The Press is talking to some of the stars of this year's York Food Festival, which runs until Sunday, October 1. Today Rory Buccheri speaks with chef Josh Brimmell, who works at Star Inn The City and York Minster Refectory

There are well-documented challenges to hospitality nowadays, but it hasn’t stopped chefs and cooks from coming to food festivals and bringing their passion to the stage.

Chef Josh Brimmell works at the Star Inn The City and York Minster Refectory. The latter has just launched an exciting seven-course menu for £45 featuring primarily local produce.

The most exciting part of participating in local festivals for him is "getting the names of the restaurants out there, and having a unique opportunity to showcase the food we offer, and who we are", he told The Press.

"For example, today we trialled a new dish for the a la carte menu which isn’t on yet, and the response has been very positive."

The dish wasn’t tried and tested, according to the chef, but that’s what made it so exciting to get people in the cookery demo audience involved. "We just went with it…crossed our fingers, and it went alright!"

There is excitement in the air at every cooking demo, but perhaps more so when unusual ingredients are used, and chefs share their inside kitchen knowledge with the public.

According to Josh, a festival is also a perfect occasion for people to "pick tips along the way".

"Today for example we filleted a mackerel and de-boned a partridge, and people were absorbed seeing how that’s done."

"[It’s exciting] seeing ingredients that you don’t usually see when on your Saturday Tesco run," he added. "[Chefs] have access to a variety of equipment and ingredients that home kitchens don’t have, so on occasions like this, people go back home and are inspired to try something new."

Cooking demos at York Food Festival have featured a wide range of options, from staple classics to recreate at home with a few ingredients, to ambitious dishes that bring pizzazz to your usual dining experience.

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The choice of ingredients also ultimately helps us make more informed choices, Josh says.

"Some ingredients are used in restaurants but not widely eaten, like our partridge today, but we should eat more of them, to keep our diets and produce sustainable," he adds.

Looking to the future, the chef is hoping for longevity for the restaurants he is involved in. "The Star Inn has been there for 10 years now. I’d love to be talking about York Minster Refectory in 10 years".

Despite the many challenges the industry faces right now, the festival brings to life many aspects of food sharing and food making that are open to all.