Archive for December, 2011

22
Dec
11

Summer salads all dressed up with Third Generation Gourmet

By Casa E Cucina Leave a Comment
Categories: Latest Foods

Third Generation Gourmet is a delicious range of new salad dressings. Created by
Fabienne Phillips, Third Generation Gourmet Salad Dressings are a perfect blend of
French tradition and Australian influence, containing only the freshest quality
ingredients.
The range consists of a ‘Classic’ salad dressing (including a gluten free version); a
‘Raspberry & Walnut’ and a ‘Dill & Pistachio,’ all are gluten free.
Phillips was inspired to bottle her grandmother’s original French recipe after
receiving numerous compliments from friends and requests for its secret
ingredients.
Phillips was also motivated not only by history but also a desire to recreate the type
of completely natural product that her grandmother would have made at a time
when processed food and artificial additives were unheard of.
Having only been on the market a short period of time, Third Generation Gourmet’s
original dressing has already been snapped up by an extensive list of gourmet food
sellers some of which include the Harris Farm Markets chain, Parisi’s Food Hall,
Paesanella and Blackwattle Deli Sydney. It has recently been added to the shelves
of Thomas Dux stores throughout Sydney and Melbourne.
There is a strong focus on the integrity of all ingredients used with no additives,
thickeners, or preservatives. Where possible ingredients have been sourced locally;
the Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a cold pressed oil from South Australia and the walnut
oil from Tasmania. The fresh raspberries are uniquely prepared by fermenting them
in vinegar.
Third Generation Gourmet ‘Classic’ salad dressing is ideal with a simple mix of
lettuce and torn herbs – dill, mint and European parsley or a salad of warm roasted
vegetables.
The Raspberry and Walnut salad dressing is perfect on peppery leaves such as
rocket and radicchio accompanied with pear, walnuts and goats cheese whilst the
Dill and Pistachio dressing is a complimentary accompaniment to seafood. It is also
a great substitute for mayonnaise in a potato salad.
Third Generation Gourmet recently introduced a range of hampers which include the
‘Beautiful Box’ hamper containing the complete range, a linen Third Generation
Gourmet tea towel, a buffalo horn salt server and salad spoons and retails for $70.
The ‘Gourmet Table’ hamper includes four natural woven placemats, Third
Generation tea towel and bottle of “Classic” dressing for $40. A four bottle carry box
has also been added to the hamper range which retails for $50. All hampers are
available through the Third Generation website.
For further information and to find your local stockist visit
http://www.thirdgenerationgourmet.com.au

15
Dec
11

Demand ‘Grows’ For Local Farmers at the Beach

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Categories: Food Markets and Latest News

