Peninsula producers are making their mark

Peninsula people have always found ways of taking a raw product and transforming it into something more delicious, more valuable. The early fishermen working the bays would salt and dry their catch and send barrels of saltfish to the goldfields. Today, Peninsula winemakers have a global reputation for crushing and fermenting local grapes and sending their wines around the world. Even more so, the Mornington Peninsula is becoming known for a vast range of products made right here, with ingredients grown between the two bays. 

While there are fewer orchardists than decades ago, a new generation of apple growers is turning their fruit into juice, fermenting it into popular cider, and even making outstanding apple cider vinegar. From easy-to-drink appley bubbles to serious French-style dry ciders, local cider makers are winning awards nationwide. In fact, the annual Red Hill Cider Show is one of the biggest in the country. 

Go to an industrial estate behind any one of the seaside suburbs and you will find a distiller. From glamourous jewel box-like cellar doors to grungier operations run by young guns, the Peninsula has more than its fair share of producers of gin, vodka, and even whisky the Scots would be proud of. We're also home to some of the best non-alcoholic beverages in the country, serious drinks made with native botanicals that are poured in top restaurants across Australia. 

Like many great food cultures, the Peninsula is blessed with some great cheesemakers. For years we've had talented people armed with the skills to transform great, fresh milk into outstanding cheese. Some are small farmhouse operations where you can see the goats being milked. You can taste a fresh chevre or firm halloumi ready for the grill there. Some celebrate their European roots by making great table cheeses but also health-giving kefir made from organic milk. 

Another one of life's great joys is chocolate. While no one is growing tropical cacao beans in the mild, maritime climate of the Peninsula, we are lucky enough to have chocolatiers plying their sweet trade right here. Using French and Belgian chocolates, the various chocolate makers offer unique tastings, masterclasses, and other chocolatey experiences. 

With excellent access to berry fruit and fresh veg, it is no wonder there are many conserve makers and fermenting enthusiasts around. From strawberry jam just waiting to top a scone with cream to chefs with kitchens dedicated to take-home meals, they are all making the most of local produce. 

Regarding the arcane arts of charcuterie and smallgoods, the Peninsula is home to some of the finest makers of terrines, hams and bacons. Inspired by the number of excellent butchers on the Mornington Peninsula, the Red Hill Show celebrates the high level of snag-making with the annual $500 Golden Sausage competition. 

The Peninsula has many great preservers, conservers, makers and value-adders. It is a place where people practise traditional food-making and preserving arts. It is also a place of innovation where new products are made, packaged, and sent to every corner of the country and around the world. We are all very proud of the people who produce food and drink that is 'Peninsula-made'. 

‘Peninsula Made’ products can be found at:

Arancini 4 All Arc Café Balnarring Preserves Balu’s Bakery Benton Rise Farm  Bütterken Bakery Cellar & Pantry Chocolat of Mornington Dairy Lane Daniel’s Run Farm  Eddies Organic Cider Flinders General Store Hawkes Farm Horribly Healthy Island Pasta Company Main Ridge Cattle Main Ridge Dairy Mumma Made Mushroom Forestry Prodigal Coffee Roasters Provincia Food Store Red Hill Truffles Revolution Coffee Roasters Rocky Creek Strawberry Farm Smokehouse Pizza Kitchen  Smokers Butchery Somerville Egg Farm Southern Seagreens The Epicurean Red Hill The Peel Thing The Somers General Torello Farm Tully’s Corner

FROM OVEN Alex’s tarts are a work of Arc

Spanning 40 years from Circular Quay to Carlton, Arc Café in its current guise might never have existed if not for the culinary adventures of executive chef Alex Roser. How fortunate his journey took the turns it did. After semi-retiring to Blairgowrie in 2004 with his partner in life and business, Cathy Cooke, Alex was soon itching to return to the kitchen, albeit without the demanding hours of running a restaurant. As a result, Arc Café was launched as one of the first premium wholesale food producers on the Peninsula, making restaurant-quality take-home tarts available from a growing range of stockists. Now consumers can play the role of chef themselves, serving these tasty tarts at home to the admiration of friends and family. 

