Food Festival VERS
No plans for this weekend yet? Then head to Brabant for the first edition of VERS: a super-fresh food festival taking place simultaneously on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September in the railway districts of Den Bosch, Tilburg, Helmond, Breda and Eindhoven.
Finally! A food event that encompasses more than just food trucks and beer. VERS represents everything the Sunny South has to offer when it comes to food. Brabant’s edible heritage goes much further than just sausage rolls and Bossche bollen. That’s why, on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 September, five Brabant cities will be entirely dedicated to what they have to offer food wise.
Three food tracks
The programme consists of three themes: market, academy and gallery. Naturally, in every city you can visit various food markets, pop-up restaurants and new culinary hotspots. In addition, the hungry minds among us will be fed all weekend with films, lectures, workshops, presentations and demonstrations. And were you actually planning to visit the Stedelijk or another museum this weekend? Cancel your plans and visit an exhibition in one of the five cities where food takes centre stage.
Excited and planning to go? From the packed programme, the FavorFlav editorial team has selected the following events for you:
Fabriek Fermentologiek | Den Bosch
On Saturday and Sunday, you can spend the whole afternoon at the Mengfabriek in Den Bosch, preserving your own vegetables under the guidance of someone who knows all about fermentation. Bring a load of preserving jars and the harvest from your vegetable garden, stop by the market for a few cabbages and root vegetables, and take your kimchi game to the next level. Participation is free.
Dutch Chili Fest | Eindhoven
A standalone festival that, under the VERS Brabant banner this year, has plenty of hot stuff in store for you. At the Dutch Chili Fest, find out how well your homemade sambal scores and take part in the Hot Sauce and Sambal Show-Off. Then sweat it out in the BBQ corner or watch, with gleeful amusement, as others take on The Hottest Hamburger. Finally, stock up your sauce collection at the Spicy Market and your weekend is complete.
Nasty Kitchen | Breda
Meet Nasty,: the Dutch parody of Tasty (you know, those wildly cheerful videos you see popping up all day long). At first glance, Tasty and Nasty are indistinguishable. The penny only drops when you see what ingredients these Dutch boys cook with… On Saturday, they will cook, film and edit live at Breda station. Go and see it, and don’t forget to write down your filthiest recipe in the Nasty cookbook.
#Foodporn food photography | Den Bosch
Do you post everything you eat on Instagram and add hashtags like #foodporn to every post? Then you know that it’s often a hassle to take a genuinely appetising photo. Could you use a little course in this? Before you start making kimchi, first stop by VERS’s culinary brothel and learn how to take a decent food photo. The table is piled high with photogenic food and gorgeous drinks, so there’s plenty of material. Saturday and Sunday at 13:00, participation is free.
For information about all festival locations and the full programme, visit the VERS website.
Text: Renée Conradi
Images: VERS Brabant