The appetite for local grown fresh seasonal produce is at an all time high in the
Eastern Suburbs, as not only are the Bondi Farmers Markets celebrating their sixth
month birthday, but expansion is already on the horizon, with an application to host
more stalls recently submitted to the council.
As a relevantly new link in Australia’s food chain, farmers markets are experiencing
phenomenal popularity as local producers and farmers sell their edible wares to
shoppers hungry for food straight from its source.
Farmers Market are great for producers who set up a temporary shop front, deal
with customers face to face and develop a whole new set of skills.
Richard Clarke from The Westerway Raspberry Farm comments, “Consumers are
becoming better educated and more aware of where their food is coming from.
Shopping at the Bondi Farmers Markets allows consumers to meet the people who
grow their produce, which enables trust to be built.”
A notable new attraction to the markets is ex-head Tetsuya’s chef, Darren Robertson
who has a stall at the markets, which combines with what he does at Bronte’s
favourite cafe, The Three Blue Ducks.
“We work closely with Field to Feast using their herbs and vegetables in our dishes.
At the markets, we offer Pulled Pork rolls with kohlrabi slaw and hot sauce, using
rolls from fellow stall, Organic Republic – soon we’ll be offering homemade yogurts
and muesli.”
According to Australian Farmers market association, farmers markets have become
the answer to the questioning, food savvy consumer.
Sarah Glover, creator of Bondi Bikkies said, “Over the years I’ve seen how people
want a holistic approach to a healthy lifestyle, but due to the nature of city living,
it’s not always convenient. I was overjoyed when the Bondi Farmers Markets
launched and we could be part of our local community selling hand crafted
biscuits.”
Bondi Markets manager, Ross Alexander says that the market provides its
customers the opportunity to meet the people who produce their food and discover
how it’s grown and processed, “You are able to buy food you know is fresh and can
see the different in taste, quality and longevity of the product. Our market allows
for customers to reduce their carbon footprint by purchasing produce with low food
miles.”
“In addition, many consumers want the option to spend their dollars in a way so
that it ends up directly in the pockets of people that produce their food.”
Bondi local Chris Long finds he is able to do his fresh weekly shop entirely at the
Bondi markets, “I’m a big supporter of our local farming community and being able
to go down to the beach and leisurely do all my week’s shopping outside – it’s a
welcome change to the busy city.”
“With Christmas approaching, I also plan to buy all my barbeque meats and veggies
from the markets.”
According to Field to Feast Farm, who grow chemical and pesticide free veg an hour
south of Sydney, now is the perfect time to get stuck into summer crops, “Zucchini
and basil are already being picked with chillis and eggplant not far behind. You’ll
find these along with other seasonal heirloom veg and 20 different varieties of
herbs, all sustainably grown, at the markets.”
Local sisters Chanel and Amber, of Gooseberry catering are selling out of their
handmade organic macaroons each week, “It’s great to see our customers
returning, purchasing macaroons for Christmas treats and even placing large orders
for weddings.” Chanel said.
This year, Mr. Alexander is encouraging Bondi locals to make their Christmas feast a
festive and fresh one, “The markets allow shoppers to stock up on the highest
quality ingredients from Mirrool Creek Lamb, Spring Hill beef, organically grown
meat and poultry, Emelia Pasta, plus other handpicked Artisan breads, just picked
flowers, farmstead cheeses, organic honey, olive oils, seafood and wines.” He said.
The Bondi Farmers Markets run every Saturday at Bondi Beach Public School from
9am-1pm.
For further information please visit http://www.bondimarkets.com.au/farmers

06
Dec
11

Qantas Best Dinner in the World with the Best Chefs of the World

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Categories: Events, Latest News and Miscellaneous

The Noosa International Food & Wine Festival is proud to announce an unparalleled
line-up of global and Australian culinary stars for its second annual Qantas “Best
Dinner in the World”. Seven illustrious chefs all drawn from the prestigious
S.Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurant List will each prepare one course of the
degustation dinner, to be held at berardo’s restaurant & bar on Sunday 20 May.

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Mark Best – Three hatted chef and owner of fine dining Marque Restaurant in Sydney
Fergus Henderson – Leader of the ‘nose to tail’ dining movement and owner of the
renowned St John Bar & Restaurant in London
Alvin Leung – China’s “demon chef”, leader of Extreme Chinese Cuisine and man
behind Bo Innovation restaurant in Hong Kong
Davide Scabin – Italy’s famed hyper creative molecular gastronomer from
restaurant Combal.Zero, Turin
Ben Shewry – Australia’s hottest foraging chef of the moment from The Age Good
Food Guide Restaurant of the Year, Attica in Melbourne
David Thompson – Regarded as the world’s most comprehensive authority on Thai
food and the name behind London’s Nahm Restaurant
Seiji Yamamoto- Chef pushing the boundaries of Japanese cuisine, from Nihonryori
RyuGin in Tokyo

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Premium Australian and old-world wines for each course will be chosen by
internationally renowned Lisa Perotti-Brown, Master of Wine and Asian wine
correspondent for leading U.S. wine advocate, Robert Parker’s famed newsletter
eRobertParker.com.

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The ‘Best Dinner in the World’ was launched with the support of Qantas, at the 2011
Festival and was a sellout success. With the world’s best chefs on offer for 2012, it
will again be a feature event for the Festival, focusing the world’s attention on
Noosa and Australia as a spectacular destination with a bounty of incredible
produce.

