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South Burnett Special
On Queensland Weekender
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 29th October 2004: Fans of Channel Seven's Queensland
Weekender program would remember when the popular lifestyle show aired
a two-part special on the South Burnett's food and wine trail back in April
this year. Well, I'm pleased to be the first to break the news that they
returned this week to film an upcoming half hour special about the delights
of touring our region. Segment producer Lynette Haas and her crew
have been in the area since last Sunday, spending the full week travelling
the South Burnett to visit our wineries, restaurants, accommodation and
recreational destinations. The show's reporters Bridget Adams
(pictured at right) and Martin Bowerman will be using a "his
and hers" theme when the program airs over the summer. Bridget started her
tour on Sunday by wining and dining her way through Kingsley Grove, Crane
Wines, the Booie Range Distillery and the stunning Bell Tower Restaurant.
Martin's strategy was to pan for gold at the Prophet Gold Mine in Kilkivan,
then wet a line in some of the region's great fishing spots like the
Bjelke-Petersen Dam and the Yallakool Tourist Park. After filling his pockets
with gold and his esky with yellowbelly, I understand he'll be regrouping
his forces at some our great local pubs. The Queensland Weekender program
is the 6th or 7th TV special that's been filmed about our region this year
and - as always - South Burnett Cuisine has been only too pleased
to help. Meanwhile, fans of the Courier Mail's Good Life should also
keep their eye out for a cover story on the South Burnett wine and food trail.
Well-known journalist and Good Life supremo Nick Bray was also in
our part of the world this week to keep abreast of all the exciting developments
happening here. He'll be reporting his findings this coming Tuesday, November
2nd.
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Get Ready For The
Long, Lazy Lunch
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 26th October 2004: One of the nicest things about living in
the South Burnett - which I think many of us are coming to appreciate more
and more over time - is that we can enjoy a relaxed day out at any of our
region's cellar doors any time we like (most especially on weekends!). It's
so easy to do that we often forget this is a privilege that tourists
travel here to enjoy. And our wineries are increasingly catering for both
markets (ie locals and tourists) by staging special events designed to please
both. The former Sunset Ridge pioneered this idea several years ago with
their Jazz Sundays.
Barambah Ridge were next
off the mark with their very popular Grape To Glass Tours and a number
of other events they now regularly run at their Redgate vineyards. And over
the last year
Dusty Hill have been going
great guns with their periodic all-you-can-eat-and-drink parties. Now
Clovely Estate are introducing
a new, fun event as well: The Long, Lazy Lunch (LLL for short). The
first LLL is going to held this coming Saturday 30th October at their
cellar door in Steinhardts Road, Moffatdale. It will run from 1:00pm
and 5:00pm and for $17 per head for adults (or $8 per head for children
under 10) you can get to enjoy a gourmet BBQ lunch washed down with your
favourite Clovely Estate wine, along with live entertainment. Clovely plan
to make the LLL a regular 4th Saturday of the month event and I take my hat
off to them for doing it. It's another great addition to our region's cellar
door activities and looks like being a lot of fun to boot! If you want to
attend the inaugural LLL, you can make a booking by phoning Clovely on (07)
4168 4788.
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New Menu At Explorers
Restaurant
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 23rd October 2004: It always thrills me when award-winning
chef Steve Gudzinski (pictured at right) launches a new menu
at the
Burke and Wills Motor
Inn's a la carte restaurant Explorers. Since Steve took the
helm about a year ago this landmark dining spot in Kingaroy has made a name
for itself by serving up innovative modern Australian cuisine. And the
restaurant's latest menu - launched last week - is no exception. South Burnett
regional produce has a strong presence and local vintages feature prominently
on the restaurant's extensive wine list. I had dinner there the other night
and tried out a surprising dish of couscous-crusted lambs fry with pumpkin
mash and a blueberry demi sauce. Wow, what a treat! Other features
on the new menu are a designer steak option where you can pick your own meat
cut, sauce and side dish. There are also choices of pasta, seafood, modern
salads and pizza and - really - there are dishes to suit every taste and
budget. The average price of a main is $25.00, and I think this is great
value considering the generous portions. The chocolate semi-freddo would
have to be my choice of dessert, lovingly served with mango and strawberry
salsa - but there are a lot of equally delicious competitors. If you'd like
to experience the delights of Explorer's summer menu yourself, you can make
a booking by phoning them on (07) 4162-2933.
