Flavours of the world coming to CultureFest
Selwyn Distict Council media release: 2nd September 2025
A twist on a classic brunch dish and a unique traditional dumpling recipe will be part of the flavours highlighting the many different cultures that make up our Selwyn community.
This year’s CultureFest at Lincoln Event Centre on Sunday 14th September will feature over 30 different food vendors showcasing the flavours of countries around the world.
Among them, for the first time, will be Bo Metcalf from Bo’s Kitchen, bringing a taste Hong Kong to Lincoln. Bo, who lives in Lincoln, says she got her start when her daughter convinced her to cook the traditional Hong Kong style of dumplings for a school market day six years ago. The dumplings are made with a thinner skin and cooked differently to Chinese dumplings and proved hugely popular.
“I hand made 200 and in one or two hours I had sold out. I saw that people loved it and I started creating more different sauces.”
From there the cooking turned into a business with Bo’s Kitchen. Representing the uniqueness of Hong Kong culture is very important for Bo, who says the mix of British and Chinese influences has created a unique culture with some special flavours such as the Hong Kong twist on French Toast which she will be sharing at CultureFest.
“It’s a very popular food for us for morning or nighttime, sold in lots of cafes. It’s like the western French Toast, but we put a sauce in when we fry the bread and another sauce on top. We put things like peanut butter inside the bread when we fry it and then put honey or condensed milk after. They’re so yummy. My husband who is a Kiwi he loves it.”
CultureFest is a free entry event running from 10am to 3pm, with over 20 cultural groups performing, along with market stalls, fair around rides and have a go sports and dance events.
Find more information about CultureFest.