CELBRITY chef Alastair McLeod is set to spice up the kitchen at this year's Noosa Food and Wine Festival Village and here is your chance to learn what he loves so much about Noosa.

What is it that you look forward to the most about being a part of the Noosa Food and Wine Festival?

Painters get together and talk about the price of paint. Cooks get together and talk about food. That's what I love. The festival is such an intensely passionate celebration of food, fraternity, friendship and a Fiano or five.

Why do you think Noosa makes for such an exciting culinary destination?

The vibrations in Noosa during the festival are unique. It is a food destination like no other. The produce of the region is the real star of the weekend. The pride of the local chefs is palpable and to then see such a stellar line-up of chefs celebrate and embrace the farmers, fishers and growers of the region is a fantastic reflection of where our food conversation is at.

What is your favourite ingredient to work with at the Noosa Food and Wine Festival and why?

Let me just do a list - spanner crab, duck, figs, tomatoes, custard apples, dragon fruit, native lime, cheese, berries, rhubarb, beans, zucchini, sea flora...

What dish best sums up your food philosophy?

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Any dish that serves to showcase excellent produce and not technical skills is emblematic of how I like to cook. There will be no foams, airs, apostrophes, trilogies. Likely no more than a few elements on the plate. Think roasted breast of duck with charred cucumber and burnt eggplant or Fraser Isle spanner crab on toast with a juiced salsa verde and sea flora.

You are doing a cooking demo with good friend Matt Golinski on Sunday in the Festival Village - what can we expect?

"You rest, you rust.” When I cook with Matt I always learn a little bit more about the region. He is surely the most well known advocate for Noosa. I admire his cooking style, his refusal to succumb to fashion or fad is something I admire and aspire to. When we share a stage there is humour, friendship, competitiveness and, above all, food that we like to eat. You can also expect us to run over, we always run over. Sorry in advance to Matt Sinclair.