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Two hundred of the world’s most prominent chefs, winemakers, media and food
personalities will descend upon one of Australia’s most magical settings, Noosa and
the Sunshine Coast for the Noosa International Food & Wine Festival from 17-20 May
2012. Tickets for the Festival and the Qantas Best Dinner in the World will go on
sale early January 2012.

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Watch this space as more entertainment, international and Australian names for the
festival are announced: http://www.facebook.com/NoosaFoodWineFestival
Or for further information on the Festival check out: http://www.noosafoodandwine.com.au

06
Dec
11

Food to blow your mind @ Taste of Sydney 2012

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Categories: Events and Latest News

Old favourites return and exciting newcomers join the fold as the premium food and
wine event of the year, Taste of Sydney, announces the initial line up of leading
restaurants on board for 2012. Promising to tantalise and excite, the internationally
renowned fine dining festival fuses an idyllic Sydney outdoor experience with the
city’s love of innovative cuisine and produce.
Now in its fourth year, Taste invites Sydney’s top chefs to set up temporary kitchens
in the scenic surrounds of Centennial Park, last year serving signature dishes to
more than 25,000 food-lovers over the four day feast for the senses. Visitors can
design their dream degustation as they move between the pop-up restaurants of
some of the country’s most coveted culinary stars.
Newcomers include sushi master Shaun Presland with Sake, Somer Sivrioglu with
his modern Turkish twist at Efendy and James Privett with contemporary
steakhouse The Cut Bar & Grill.
Taste of Sydney favourites making a reappearance include Peter Kuruvita’s Flying
Fish, Richard Ptacnik’s Otto Ristorante, Eugenio Maiale’s A Tavola and
Alessandro Pavoni’s Ormeggio at the Spit, with Spiedo also on board for the first
time.
Elsewhere Manu Feildel’s L’etoile makes a celebrated return to the gastronomic
party in the park, as does Martin Boetz’s twin-toqued Longrain restaurant and bar.
The Four in Hand returns under chef of the moment Colin Fassnidge and Matt
Kemp will introduce his recently rebranded Montpellier Public House.
Both Otto Ristorante and Longrain will keep visitors refreshed, incorporating
cocktail bars into the mix.
Confirmed Taste of Sydney 2012 restaurants and chefs include:

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A Tavola – Eugenio Maiale
Efendy – Somer Sivrioglu
Flying Fish – Peter Kuruvita
Four in Hand – Colin Fassnidge
L’etoile – Manu Feildel
Longrain – Martin Boetz
Ormeggio at the Spit & Spiedo – Alessandro Pavoni
Otto Ristorante – Richard Ptacnik
Sake – Shaun Presland
The Cut Bar & Grill – James Privett
The Montpellier Public House – Matthew Kemp

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With more restaurants and some very special guest chefs to be announced in the
coming weeks.
Taste of Sydney offers visitors the chance to experience Sydney’s finest fare, with
each restaurant producing three dishes for the occasion, and explore an
unparalleled selection of award-winning wines and gourmet goodies against a
beautiful backdrop. Celebrate summer in the city with Taste of Sydney, the culinary
event of the season.

01
Dec
11

Jonathan Bruell appointed Kitchen and Beverage Director at The Observatory Hotel

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Categories: Chefs Profiles, Hotels & Resorts and Latest News

