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 News
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Our web site
is always interested in news about developments in the South
Burnett's wine and food industries.
You're most welcome
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via email. Include
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You can find out more about the South Burnett on the following web sites:
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Vintage Wine Weekend
At Dusty Hill
-
 29th February 2004:
Looking for something completely different to do around the end of this month?
Then why not take the trip to
Dusty Hill at Moffatdale
on the weekend of the 27th and 28th of March. The Hill will
be holding a special Vintage Weekend for 30 guests which will include
pre-release tastings of their 2003 reds and 2004 whites with winemaker
Stuart Pierce. This will be followed by an intimate vintage dinner
with Dusty Hill's owners the Prendergast family and rounded off the next
day with a lazy Sunday breakfast at Molly's Cafe (part of the miniature village
being built on the Dusty Hill Estate). Dusty Hill's hospitality is famous
and if you're quick you can book overnight accommodation at their own Jacaranda
Cottage. Otherwise, you can find accommodation at any of a number of nearby
B&B's, motels, cabins or hotels in the Moffatdale and Murgon areas -
and the Hill will assist if you need it. Tickets to the Vintage Weekend are
$100 per head and include the Saturday evening wine tasting with Stuart Pierce,
transport to and from all local accommodation venues, all the wine and food
you can manage at the dinner and the breakfast on the Sunday - so it's pretty
much a complete package. Numbers really are limited to 30, though, so if
you're interested you'll need to book fast. You can contact Dusty Hill on
(07) 4168 4700 or
via email.
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Stuart Range Wines
On Show At Brisbane's Pier Nine
-
 26th February 2004: Brisbane readers who may not be
able to make it to the South Burnett as often as they'd like will have the
chance to sample some premium South Burnett wine right on their doorstep
in the middle of next month. Stuart Range's Ross Whiteford will be
taking his Goodger selection to Brisbane's
Pier Nine Restaurant for
the first of their "Meet the Winemaker" sessions on Thursday 18th March.
A Pier Nine spokesperson said "We consider ourselves pretty lucky to have
a local winemaker as our first guest for 2004, just before he gets very busy
with vintage". Ross has made wines for over 20 years with Angoves, Brown
Brothers, Tisdall's and Penfolds before returning from two years in Argentina
to take up the position of chief winemaker at Stuart Range. Having lectured
on wine appreciation here in Queensland, Ross will be talking about his
Chardonnay, Verdelho, Shiraz and Cabernet Merlot as well as the distinctive
regional characteristics of South Burnett wines. Interested parties can see
Ross in the restaurant's Tank Bar from 5.00pm to 7.00pm.
There are no charges and attendees are encouraged to bring friends and work
colleagues. Tasting notes and cheese will be provided on the day and the
restaurant will then be featuring the Stuart Range's Goodger Chardonnay as
their "Wine of the Week". Further information and RSVP can be made by emailing
jane@piernine.com.au.
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National Food Industry
Strategy Workshop In Kingaroy Next Month
-
23rd February
2004: If you're involved in the food industry - and that could mean anything
from growing or raising fresh produce through to processing or retailing
it - a special workshop that's being held in Kingaroy in the middle of next
month may be of great interest to you. The
National Food Industry
Strategy will be holding a full-day Food Chain Workshop somewhere
in the town (the venue has yet to be decided) on Wednesday 17th March.
