FOODIES will be treated to a taste of the Riverina in a new television series hoping to revive regional tourism.
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The Food Dude will feature host and executive producer Alo Baker, who drew on his own ties to the region to showcase the delights on offer in an eight-part series.
"It's about helping the little guys, we want this to broadcast the amazing food and local legends, because a lot of the time, regional towns get left out of the spotlight," Baker said.
Wagga's own Palm and Pawn will feature in the program, alongside Junee's Commercial Hotel and the Tumbarumba Bakery.
Baker said the latter held a particularly special place in his heart.
"I am a local guy, my parents have a property near Tumbarumba so that's where I grew up and I'd always go to the bakery there, it was actually a bit emotional for me to visit again," he said.
During the Black Summer Bushfires, Baker said his parents tragically lost more than 50 per cent of their pastures to the blaze, marking the second time in just 10 years.
"They got smashed, and a lot of others around there did too, so to be able to come back and try and attract visitors to revive the town is something I'm really quite proud of," he said.
"Hopefully we can kick start a bit of tourism in the region and remind people places like Tumbarumba exist."
Tumbarumba Bakery staff member Sam Lecerf said he was looking forward to seeing their business on television.
"It should bring a few people to town and help build us back up after the fires and floods and COVID-19," he said.
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"We had a kilo chicken parmi challenge to raise money for cancer, so Alo heard about that and tried it out," the pub's Ossie Sutton said.
"Hopefully it will get people away from metro areas more and be a welcome boost after all the trouble through COVID-19."
While a welcome boost for business, Baker said the parmi presented a real challenge to him.
"To be honest, I'm still in pain just thinking about that parmi," he said.
"I almost got through it, but I might have to try again next time."
The Food Dude will air on March 27 via 7Mate, with Junee featuring in the first episode.
"Junee was a big challenge too, they had this tomahawk steak which was two kilograms, and then a kilo of chips," Baker said.
"Wagga will air in episode three, but if you miss any of it, catch up on the 7plus app."