Crave Sydney International Food Festival, presented by Citibank (October 1 - 31) celebrates Sydney as a global dining destination enhanced by regional New South Wales produce and wine.

The 2012 festival will again prove Sydney is the place to be for food lovers in October, with hundreds of city and regional events.

Each year, Sydney becomes the centre of the global fine-dining universe - when the world's leading chefs, writers and food/TV personalities come to town. Centring on the all-star World Chef Showcase weekend (October 6 and 7), it's a feast of once-only dinners, demonstrations, chef talks and much more.

In 2012, a special Italian spotlight celebrates the state-of-the-art in Italian cuisine, featuring the biggest Italian stars from around the globe paired with Sydney's finest.

New event partners for the Showcase this year include Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre and The Star.