The NFIS is an organisation that's been set up by the Federal Government
to help improve Australia's food industry by fostering innovation, better
marketing and better business practices. At the same time, it wants to help
ensure that Australians carry out food production in an environmentally
sustainable way. The workshop that's being held in Kingaroy is one of only
two in Queensland - the other is at Mareeba - and it will focus on improving
the competitive position of food businesses by developing an effective
strategy to link all members of a food chain. The workshop costs $55 and
this includes morning and afternoon tea and lunch. You can get more information
about it and/or book a seat by phoning 1300 130 360. If you prefer,
you can also
register
online
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De-tox Naturally
At The Kingaroy Natural Therapies Centre
-
 20th February
2004: Over the last two years I've written about organic products several
times in this column. Today I'm going to write about another aspect of the
expanding organic foods industry that you may never have heard of. The
Kingaroy Natural Therapies Centre (located opposite the peanut silos
on Haly Street) now boasts the most comprehensive range of organic fruits,
vegetables and groceries in the South Burnett that I know about. Last week
Bowen Therapist Paul Riley showed me around the aisles of produce
at the Centre's new store, which opened in late 2003 after the KNTC outgrew
their original 1998 premises. "Our clientele consistently asked us for advice
about how to improve and maintain good health and well being", Paul told
me. "So we began stocking a range of high quality herbal products and gradually
increased the list of goodies to include a big range of organics too. Our
motto is: if our client's health requires it, we'll try our best to find
it and stock it". Just in case you've never heard of it or are unclear about
it, Bowen Therapy is the treatment and elimination of high toxicity in muscle
tissues. Bowen Therapy advocates strongly believe that the consumption of
organically produced foods - which are unadulterated by chemicals - will
help maintain lower levels of toxicity. The Centre now sources locally produced
seasonal fruit and vegies whenever possible. It also stocks a range of other
products like Nanango organic honey, various juices and bottled water. I'm
told that it's preferable if pre-orders are made by Friday afternoons so
that they can be assembled and ready for pickup by the following Tuesday
morning. The shop is open for business Monday to Friday from 8.00am and
treatments are available until late. You can phone the Centre on (07)
4162 2299. Photo above: Paul Riley (right) and Ian Mackinnon
(left) of Kingaroy Natural Therapies Centre
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Explorers Restaurant
Gets A $50,000 Makeover
-
 17th
February 2004: Recently I visited Kingaroy's Burke and Wills Motor Inn
and found that I barely recognised their Explorers Restaurant. The
restaurant has been a popular dining spot for well over a decade and has
recently undergone an astounding $50,000 revamp. Owners Sue Maloney
and Ben Kaal said that over the Christmas period a full demolition
and renovation had brought the restaurant into the 21st century, maintaining
some of its original architectural charm but reflecting a modern, clean and
contemporary atmosphere. The elegant furnishings and decor now create a bright
and roomy ambience far removed from the classical antique styling of the
original noshery. Sue said "we hope the new look restaurant will encourage
more tourists to dine in the Kingaroy area and ensure that the standard of
the surroundings are on par with a city location. The restaurant will also
give locals the high quality food and service that they're coming to expect
in our region". The renovation also focussed on the kitchen, which has also
undergone a remarkable transformation with a complete refit. This was a necessity
to efficiently cater for the growth of the Motor Inn, which will have several
new units coming on line shortly. Photo above: Trish, Sue and Karen
at the new-look Explorers Restaurant. You can obtain the current menu from
the new
Burke & Wills Motor Inn web
site.
| South
Burnett Restaurant Fast Facts |
Restaurant:
|
Explorers
Restaurant |
Address:
|
95
Kingaroy Street, Kingaroy
(inside the Burke & Wills Motor Inn) |
Contact details:
|
Phone:
(07) 4162-2933
Email:
suemal@ozemail.com.au |
Open:
|
Dinner:
Monday-Saturday from 6:00pm |
Average entree:
|
$10.00 |
Average main:
|
$22.00 |
Average dessert:
|
Desserts
and prices are changed daily (ask the waiter for choice) |
Licensed?
|
Yes |
| Type of Cuisine: |
Australian
contemporary cuisine, with an accent on reef and beef intermingled with some
asian and pasta dishes. Seafoods are delivered fresh daily from the Sunshine
Coast. One of the restaurant's feature dishes (“Peanut Chicken”)
took a first prize at the Wine & Food In The Park Festival in 2003. |
|
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2004 Culinary Competition
Deadline Only 3 Weeks Away
-
 14th February
2004: Sometimes it seems that there's so much happening in our region's
wine and food industries that I could write a daily column about it. Less
than 4 days after I wrote about Connie Arney's new Asian Banquets
at Ringsfield House the premiere night was completely booked out; and yesterday
Burning Beats told me that their Indian Banquet Night now looks like
it's going to be fully booked too. The recent sushi cooking class that
I ran at TAFE was so successful that we had to schedule three different courses
to accommodate everyone. And new Thai cooking classes that Burning
Beats will be running next month are already looking like they'll be packed
to the rafters as well, simply on word of mouth. This illustrates two things,
I think. One: that if you're interested in something that's covered here
you should act on it pretty quickly. And two: the phenomenal grass-roots
interest we're seeing in Asian, Indian, Japanese and other exotic foods from
local residents is an object lesson for some restauranteurs who seem wedded
to the "steak and three veg" approach to their menus. Plainly, customers
want a lot more variety and diversity in our local restaurants are they're
prepared to back this up with their money. I think this also explains why
PCA's South Burnett Culinary Competition (which will be held at the
Wine & Food In The Park Festival in Kingaroy on March 13th) is such a
crowd-pleaser. This week PCA released the official 2004 competition entry
form (see illustration above right) and if you want to compete, you'll
need to complete one of these and get it back to me by Friday 5th March.
