to hear directly from Oliver whether the Border’s bid has been successful.
They will have lunch at Oliver’s 15 Restaurant before the winner is unveiled at a cooking demonstration in Redfern.