Hey! Food Edition
May saw the start of the Leeds Indie Food Festival a new collaborative independent festival of food and drink culture and as part of the festival; the technology, business and design conference Hey! offered a special Food Edition last Tuesday.
Hey! is a mini-conference organised by Josh Nesbitt at We Are Stac. The talks and lectures are held every eight weeks and showcase influencers in digital industries around the UK.
“Since the first Hey! we’ve been trying to reach a wider audience outside of just technology, which is why we jumped at the chance to get involved with Leeds Indie Food this year. It was great to see new faces and find out people discovered the event through different channels such as the brochure for the festival. We’re already looking forward to the next one!” – Josh Nesbit of We Are Stac and organiser of Hey!
We at Parallax love all Hey! happenings, however this edition was a particular favourite. Two foodie talks and a night filled with a free bar, free brownies , free pizza and free burgers (thanks Sky – they supplied some cash for this). Let’s not forget to mention the free swag: stickers, pins and the very popular bar blades handed out by myself and Joyce. Although we loved greeting new and familiar faces, our contribution was aimed at helping We Are Stac collect email addresses for the Hey! newsletter
All the merch! Want to get your hands on some? Head down tonight, things kick off @ 7:30pm.http://buff.ly/1c4clNm
Posted by Hey on Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Let us take you through the best parts of our four hour experience.
Kickstarting a City-Wide Food Festival
The first talk was from Matt Dix, co-founder of Leeds Indie Food Festival. As part of a small team, Matt started up with friends in the industry. During his chat with host Josh Nesbitt, he covered how LIFF grew from a simple Kickstarter campaign to a festival with over 100 events and went through the challenges involved along the way. When asked about the future of street food- Matt quickly expressed his falling out of love with pulled pork and going for more ethnic foods like a cheesy, meaty, plantain-y Colombian Arepa.
???????? with hey_stac</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/LeedsIndieFood">LeedsIndieFood pic.twitter.com/Hb0Sm8bYCu
— Vanessa Carlsson (@_VCarlsson) May 20, 2015Slider Break!
An hour of food-talking was followed by a break for burgers! The guys at Dough Boys and Patty Smith came in with trays of greasy goodness and were nearly mobbed by Hey! attendees -but who could blame them, the food was delicious. As a burger connoisseur and digital conference regular, I think these Patty Smith babies need to be included at all speaking events as standard – they were the biggest sliders I’ve seen.
A Pint with the Pub Landlord
Rich Fiddman, Manager of The Cross Keys in Leeds, was in the hotseat for the second half of the night.
With a wealth of experience in the hospitality sector, Rich explained the highs and lows of working in such a competitive industry and briefly touched on the intense day Jamie Oliver came to visit Cross Keys. The ex Midnight Bell manager, went on to tell us about how it all began for him, his journey leading up to the present day, as well as what’s in store for the restaurant’s future. As one of the final questions from the audience,”Who does a better Sunday Roast – The Midnight Bell or Cross Keys ?” Rich admitted to always loving the Cross Key’s, even when he was at The Bell.
About to watch richfidd</a>—manager of <a href="https://twitter.com/crosskeysleeds">crosskeysleeds (by far the best pub in Leeds)—take to the stage at hey_stac</a>.</p>— Harry Roberts (csswizardry) May 20, 2015
As regular attendees, occasional Hey! speakers , and fellow-foodies, we had a great time; both talks provided real insight into an industry different to our own. I enjoyed the frankness of the speakers, and as always – the relaxed and inclusive atmosphere at the Hey! events. This Food Edition inspired us to get involved in the rest of Indie Food Festival and a visit to the Cross Keys is now a must!
Here are are the videos to both talks:
Visit the Hey! website where you’ll find content from past events, as well as some great thought pieces. Make sure you sign up for their newsletter to be notified about the next event.