Alex as a teen would be proud. For him, the thrill of cooking was always the excitement of making and sharing new creations. It would have been easy to fall into the family business. His father, Michel, owned and ran a successful restaurant on the Hume Highway near Tahmoor in NSW that became famous for its wild game dishes. Like many 18-year-olds, however, Alex longed to carve his own identity. He upped sticks and set out for the city. In shaping the type of chef and restaurant owner he would become, Alex’s experience in Sydney would be significant. He worked at Len Evans Wines – a wine shop and restaurant combined – in Bulletin Place, Circular Quay. Len, the first regular wine columnist in Australia and author of the hefty near-800-page wine compendium The Complete Book of Australian Wine, once said: “Life will never be the same fun as the ‘70s in Sydney.” Alex’s eyes twinkle when recalling his time working for Len. They were heady days. As an apprentice, Alex’s team covered the business lunch shift, charged with satisfying a rowdy crowd of expectant executives. With instructions to give the diners something special without stipulating what that ‘something’ might be, the kitchen became a playground to experiment with different dishes. Alex's speciality became pastries and desserts, offering the most potential for play. 

His passion for food and wine continued at his first restaurant. Moving to Melbourne, he and Cathy opened Arc Café in Rathdowne St in 1994, refurbishing an old Lebanese bakery once owned by the Smorgon family. As famous then for its Italian dining as it is now, asserting a presence in Rathdowne St as a restaurant offering modern Australian fare was bound to be a challenge. Alex’s extensive experience as a chef alongside Cathy’s extraordinary flair as creative director and restaurant manager proved a winning partnership. Leo Schofield had been familiar with Alex in Sydney, having on occasion appointed him chef for his own private functions. In Victoria, as director of the Melbourne Arts Festival, Leo was often in the media. Asked in a radio interview to name his favourite places to eat in Melbourne, his enthusiastic endorsement of Arc Café saw bookings skyrocket. It was the beginning of a successful 20-year business. BYO restaurants were a rarity in the area then, yet Arc Café encouraged diners to bring their own wines. Along with its innovative menu, the venue became popular for hosting wine clubs. 

Alex and Cathy are still known for bringing people together. At a commercial kitchen in Rosebud, a combination of hardworking chefs and locals, including several mums, now comprise the staff of the latest version of Arc Café in its production of wholesale tarts. Alex and Cathy treat their team the same way as their customers in never taking them for granted. Their loyalty is reciprocated. The team takes pride in the delicious tarts, always ensuring only top-quality products are released for sale. Savoury tarts include classic quiche; spinach, ricotta and caramelised onion; and chicken and leek pie, all generously filled with fresh ingredients. Sweet tarts, which can be dressed with meringues or fresh berries and which include an exemplary lemon tart – not too sweet, not too sour – have to be tried to be believed.  With more than 15 varieties available from more than 35 stockists, take the opportunity to treat yourself to an Arc Café tart – the culmination of a chef’s life work.

Arc Café Rosebud. T: 5982 3500; 0400 299 012. E: aroser@arccafe.com.au www.arccafe.com.au

FROM POT Preserving the flavours of the past

Do you recall a childhood where outdoor fun meant using natural elements for pretend play? Steeping flower petals in water to create potions and perfumes? Melissa, of Balnarring Preserves, still possesses this spirit of curiosity and ingenuity in adulthood, of continuing wonder at the potential of nature’s gifts. These qualities, combined with equal parts serendipity and hard work, have proved the recipe to her business’s success.

On a farm in 1970s rural NSW before ‘sustainability’ and ‘regeneration’ became the buzzwords they are today, Melissa’s family were already modelling a low-waste lifestyle. She fondly recalls her father fashioning cardboard boxes into living quarters for her Barbie dolls, and her aunt growing the most amazing stone fruit and transforming it into delicious jams, chutneys and cordials in Fowlers Vacola jars. Growing up in Moree, with generations of extended family owning dairy farms in Taree, gave Melissa a spiritual connection to the land. There’s little doubt her upbringing shaped the genuinely warm and unpretentious person she is today.

