The Yagoona TikToker and self-proclaimed “unofficial Mayor of Bankstown”, will be launching his stuffed potato product, Spudhole, at Bankstown Bites on Saturday, July 27.
Promising to be a foodie’s fantasy, the festival will see international cuisines, food tours, masterclasses and cooking demonstrations heat up Olympic Parade and Griffith Park from 10am-4pm.
As a local who attended primary school at Bankstown and spent Thursday nights hanging out at Bankstown Central, Ismail said launching his new product here was a “full circle moment” for him.
“I’ve driven through that same street, where I’m launching ‘Spudhole’, my whole life and I never thought I would have my own stall there,” Ismail said.
He has been creating food reviews and other social media content since 2020, and has amassed a following of more than 500,000 across Instagram and TikTok.
“I’ve been a food reviewer for a while and I finally get to showcase to people what I think is a great dish. A good spud is my idea of comfort food,” Ismail said.
“We mash the potatoes on the inside, so it becomes soft when you take it out of the oven and stuff it with a whole bunch of things … coleslaw, barbecue sauce, mayo and cheese.”
Condell Park influencer Samantha Khater will also launch her new drink range, K-Thirst, at Bankstown Bites and will be serving up her viral chocolate on tap.
“K-Thirst is inspired from the number one TikTok trending drink in Malaysia,” Khater said.
“We’re going to have a whole variety of different flavours; It’s like a candy shop of drinks.”
Khater said she loved the diversity of food and hospitality of the shop owners in Bankstown and encouraged everyone to see it for themselves at Bankstown Bites.
Also on offer at Bankstown Bites, Jacob from Thirsty Monkey, or the “king of acacia”, will be serving up his viral acacia with its “unbeatable texture”.
Bites fest to dish up every foodie fantasy
WHEN Mahmoud Ismail spent his youth doing “laps” of Bankstown, he never imagined he would be launching his very own product here.