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Amy Ballin: The South
Burnett's First Michelin Chef
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 20th October 2004: Regular readers will know that I've been
posting updates about the progress of my former Kingaroy TAFE pupil Amy
Ballin over the last few months. Amy (who's currently in the UK) was
a semi-finalist in the prestigious Gordon Ramsay Scholarship earlier
this year and recently competed in the finals of the even more prestigious
UK Young Chef Of The Year competition. As things turned out, Amy didn't
take out the top gong. But she did win high praise from the
judges who told her that she had the best menu "perfectly priced for today's
competition". And now I'm very pleased to report that it looks like Amy is
going to be working in a Michelin restaurant in Europe to continue
perfecting her craft anyway. Why? Because many of the
people she was competing against already do work in Michelin
restaurants - which shows just how much of an honour it is to be a finalist
in that particular competition - and they're always on the
look-out for first-rate talent (for those who don't know this, Michelin are
the acknowledged guide to the very best restaurants in Europe. They
issue one, two or three-star gradings and being listed in the Michelin Guide
is the acme of any European restaurateur's career). Amy is now being interviewed
by prospective Michelin employers and says that she wants "to learn from
chefs who'be reached the top and stayed there". And after as few years in
Europe she hopes to go across to the USA and perhaps even open a restaurant
on the West Coast. I honestly couldn't be more proud of her and I'm sure
her many friends in the South Burnett will be too.
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Tickle Yourself
Pink!
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 17th
October 2004: Back in June I reported the sale of Goomeri's iconic
Pumpkin Pie Cafe to lan and Libby Beresford, formerly of Sydney and
now (I understand) very happily ensconced in the Pumpkin Capital. Well the
Pumpkin Pie's original owners Patsy and George Geddes haven't
been resting on the laurels since the sale either. A little over a month
ago they opened a new venture in Wondai called Tickled Pink. The new
establishment is a trendy coffee shop - something of a first for Wondai -
and it's already begun attracting the same type of loyal following that Patsy
and George built up in Goomeri. Patsy told me that she and George were looking
for a new challenge after the Pumpkin Pie. And since they already lived in
Wondai, it was logical to open the doors there. "We love Wondai," Patsy told
me. "It's a really friendly and progressive town.". The coffee shop is serving-up
a selection of decadent cakes, quiche and salad, gourmet sandwiches and great
coffee and tea. And as you'd expect, Patsy has just produced a signature
pie called "Pinks Pie" (a homemade beef and beer pie). Want to try it yourself?
The bright pink shop at 76 Mackenzie Street is hard to miss - and
yes, Tickled Pink accepts phone orders too: (07) 4169-5187.
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Stuart Range Bumper
Wine Sale Coming This Saturday
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 14th October 2004: If you like wine there are two great
advantages about living in the South Burnett. One is that you can go visit
a winery in person any time you like. The other is that you can get
to take advantage of specials that aren't available to anyone
who can't drop by a cellar door in person - especially clearances to
make way for new product coming out of the tanks. One of these opportunities
will be coming up this Saturday 16th October when Kingaroy's Stuart
Range Winery hold a pre-Christmas clearance sale that may set a
new standard in local wine sales generally. For one day only between 9:00am
and 5:00pm (or earlier if stocks run out) you'll be able to buy any of the
company's award-winning wines for between $3 and $8 per bottle.
When you consider that Stuart Range's wines normally sell for $12 to $20
per bottle, this means that nearly everything is being sold at cost.
Stuart Range have been taking medal after medal at Queensland and interstate
wine shows for many years now. They're also one of our region's foundation
wineries and with harvest tonnages rising each year the problem of what to
do with excess stock just gets tougher as time rolls by. But for savvy local
wine buyers, the Range's stock storage problems are your gain. I'll
certainly be taking the trip to 67 William Street early this Saturday morning
- perhaps I'll see you there?
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Nanango Gets Its
Third Stake In The South Burnett Wine Industry
-
 11th
October 2004: If you were fortunate enough to attend Nanango's Pioneer
Festival on Saturday 9th October you may have been surprised to discover
a new South Burnett wine you've probably never heard of before: Arabesque
Wines from Nanango. Arabesque is the latest player in the South Burnett's
wine industry and they were on hand at the Pioneer Festival with tastings
of their new shiraz. Arabesque is owned by husband and wife team James
and Melinda Taylor (Melinda is already well known as the proprietor
of Miss Melinda's Dancing Academy - "Arabesque" is a french term for a ballet
pose and the source of the new company's logo). James and Melinda planted
two hectares of grapes at their Nanango property in 1999 and they made the
new shiraz there at their own winemaking facility (Nanango's first winery!).
Prior to moving to the region James was involved in wine making for five
years in the Hunter Valley. He feels that the South Burnett is a growing
area and is more than living up to its potential. In case you didn't try
it, Arabesque's new shiraz is medium to full bodied, has a fruity aroma with
good length, vibrant purple hues and sweet plum and cherry flavours - James
tells me that it's ready to drink now! Builders permitting, the pair also
hope to have a cellar door outlet operating at the winery shortly
after Christmas. But until then you can find out how to purchase their wine
by calling them directly on (07) 4171-0365 [PS: I've been
away for a week's much-needed holiday and forgot to pre-announce this before
I went. I'm now back at the desk with a bag full of stories and the normal
3-day broadcasting schedule for Cuisine resumes immediately]
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