SAGE GATESHEAD ‘HIRED’ BY EAT! NEWCASTLEGATESHEAD FOR APPRENTICE-THEMED DINNER

As the TV series draws to a close, Sage Gateshead has announced an Apprentice-themed evening on Friday 23 August to kick off the ever popular EAT! NewcastleGateshead food festival. Less ‘all gong and no dinner’ and more ‘on it like a tramp on chips’ - to quote Lord Sugar’s aide Nick Hewer - tickets have gone on sale for the event, which promises to offer as much suspense as the programme itself. Swapping the couch for the Concourse, diners will watch via a live web link while two teams of Apprentices from Gateshead and Newcastle Colleges go head to head to prepare two different four-course menus. With one team led by Sage Gateshead’s head chef Stuart Bowman and the other by the renowned Terry Laybourne, the competition will be heated and the battle fierce. The big twist is that diners will only discover which four-course menu they’ll be enjoying when served on the night. Sage Gateshead’s Stuart Bowman said: “Chefs are notoriously competitive and it’s no different here in the North East. You can guarantee we will both be going all out to win. “Of course it will be great fun too and our Concourse is a fantastic and very flexible space so it’s great to see it being used in this way. Regardless of which menu they end up with, hopefully our guests will enjoy every minute – we intend to!” Anna Stacy, head of conference and events at Sage Gateshead, said: “As well as being one of the region’s iconic landmarks, we are using this opportunity to show how Sage Gateshead is much more than a music venue, being a social destination in its own right following significant investment into our hospitality offering. “With cocktails and canapés over that wonderful view of the river Tyne while proceedings unfold, it’s set to be a very special evening indeed.” Simon Preston, festival director, said: “EAT! is about showcasing the very best places, produce and people in the North East and with this launch event diners will experience a perfect combination of all three. “We're incredibly excited that our launch dinner will take place in the iconic Sage Gateshead building and honoured to have two of the twin cities best chefs leading teams of emerging cooking talent. It's certain to be a night to remember." Named as one of most refreshing and innovative food festivals in the UK, EAT! NewcastleGateshead (www.eatnewcastlegateshead.com) celebrates its seventh year in 2013 with another programme of eclectic foodie events in NewcastleGateshead from Saturday 24 August – Sunday 8 September. On Monday 26 August, Sage Gateshead will be hosting Cake City, which sees a giant edible map of NewcastleGateshead built out of cake. One of the event’s big highlights, members of the public can get involved by visiting www.eatnewcastlegateshead.com. Tickets for the EAT! launch dinner are £39.50 per person, which includes welcome cocktail and canapés, a four-course meal and tea, coffee and petit fours on dry ice. For more information or to book, please visit  http://www.sagegateshead.com or call Sage Gateshead’s ticket office on 0191 443 4661.