There’s still an excitement in Melissa’s voice as she recounts how she and her husband, Matthew, became owners of their Balnarring farm. After seeing the property advertised, they left their home on a whim for a nice weekend drive “just to take a look” and satisfy their curiosity. Approaching on a seemingly never-ending dirt road, they finally arrived at No.13, Melissa’s lucky number. The acreage presented a ramshackle mess of sheds, most recently used for a turkey and emu farm. Turning the corner at the top of the driveway, past more than 200 breathtaking rose bushes bearing testimony to the property’s horticulturalist owners, the main house came into view. At that moment Melissa fell in love. The homestead, one of the Peninsula’s original buildings, recalled the charm and character of her aunt’s place. A bid was placed, and six months later Melissa and Matthew owned the Balnarring farm.

There was much work ahead: sheds to be demolished; overgrowth cleared; garden beds redesigned for no-till, no-dig organic farming; the rear .8ha forest lovingly brought back to feature only indigenous plants; the house completely refurbished, showcasing the handmade brick extant chimneys, the quarter-sawn timber milled on site, and the 3m ceilings.  

Melissa loves experiencing the property’s changing moods as one season turns to the next, imagining previous owners tending plants in the kitchen garden at the old homestead entrance, a garden of surprises where a magnificent 100-year-old crab-apple tree sits and mysterious plants occasionally appear. Were they planted in the time of the property’s first owners, Lawrence and James White, circa 1885?

Now the farm is making its own mark on history as a successful business. With her waste-not ethic, Melissa knew there had to be a use for the layer of rose petals carpeting the ground, and so the first botanical cordial in the range was born: the delicious Rose Up Your Life. Together with a limited range of jams, pickles and relishes, the cordial was first sold at Bittern Market. Melissa realised she was on to a good thing when a customer ordered 100 bottles on the spot. The popular cordial has since earned expert recognition too, winning a coveted Melbourne Royal Fine Food Award. Melissa has also gained first place against tough competition for her tomato relish at the 2023 Melbourne Royal Show, the judges considering it “a very tasty relish (with a) good balance of tomato and spices”.

The range and its demand continues to grow, as does the produce. Planter boxes and orchards abound with seasonal organic fruits and vegetables. Melissa can often be found in her commercial kitchen creating botanical cordials, relishes, sauces, herbs and spices, labelled with such fun names as Lemon Lavender Love and Relish the Relish Beetroot.

Beyond her fondness for the stunning home and property, Melissa feels deeply about her role as custodian of its history. Casually thumbing through a historical Balnarring leaflet sharing the area’s past, she uncannily lands on a page showing a 1930s photograph with the caption “Woman making preserves”. It feels like a sign of approval, of history’s cycle continuing. This is the place where she truly belongs.

Opening hours: roadside farmgate market stall Friday-Sunday

Balnarring Preserves. 13 Turners Rd, Balnarring. P: 0417 941 879 (Melissa)
E: melissa@balnarringpreserves.com.au. www.balnarringpreserves.com.au. INSTA: balnarringpreserves

Balu’s Bakery

Indian-born pastry chef Alistair and French-born business wizard Lou grew up with food as an integral part of their lives and cultures, and bread in all shapes and forms were loved daily staples.

“We were raised in epicurean families, where fresh local products, family meals, and all sorts of deliciousness were made using traditional and ancestral recipes,” Lou said. “And of course where food is the love language.”

Their love of sourdough is instinctive. Traditional family recipes and premium local and imported ingredients make their bread a cut above the rest. “Our chocolate is from France and Belgium and our flour is Australian, so we don't compromise on quality. We use produce from our garden too.”

Lou and Alistair imported two Rofco bread ovens from Belgium, allowing them to bake according to the ancient principle of the wood oven with chamotte brick. Their sourdough starter is one of a kind and has developed its specific flavour over the years.

“It's very cliché, but we say our secret ingredient is love because food is our love language, and that's how we express ourselves. Alistair says he pours 48 hours of love into each loaf.  Everything we bake must be delicious and nutritious too.” 

The flute is a must-try. Originating from Lyon, a city known as the capital of French gastronomy, it's a hybrid between a baguette and a white round loaf of sourdough. The famous cinnamon scrolls are made from a secret recipe, and they're super-fluffy and not overly sweet. 