Need a copy? Call me at TAFE on (07) 4160-4428 (if I'm running a class,
leave a message) or
email me.
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Indian Banquet Night
At Burning Beats
-
 11th February 2004: Hot on the heels of Connie Arney's up-coming
Asian Banquet at Ringsfield House this coming Saturday the 14th (see story
5th February 2004), Kingaroy's Burning Beats Cafe will be holding the
region's first ever Indian Banquet Night a fortnight later on
Saturday 28th February. Burning Beats were one of only three South
Burnett restaurants selected by the Courier-Mail's 2004 Good Life Guide and
if you like spicy food it's easy to understand why. Attendees at this lavish
BYO affair will be able to eat as much as they like from a selection of 12
different dishes. Chef Paul Stoddart will be rolling out tandoori chicken,
onion bhaji, puri prawns, dhal, beef vindaloo, beef rogan josh, a chicken
curry, a vegetable curry and a fish curry; ponch potatoes; a chicken
biriani and gulab jamun along with the Cafe's wickedly delicious selections
of poppadums, roti breads, pickles, chutneys and yoghurts. The cost is a
modest $28.50 per head and maximum numbers are limited to about 35. At least
22 of those seats have already been booked as I write this, so you'd better
act quickly if you want a place at the table yourself. The Cafe resumed normal
operations at their 194 Kingaroy Street premises today after a week's summer
holiday in Noosa. This means you can book by phoning them on (07)
4162-3932 or by sending
them an email.
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New South Burnett
Olive Oil Makes A Great Debut
-
 8th February 2004: In the last few months you may have seen
a stylish little 125ml bottle of olive oil appear in your local deli, grocery
store or supermarket. What you may not have known - at least, until you looked
at it closely - is that it's a 100% South Burnett product. The new
Queensland Gold olive oil is being produced by Alternative Rural
Industries (ARI), which is headquartered at Windera and stewarded by well-known
local agricultural identity Dr Bert Bamberg. Dr Bert has been advising
niche food producers in the South Burnett for the last 12 years and has played
a pivotal role in the growth of the region's olive oil industry, which should
see 25,000 trees come into production within the next two years. Dr Bert
told me that now that the supply of premium olive oil is reasonably secured,
he felt the next step was to bring a premium product onto the market. And
the Queensland Gold olive oil is the forerunner of what ARI hopes will be
a string of new regional cuisine products in the years ahead. Dr Bert also
told me that the new olive oil has been "an instant success" with consumers
"even in bush regions where people traditionally prefer taste-free oils"
but it remains to be seen whether sales will be sustained over the longer
haul. If they are, though, Dr Bert says that his company will continue to
support rural markets as well as urban ones. The extra virgin Queensland
Gold oil is cold-pressed and has a gorgeous fruity flavour. You can obtain
more details about it and/or find your local stockists either by phoning
ARI on (07) 4168-6154 or by emailing them:
ari@burnett.net.au
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Asian Banquets Coming
To Ringsfield House
-
 5th February 2004: If you
like superb Asian food you'll be delighted to learn that you'll soon be able
to indulge your passion once a fortnight at historic Ringsfield House.
Well-known local chef Connie Arney - working in conjunction with the
Nanango Historical Society - will be staging her first Asian Banquet at
Ringsfield in Alfred Street, Nanango this coming Valentines Day (Saturday
14th February). After this, Connie hopes to stage regular themed eating
events at Ringsfield twice a month. Connie has a long background in Asian
cookery and told me that her uncle was such a food fanatic he used to bail
up chefs in their kitchens whenever he had a dish in a restaurant that he
particularly enjoyed to ask them how they'd made it. Connie said she'd picked
up the same habit. As a result, she's been given the benefit of lots of "insider"
tips by some of the best chefs she's encountered over the years. Connie's
inaugural BYO Asian Banquet will feature three courses along with
a complimentary glass of wine, live entertainment and a lucky door prize
for the best red outfit worn on the night. Tickets are $22.50 per head and
the action gets underway at 6:00pm. You can book by phoning Connie directly
on (07) 4171-0683 or by calling Ringsfield House on (07) 4163-3345.
