The Gunungkidul Campus of Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta (UNY) became the venue for Leafestiva 2026 on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. This annual culinary festival carried the theme “One Leaf, A Million Flavors, Leafestiva Full of Creativity.” The event featured a series of activities ranging from group exercise sessions, seminars, and decorating tiwul tumpeng to exhibitions of food and beverage products. The event also formed part of the implementation of the Food Festival course in the Applied Bachelor Program in Culinary Arts, designed as both an exhibition space and a platform for students to showcase their culinary creativity and innovation.

The festival served as a strategic medium to introduce, promote, and appreciate the diversity of food innovations based on local ingredients. Adopting a unique concept, all products showcased at Leafestiva 2026 focused on utilizing various types of leaves as the main ingredients, processed with modern culinary techniques to enable them to compete in today’s culinary industry.

The event was officially opened by Wibawanti Wulandari, S.P., Expert Staff for Economic Affairs of the Gunungkidul Regency Government, representing the Regent of Gunungkidul. In her remarks, she expressed appreciation for the academic initiative, which not only encourages student creativity but also contributes to the development of local food potential in the region.

Meanwhile, the Vice Dean for Planning, Finance, and Human Resources of the Faculty of Vocational Studies UNY, Dr. Adeng Pustikaningsih, S.E., M.Si., emphasized that Leafestiva is a tangible example of the implementation of applied learning in vocational education.

“The Leafestiva Culinary Festival is concrete proof and a representation of the implementation of practice-based learning. Through this activity, students are challenged to step beyond the boundaries of classrooms and laboratories,” she said.

The event, chaired by Difaa Dwibudiutomo, featured 72 innovative products, ranging from food to beverages. Each creation not only emphasized taste but also paid close attention to quality, food safety, and market appeal.

These products were developed by students of the 2023 cohort of the Applied Culinary Arts Study Program. In its implementation, students were divided into several groups to collaboratively manage exhibition booths, while each product continued to be developed individually. This concept encouraged a balance between teamwork and personal creative exploration.

Interestingly, all dishes presented at Leafestiva 2026 represented modern food and beverage innovations using leaves as substitutes for key ingredients. This approach not only created product differentiation but also emphasized health values and food sustainability. Examples included red spinach leaf gyoza, katuk leaf cake, and fern leaf pempek, among many others.

Through the organization of Leafestiva, UNY Gunungkidul once again reaffirmed its commitment to producing vocational graduates who are adaptive, creative, and ready to face industrial challenges. The festival served not only as an exhibition platform but also as a real-world laboratory where students could strengthen entrepreneurial competencies, product innovation skills, and readiness to enter the workforce.

With strong enthusiasm from visitors and the wide range of innovations on display, Leafestiva 2026 is expected to inspire the development of culinary products based on local ingredients at both regional and national levels.