You'll find Balu's Bakery at Bittern Community Market on Sundays; at Nourish in Balnarring Thursday-Saturday; at Tulum Store in Balnarring Fridays and Saturdays; and once a month on a Saturday at Emu Plains Market, Little Beauty Market, and Red Hill Market from September to May.

Balu’s Bakery      P: 0431 870 131         FB: Balu’s Bakery        Insta: balusbakery.mornpen

FROM EARTH Heirloom tomatoes run rings around the rest

When you grow up only knowing the taste of freshly grown tomatoes due to a summer tradition at your grandparents, it is no wonder the desire to reproduce such quality from scratch took hold in Cheryl McGaffin.

After two decades as an intensive care nurse, the importance of health and nutrition were well understood by Cheryl, Daniel’s Run Farm founder and grower. The desire to produce one of the healthiest and tastiest varieties of tomatoes on the planet was strong, initially for her own family and friends.    But after a bumper crop,  Cheryl decided to also try selling a few batches at a couple of farmers markets and it quickly grew into a boutique business that today has requests coming in from some of the best-known chefs on the Mornington Peninsula and a following of loyal customers who eagerly await the picking season’s arrival each summer.

Following organic and sustainable principles, there are now more than 200 varieties of heirloom tomatoes grown at Daniel’s Run Farm.  They are vine-ripened and sun-drenched and provide that rich, full tomato flavour.   From nature to nutrition, the terroir is perfect to grow a range of heirloom tomatoes in an absolute rainbow of colours from yellow and orange to the darkest of reds to purple through to almost black to bright green and everything in between.

Heirloom tomatoes are known as being difficult to grow, taking a lot of patience and experimentation and requiring perfect weather conditions.  Cheryl is very patient and seems to never give up, even when Mother Nature makes it tricky.  Persistence, experimenting with all areas of the process – including making her own compost – integrating natural pest management with beneficial insects, and trialling different rotational crops are a few of the many ingredients that contribute to a successful crop.  Every year Cheryl trials new varietals and has a great fascination and interest in open pollination and breeding new tomatoes.

Vine-ripened tomatoes are packed full of nutrients that are so beneficial to overall health and are incredibly delicious. “If you’ve never had an heirloom tomato, then you’ve never tasted a real tomato,” Cheryl said.

And their uses are endless, from topping a bruschetta to making a batch of sweet passata, adding to almost any salad, roasting in the oven, served with a splash of quality olive oil and some basil, or simply eating alone to savour the rich flavour.  The colourful heirloom tomatoes also make a spectacular centrepiece on any table and certainly add colour, zest and variety to a grazing board.

In 2021 all the hard work was rewarded when Daniel’s Run Farm won a gold medal at the Harvey Norman delicious. Produce Awards for its heirloom tomatoes. “This was a great honour to receive this award,” Cheryl said.

Cheryl shares the property with her husband, Ian, and a few furry farm friends, including her much-loved Jack Russell terriers. “When they are not sitting close to me or following me around the property, they protect the chooks from the foxes and keep the birds and rabbits off the crops and tomatoes.” 

Horses have always had a prominent place in Cheryl’s life, none more significant than the property’s namesake – a thoroughbred racehorse who was rescued from an abusive and restrictive life and given a second chance at the farm.  Cared for and able to run free around the paddocks of the Tyabb property, Daniel lived until he was 28 and will always be fondly remembered.

Daniel’s Run Farm  271 Coolart Rd, Tyabb  P: 0428 104 826 
INSTA: daniels_run_heirloom_tomatoes

Island Pasta Company

If you want to enjoy authentic Italian pasta, then an Italian pasta maker is someone you want to know. And we’ve found one of the best.

Italian chef Luca and German-born Tine couldn’t find the quality they were accustomed to when they moved to Phillip Island, so they began producing their own pasta and sauces in small batches, ensuring the best quality and freshness.

Tine and Luca want to do more than make the best pasta on the Peninsula; they want to educate people by sharing their knowledge and experience. Luca believes most people don’t know how much there is to learn about pasta. It’s not just about combining flour, eggs and water. The quality of your ingredients is essential, but the methods and processes are just as important when it comes to taste, texture and digestibility.  

