Renowned Birmingham chef Glynn Purnell will return to the Colmore Food Festival next year.
The Michelin-starred chef will be running live cooking demonstrations at the food festival as well as launching the annual event in Victoria Square, his first appearance there since 2014.
He was forced to miss the last two festivals due to a busy work schedule.
The celebration of Colmore Business District's restaurants, bars, cafés and hotels is now in its seventh year and attracts more than 30,000 visitors.
It is hosted by the area's business improvement district and dishes cost no more than £4 each.
Mr Purnell said: "What's great about Colmore Food Festival is that it's in the city centre.
"This is celebrating all things Birmingham, right in the centre of Birmingham, which is the centre of the universe as far as I'm concerned. There are so many independents, which is great to see.
"Opening a restaurant is difficult when you're against the bigger brands so it's fantastic to see so many up and running in the city centre and this is a chance for all restaurants large and small to stand side by side.
"I always try to bring an essence of Purnell's to events like Colmore Food Festival so you get chance to have a few mouthfuls of what we do at the main restaurant but we've also got the casual dining and cocktails on offer at the Bistro."
Mike Best, of Colmore Business District, added: "We're really looking forward to another great food festival in 2017, where we'll be once again showcasing food and drink from the great hospitality businesses in the Colmore area of the city.
"We're delighted that Glynn will be with us in 2017, it's going to be a lot of fun."
The festival will take place on June 30 and July 1, 2017.
