The Marlborough Wine and Food Festival is adding a new type of culinary experience to its classic festival menu – pop-up restaurants.

So far, the festival has locked in restaurants on the day from Gramado’s Restaurant and Bar and Frank’s Oyster Bar and Eatery. A third pop-up restaurant will be announced soon.

Dion Brown, deputy chair of Feast Marlborough, who has been a member of the festival committee for the past 11 years, said they were delighted to announce a new edition to the 37th instalment of the festival.

“Chefs are busy planning their festival menu – they are very clever, very resourceful and know exactly how to create a signature dish that will work at this kind of scale where they might make as many as 1000 servings,” Brown said.

“The idea is to have everything set up for a chef, the equipment and space they need, and they can just walk in and do what they are so good at.”

Sam Webb, of Frank’s Oyster Bar and Eatery, said the focus would be on oysters, in a “snacky way with loads of flavour”.

“And the turnaround will be fast so you don’t queue too long,” Webb said. It would be the first time he had brought Frank’s to the festival.

Webb would also have a session in the Culinary Pavilion, joined by good mate, and social media star, Andy Hearnden, of Andy Cooks.

Webb said Hearnden would join him for a “cameo” appearance and a spot of oyster shucking at the pop-up restaurant, after their Culinary Pavilion show.

“Andy and I have been friends forever and we are really looking forward to putting on a great show for people. We will find the perfect local food producers to partner with, so the products will be something home cooks have access to and will enjoy preparing too,” Webb said.

Top chefs Michael Meredith and Matt Lambert were also set for the Culinary Pavilion at the February 10 event, at Renwick Domain.

Meredith’s restaurant, Mr Morris, won Viva’s Best Restaurant in Auckland in 2021. His first Auckland restaurant, Meredith’s, was the go-to destination for innovative dining for a decade.

Lambert held a Michelin star at his New York restaurant, The Musket Room, from 2013 to 2020.