Combining a deep-rooted love of food and wine with creativity and the arts is at the core of a new campaign launched this week by Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, via Ogilvy Melbourne.

Continuing its highly successful tagline “Discover Something New” launched last year, the campaign forms a close collaboration between some of Australia’s biggest name chefs and designers who worked together to create a visual representation of the chef’s hallmark culinary creations in a cleverly crafted animated campaign.

Ogilvy Melbourne’s ECD, Brendon Guthrie explains: “Melbourne is renowned for fostering a collaborative and creative spirit and for being at the forefront of the arts and producing some of the best food and wine in the world. This year’s campaign is a novel exploration of combining the two great features of Melbourne’s unique cultural spirit: food and visual art.

“The collaboration between chef and artist led to the creation of what we call ‘visual recipes’ that take food and wine lovers on a taste and sight sensory journey encouraging them to discover something new in the communication itself.”

The cleverly crafted and highly visual campaign showcases a signature dish from Andrew McConnell of Melbourne’s leading restaurant Cumulus – tuna tartare with crushed pea salad – creating a tantalising visual feast for the viewer. Utilising Andrew as the voice-over in the TVC the viewer is taken on a descriptive journey of the dish showcasing how the unusual ingredients are married together to create a taste sensation.

The key visual from McConnell’s signature dish also features on the Festival guide cover and in press, digital, outdoor and transit. Supporting visuals from Chef Dan Hunter of Brae (quince simmered with onions, honey and cultured milk) and wine from Julian Castagna of Castagna Wines also appear on the outdoor.

Natalie O’Brien, CEO, Melbourne Food & Wine Festival said the Festival is considered to be one of Australia’s leading food and wine events because each year it strives to find new and inventive ways to appeal to Festival devotees and visitors alike.  “We’re really proud of this year’s program. It’s probably the most ‘Melbourne’ the Festival has ever been. “Discover Something New” is such a fantastic way to highlight what Melbourne is famous for – not just food and wine but creativity and the arts as well.  We are confident that the campaign we have created with Ogilvy will capture people’s imagination – from connoisseurs to casual enthusiasts alike.”