FABULOUS film and screen experiences are, of course, the ‘bread and butter’ of the Coffs Coast’s Screenwave International Film Festival.

This year, SWIFF, presented by Ashton Designs, is adding a new program about savouring new food experiences.

The inaugural SWIFF Food & Wine program is a wine degustation event, run in collaboration with the chefs responsible for The Hilltop Store, in Sawtell, and supported by TAFE NSW and Treasury Wine Estates.

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This culinary event will be hosted in the Osprey Restaurant at the Coffs Harbour Education Campus which will also be the site of other festival film screenings and events.

SWIFF will host acclaimed executive chefs Richie Dolan and Carla Jones from The Hilltop Store and Hilltop At The Lodge as they prepare an evening which includes canapes and four delectable courses, paired with five wines.

Carla and Richie are a husband-and-wife team that met back in 2006 working together at Matt Moran’s prestigious Aria restaurant in Sydney.

Richie went on to open Chiswick in Woollahra and was head chef while Carla was head chef and co-owner of 4Fourteen in Surry Hills.

The pair moved home to Sawtell to raise a family together and open the now famous Hilltop Store to bring new dining experiences to the region.

During the evening, guests will hear from the chefs and winemakers, as they are taken outside of their comfort zones for an impressive culinary experience.

More information about the new dining program is available on SWIFF’s website.

By Andrew VIVIAN