Well known chef Jonathan Bruell has taken up the position of Kitchen and
Beverage Director at the award winning Observatory Hotel in Sydney.
Celebrated in hospitality circles for his creativity and wealth of experience in the art
and appreciation of preparing food, presentation and creative menus, Bruell will be
responsible for reinventing the food & beverage experiences at The Observatory
Hotel.
Bruell’s style of cuisine is a wonderful combination of Australian produce and
innovative modern cuisine, backed by years of training, a distinctive imagination
and well practised methods of preparation.
The combination of a ‘fresh-clean’ approach to food and light, subtle flavours, allows
Bruell to choose the best local produce in season. Daily he compiles his market list
of top grade meat, organic chickens, ocean-fresh fish and seafood, and of course
luscious fruits and vegetables, to structure his a-la-carte and special daily menus
around Sydney’s wonderful climate.
Bruell had a most unusual upbringing.  Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, (of English
parentage and schooling), he began his culinary career training as an Apprentice
Chef within a small chain of hotels in Hertfordshire, UK, and discovered his love of
hospitality. From there he worked his way up from Commis to First Commis at
various famous UK hotels including the Berkeley Hotel, in Knightsbridge, to Sous
Chef at the Park Hotel Sauvage in Switzerland in 1986.
For the next six years, Jonathan travelled through Bermuda, Egypt, South Korea and
Bahrain, listening, learning and gaining experience to add to his long list of culinary
achievements.
Eventually the balmy climate and easy lifestyle of Australia lured the talented young
Bruell to its shores, and he found himself introducing his well practised cultural
methods to the dishes of his newly found Australiana palate at Sydney’s famous
Sebel Townhouse.  As Executive Sous Chef, he worked alongside, Executive Chef
Josef Gruber, where together, they created and delighted, the hotel’s many famous
and infamous, local and international guests with gastronomic influences from many
parts of the world.
Bruell left The Sebel Townhouse to further his culinary knowledge in Vietnam where
he worked as Executive Chef at the Norfolk Mansions in Saigon, returning to Sydney
in 1998 as “opening” Executive Chef of Mirvac Hotels & Resorts’ flagship hotel, Quay
Grand Suites; moving to sister Mirvac property The Sebel Pier One Sydney in 2005.
There have been many highlights and awards in Jonathan’s career, but nothing
pleases him more than the host of satisfied guests who return to enjoy his style of
cooking and the imaginative menus.
Commenting Jonathan Bruell said, “I am very passionate and focused on food and
what people enjoy eating. When you love the business and you love what you do,
you put 110 percent into it and you live it”.
“Food for me is all about giving pleasure.  I start with an idea inspired by product,
colours and flavours.  And try to have fun along the way!  In fact food is a little like
fashion, it is always changing, but basic classic dishes – like the “little black dress”
remain favourites forever”!
“I try and approach each of my dishes in a different way and love to experiment with
flavours and seasonal produce, but the basics of proper food preparation, good
techniques, commitment to consistency and presentation remain the same.  My
favourite cuisine is Japanese, which suits the technical side of my menus – never
frozen, simple sauces, home-made stocks (not from a packet) and no more than
three main components to the meal.”
“You don’t need to overwhelm the dish with aromatic or pungent herbs, that’s the
secret!  You can have the best scallop or lobster in the world and then completely
kill it with a fussy sauce”.
To keep the integrity of this statement, Bruell’s menus change frequently and he
has several daily specials which allow him to follow his passion of the Sydney
markets, seasonal produce to complement the climate, and the ever increasing
demands of a more health conscious clientele”.
The Observatory Hotel is owned and managed by Orient-Express Hotels Ltd

01
Dec
11

Plunkett Fowles Launches its New 490 Metres Wine Range

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Categories: Miscellaneous

Plunkett Fowles 490 metres wine range are seriously approachable wines that have
been launched
with new labels and additional varieties including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc*,
Pinot Noir and Shiraz.
Matt Fowles, Chief Executive said: “We think the new label increases the visibility of
490 metres wines for existing customers and those wanting to explore the best of
central Victoria’s wine. The addition of new varieties to our 490 metres range also
provides people with greater choice at this price point.”

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Design wise, a topographic map of the Strathbogie Ranges underpins the labels
across all Plunkett Fowles core range of wine, including 490metres.
Matt Fowles said: “We think the contours of the map are a bit like the fingerprint of
Mother Nature, visually
displaying the landscape in which the vines grow and the wines are made – a vital
piece of information that is
inextricably linked to quality and elegance of our wine.

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The name for the 490 metres range was inspired by the height at which Plunkett
Fowles winery sits in the cool, elevated plains of the Strathbogie Ranges – 490
metres above sea level. On the label this is displayed visually by a line intersecting
a slope at the precise height and location of the winery.
490metres RRP $14.95

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