Tamworth's food festival is off to a sweet-filled start after a weekend of events drew the crowds out - rain, hail or shine.
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The week-long food fest kicked into gear with an estimated 2000 people filling their sweet-toothed cravings on Saturday.
The celebrated Sweet Street made its return to Fitzroy Street Plaza following last year's success, featuring desserts of every flavour and a cake-baking masterclass from celebrity chef Reece Hignell.
"He goes to a lot of events similar to this in Newcastle and he thought this one was up there with their calibre so that was really good to hear," Tamworth Regional Council events officer Melissa Millsteed said
The event proved popular with locals, and marks a busy start for the festival.
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"Every hour a new wave of people came through," Ms Millsteed said.
The event on Fitzroy Street Plaza was a boon for businesses, many of whom sold all the sweets they could make.
"Some of the guys like Sonny's made double the stock they had last year and they still sold out. Karen's Macarons and the Daily Cupcake Co were there last year and they sold out again. They knew to bring a lot more this year and for them to still sell out is amazing," Ms Millsteed said.
Businesses are also jumping in on the festivities, hosting smaller events of their own throughout the upcoming week.
"It's really awesome that the local businesses have really got on board this year as well. The taste calendar is filled up this week with quite a lot of things sold out," Ms Millsteed said.
One such event was a "lazy lunch" hosted at Tomms Bar on Sunday March 12, which sold every last ticket.
Bar owner Sally Clifton said taking part in Taste Tamworth is a great opportunity for local businesses to reach outside the usual clientele.
"We were very keen for people to come to our establishment. A lot of people haven't visited us before and it was really beneficial to have new customers," Ms Clifton said.
Between Tomm's Bar and her other business, Pronto Catering, Ms Clifton was able to host two events that sold out: the lazy lunch and a gin tasting experience.
Ms Clifton said she encourages other small business owners to take part and to get creative with their offerings.
"I'm very grateful I had an opportunity with Taste. I was able to combine both of my businesses, Tomm's Bar and Pronto Catering, so both of them were showcased," she said.
There are plenty of events by local businesses still to come, such as pasta masterclasses by festival newcomers Rural Sisters; tea blending workshops with Dimmy Tea Company; cocktail masterclasses at The Press; and a "Cow to Cone" educational gelato experience with local favourite, Spilt Milk.
The council-run events will also continue, featuring a pop-up bar with a selection of wines, beers, and cocktails on Fitzroy Street on Friday March 17, and to top it all off, Taste in the Park will feature more than 40 different food and drink vendors in Bicentennial Park on March 19.
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