Celebrity chefs make festival feel good

Photo: Tracy Harris @ Expressive Exposure

Gino D'Acampo

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Celebrity superstars Gino D’Acampo and Aazam Ahmad along with Rochdale’s very own Andrew Nutter delivered superb cooking demonstrations at the Feel Good Festival today (Saturday 14 August 2010).

Crowds gathered to watch all three shows and surrounded the chefs for autographs, in particular Gino signing his own book.

Gino’s entrance was far from discrete; he arrived to the Feel Good Festival in a flash red Ferrari with a white strip. When Gino appeared on stage the crowd’s volume peaked.

Before Gino appeared, Aazam carried out the introduction and got the crowd roaring, Gino described Rochdale as “beautiful” but admitted he had not seen much yet.

One of Gino’s recipes was the desert Tiramisu; he used simple ingredients including coffee, mascarpone cheese, biscuits and coco powder. Gino held a competition for men in the audience to whisk egg whites. He picked three strong men and made the winner, John Thomson, hold the bowl up side down over his own head.

After getting people up on stage, one member of the public, Tara McCarthy, accidentally switched off the cooker, which horrified Gino!

Afterwards, Ms McCarthy, said: "I think the Feel Good Festival is excellent I have just watched the Star Light Circus, they sang singing in the rain , I think the festival is really good and I am excited about seeing Kirsty Almedia, I will definitely be back next year, even though I have come from Salford”.

Aazam Ahmad’s Indian cooking demonstration was a success. Aazam said: “Loved cooking today, absolutely brilliant, great chemistry with Gino and with Andrew”.

Audience member Lisa Gilchrist, said:  "I love him to bits he is a friend." Ms Gilchrist travelled from Stockport and says she will come again next year - as long as Aazam is demonstrating again!

Andrew Nutter was also welcomed to the stage by Aazam; he believed the great thing about the festival is it supports local goods and shops. Andrew also showed off that on the TV show Come Dine with Me, a participant won the show using Andrews’s recipes for all three courses.

Gino thought the Feel Good Festival was a "beautiful thing" for Rochdale Council to organise.

Aazam described the festival as "growing each year" and he is pleased to see the community and the Council working hard together.

Andrew said: "The best thing about the North West is that there is nothing better than the Feel Good Festival, this is what is great about Rochdale”.