Photo: Connie Arney preparing Asian cuisine in Ringsfield's kitchen
at a recent Nanango business function.
-
Sushi Making Classes
Next Week At Kingaroy Cooking School
-
 2nd February 2004: One of the biggest surprises of last year
was the amazing response to the Thai cookery classes held in December
(see story 7th December 2003, below). Only one class was planned but
the level of demand from interested locals forced Kingaroy Cookery School
to put on another. Due to the success of those classes - and the expressions
of interest in other styles of cuisine - I'll be teaching a "fun" Sushi
making class this coming Tuesday night February 10th at Kingaroy
TAFE. Japanese cuisine has become very popular in today's western culture.
But no individual dish that I know of has enjoyed as greater an explosion
in popularity as sushi. Sushi bars are popping up on every street corner
in our capital cities, in most major shopping complexes and at airports.
But Australian sushi fans are no longer content to go out to indulge in their
addiction: they now want to gain the skills and know-how to make the little
Japanese morsels at home. There's also dozens of books on the subject. I
recently went to a local bookstore to buy a book on sushi and left with five
(but that's just me). So impress friends and family at your next dinner party
- you'll be amazed at how simple Sushi making can be. If you'd like
more information about this course, please feel free to contact me on (07)
4160-4428 or
email me.
-
Calling All Chefs:
The PCA Regional Cuisine Cook-Off Is On Again!
-
 30th January 2004:
The
Tarong Mine Wine & Food In
The Park Festival will be held in Memorial Park in Kingaroy on
Saturday 13th March 2004. And this year - for the third year running
- the South Burnett's top chefs will be converging to do battle in the PCA
Regional Cuisine Cook-Off, which has quickly become an intrinsic part
of this signature event and a huge crowd-pleaser into the bargain. Last year's
winner Steve Gudzinski from Kingaroy's Red Earth Restaurant
will be returning to defend his title for the best main course and wine match.
And with the incredible growth in interest this event is generating a second
win is by no means assured. All competitors in the Cook-Off are given a tight
20 minutes to prepare and present a main course (predominantly made of local
ingredients) and match it with a South Burnett wine. Peter Howard,
one of Australia's most recognised food and wine commentators, will be heading
the judging panel this year and he'll be backed up by two other eminent food
and wine writers. Steve told me it was important he prove to the South Burnett
his landslide win last year wasn't a fluke. "I won't be holding anything
back," he said. Steve's win in 2003 earned him a place on the South Burnett
culinary team which competed at Adelaide's LifeStyle Channel Australian Regional
Culinary Competition last October. It also lead to a two page cover story
in the Courier Mail's Good Life. In any event, the stage is set for a fierce
competition - pots, knives and woks will be flying! If anybody working in
the South Burnett's food industry would like to try knocking Gudzinski off
his throne, please
email me for more details.
Illustration: The 2004 Wine & Food In The Park Festival poster
which will begin appearing around the region next week. The Festival's permanent
web site will also be taking on a dramatic new look next week too.
-
Happy New Year: We're
Back For Vintage!
-
 27th January 2004: Hello everyone! South Burnett
Cuisine returned to the desk today for another year - and what a year it
looks likely to be. Right now our region's winemakers are starting
vintage (a few actually kicked off close to a fortnight ago) and over the
next month they'll be pulling in all the rest of the season's crop. Recent
rainfalls have taken a bit of the blush off this year's grape harvest, which
was shaping up as another boomer until the heavens opened and replenished
the dams. I'm told that one Kingaroy vineyard near Goodger took a particularly
heavy crop loss from a hailstorm and a few others are still unsure
about what their ultimate harvest will be. Even so, most winemakers in the
Booie Range and Moffatdale areas that I've spoken to tell me
they're still quietly confident of another record-breaking result. They also
tell me that many of the grapes they've already gathered in are the
best our region has produced to date. This is partly because our most
productive vines are now more than 5 years old: a time when wine grapes
really start to hit their straps. We'll all get to see the results of this
harvest between April 1st and some time in 2005/06 as the whites and reds
are progressively rolled out. In the meantime I'll be profiling all
the South Burnett wines that took medals at last year's Australian
Small Winemakers Show and/or the 2003 Queensland Wine Awards in
this column over the next few months. These little corkers all began their
lives as part of the region's 2001 and 2002 vintages and this year we'll
be looking at each one of them in detail.
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