NOOSA, QUEENSLAND — With a myriad of gourmet festivals enticing gastro-geeks and food-loving vacationers alike to traverse oceans and continents, how does one stand out?

Noosa International Food And Wine Festival seems to have the answer: By being unpretentious.

Despite the global market’s seemingly fickle appetite, it’s been steadily gaining new momentum — delivering its goods for the 10th year just last month.

Its uniquely breezy charm has earned it the reputation of being the Sunshine Coast’s most revered attraction (after the region’s topographical good looks, that is).

That said, the event’s notably unpretentious spirit takes nothing away from an expanding line-up of top chefs who come prepared to be inspired by the territory’s feted agriculture, sourced from Queensland’s rich coastal waters and lush hinterlands. (Even Bordeaux buffs would not deny those equally mouth-watering wines from Australia’s triumphant New World stable their place at the table).

Like sipping on champagne in your jammies, the festival goes down with refreshing ease and informality. Even the gala opening — the Edible Music concert — was a thoroughly entertaining melange of virtuosic performances, dazzling canapes and delicious comic timing.

But there were obviously more to glean from the festival than just chilling out. Here are a few lessons we took away from it all.

LESSON 1: WORK MADE FUN GETS DONE … WELL

“Noosa is not a major food destination … it’s not a (hardcore) gastronomic town like Sydney or Melbourne,” said Chef Andre Chiang of Restaurant Andre. And yet this is his second time here, after a winning debut cooking with the likes of Australia’s Peter Gilmore (Quay) and Ben Shewry (Attica), as well as Japan’s Yoshihiro Narisawa (Creations de Narisawa) and Italy’s Carlo Cracco (Ristorante Cracco) two years ago.

Why? “Here, it is casual … it’s about having fun. It’s about good food, good produce. Even with the dishes we cook — they are nicely presented and well-seasoned, but not fussy. And you really enjoy that.” It was important that the chefs were enjoying themselves and not just playing to an audience. Tetsuya Wakuda (Tetsuya’s/Waku Ghin) concurred: “Here it feels more organic… And it’s the camaraderie (between food lovers and chefs) — that’s what the people come here for.”

LESSON 2: THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR A GROWING APPETITE

Interestingly, it was only officially christened an “international” festival last year. Perhaps it’s a righteous nod to the regular attendance of some of the world’s best chefs outside Australia, selected from the prestigious S Pellegrino Top 50 Restaurants of the World list. Strewed over four bountiful days, more than 25,000 hungry folks, according to restaurateur and festival founder Jim Berardo, flocked in anticipation; 5 per cent of which were international visitors.

LESSON 3: EVERYBODY LOVES A GOOD COOK-OFF

Singaporean entrepreneur Aun Koh was an elated second-time attendee. The founder of food blog Chubby Hubby was invited to participate in the Food Critics Diner-style Dude Food cooking competition, alongside a team of Australia’s own straight-talking mavens. Koh’s offer of tender sous vide short ribs served over a variation of Okinawan taco rice didn’t take home a prize, but the persistent long queues for his dish very likely felt just as good. “This is one of the most enjoyable, and happiest food festivals I’ve visited,” shared the seasoned gourmet trekker.

LESSON 4: GREAT MEALS START AND END WITH GREAT PRODUCE

Who knew commercial organic feijoas (a South American native) could thrive on the Sunshine Coast? But this was exactly what guests on the Strings & Straw Hinterland Trail found out at a farmers market.

Local hero Sally Hookey’s showcased her feijoa-based preserves, vinaigrettes and glaze. Her prized fruits also featured in the included local produce-centric lunch held at Brisbane-based pastry chef Martin Duncan’s Freestyle Escape.

Seated comfortably close to the outdoor kitchen, diners took in the views and savoured the entertaining banter between four of Australia’s best chefs.

The chilli-free green papaya and Vietnamese herb salad, by Mark Jensen of Red Lantern, stood out with its flavourful but not overpowering dressing that allowed the freshness of the local tiger prawns (from the main wharf) to shine through. Cameron Matthews of two-hatted The Long Apron showcased free-range duck from Dakota Vale Farm, located just 40 minutes away in Wolvi.

LESSON 5: SIMPLE IS GOOD

The best meals are uncomplicated. And the collaborative efforts of some of the world’s best, for the Qantas Premier International Degustation experience, proved just that.

The first of the eight-course dinner was a picture of culinary poise, courtesy of Yoshihiro Narisawa who pulled off a gorgeous kado of local greens and edible flowers to accompany some tender Aussie abalone. No doubt, the unadulterated choice was to pair the dish with a “pure” or zero dosage (aka sugar-free to the uninitiated) bubbly by Pol Roger (and, yes, it’s a French wine for good reasons).

Towards the end, it may not read as such, but the course by a predictably whimsical Andre Chiang was possibly the most unaffected dish I’ve enjoyed from him in a while. His simple serving of short rib coated in aromatic charcoal was paired beautifully with an unexpectedly rustic red quinoa taboule and a hint of black garlic. But it was the addition — and a generous drizzle, I might add — of his moreish onion jus that took me back to a bucolic time when the best meals were obscenely guileless.

This clever dish — the seventh course — was notably favourful enough to invigorate the palate, right before Peter Gilmore’s sweet finale: An inspired deconstruction of the famed Andalucian almond biscuits baked by nuns of the Monasterio de San Jeronimo in Granada. Sweet.

LESSON 6: SAVOUR A SENSE OF PLACE

It’s easy to appreciate the importance of hawking top quality local produce at a food festival and Australia has helped elevate the qualities of sustainable diversity. Clearly, there were lots to pick up besides food and wine tips from the many master classes. Prized picks include hall of famer spanner crabs from Noosa, Petuna’s selectively bred ocean trout from Tasmania, cultured and hand churned butter from The Butter Factory in Myrtleford (Victoria), and Tasmania’s renowned cheeses by Pyengana Dairy Company.

That said, the festival also celebrates the quality dining that the usually quiet township proffers. A four-course dinner with wine at the River Cottage in Noosaville was just the sort of convivial feast one might expect. The restaurant’s Marc Wohner didn’t disappoint with his serving of North Queensland mackerel, perfectly complemented by a rustic Cantalan inspired salad of grilled vegetables, a chorizo salsa for just enough heat and sweetness, and topped with black olive soil for a touch of trendiness. The dinner’s partnering chef Spencer Patrick from Harrisons in Port Douglas balanced the natural sweetness of the spanner crab with the smokiness of bonito with his entrée of tuna sashimi, cleverly paired with some white miso eggplant.

Another fine showing involved a mini concert with local artiste Darren Scott, which followed a breath-taking sunset at the lookout at the top of Noosa National Park. And the apt closing act to the ensuing three-course dinner at Arcuri (RACV Resort): Chef Lee Jeynes’ orange and macadamia cheesecake, served with berries from Galeru rainforest, Queensland yoghurt and lemon myrtle crisp. Lovely.