They buy Peninsula free-range eggs and organic flour for their fresh pasta, and Australian milled flour from the Golden Triangle in northern NSW for their dried pasta. The yellow-hued pasta is slowly dried at a low temperature, maintaining the nutritional benefits and the grain’s colour and fragrance. Their production method and the way they handle the dough ensures that the pasta is more digestible. 

They transform simple ingredients into luxurious pasta shapes while honouring the traditions of Italian pasta. All of their dried pasta varieties are vegan and include vibrant beetroot fusilli and dynamic black pipe rigate with activated charcoal that will impress the fussiest foodie. Earthy organic spelt fusilli and textural fusilloni rigati perfectly hold your choice of pasta sauce in its ridges. And their deep, dark and luxurious squid ink tagliolini deserves a mention, too.

Check their website for their online shop, stockists and farmers’ market locations.

Island Pasta Company         P: 0435 269 175        www.islandpasta.com.au 
FB: islandpasta        Insta: island.pasta

FROM THE DARK Fabulous local fungi

Dave Walford stands in an old apple cool room surrounded by bags of mushrooms. King browns, shiitake, lion's mane and oyster mushrooms. He grew up in England's West Country, foraging for wild mushrooms such as boletus and chanterelles. He moved to Melbourne and cooked in some of the best kitchens in the city, including Cecconi's, and Salix in Balnarring where he worked with Bernard McCarthy. His love of mushrooms continues. When the cool rains fall on the warm earth each autumn, he grabs a knife and basket and forages the tracks around Red Hill and Main Ridge 

In 2019, he and his wife, Samantha Blair, came across a mushroom farm. The owner had unfortunately developed an allergy to mushrooms. After some conversations, the owner realised their business was in safe hands. Mushroom Forestry was spread across insulated rooms at the back of a former apple processing centre between Tyabb and Hastings. Dave applied his chef’s mind to the business, arranging production like a chef would carefully plan a meal. He also knew how to predict peak demands and slack periods in the restaurant game and altered his mushroom production to suit.

Dave grows the mushrooms in plastic bags of rehydrated, pelletised sawdust mixed with soy bean husks. The plastic bags, about the size of a large loaf of bread, are sterilised in hot water. "Any naturally occurring fungus spores could land on them, grow, and cause problems," he said. He adds different types of mushroom spores and leaves them to grow on shelves in dark, warm rooms. The fungus grows into the wood sawdust mix, spreading its white thread-like filaments to decompose the sawdust. After six or so weeks, Dave moves the bags of fungus to a much cooler room to simulate the arrival of autumn. The fungus begins to show signs of producing little mushrooms and are then moved to a warm, humid room to allow the mushrooms to grow. When they’re ready, Dave harvests and packs the plump, meaty mushrooms and delivers them to restaurants and retailers. The spent sawdust is used by chef Simone Watts in her regenerative kitchen garden at Barragunda at Cape Schanck. 

Mushroom Forestry mushrooms are served by some of the best chefs in the state, many of whom are cooking here on the Peninsula. You can find them on the menu at 10 Minutes by Tractor, Paringa Estate and Barmah Park. Tedesca Osteria chef and co-owner Brigitte Hafner said: "They are amazing! We roast the shiitake mushrooms in the wood-fired oven with nothing but cultured butter and salt. They are so good they don't need anything else." Brigitte uses the roasted mushrooms to accompany grilled King George whiting served with Korean pepper sauce. 

Dave still works in the kitchen with his old boss Bernard, this time at Banksia wine bar in McCrae. "There's a wood-fired pizza oven in the kitchen which I fire up and roast some king brown and shiitake mushrooms. Mushrooms love fire and really take on the smoky flavour." He serves them with Kia Ora salmon cooked in a beurre blanc and finished with spinach. "I may be biased, but they are the best mushrooms on the Peninsula."

Buy Mushroom Forestry mushrooms from Torello Farm, Dromana; Benton Rise Farm, Mornington; and Red Hill Cellar & Pantry. 

FROM BEAN Doing good business with good people

Brewing more than just coffee, Revolution Coffee Roasters is the embodiment of dreams and dedication. In their Somerville roastery and cafe, coffee is a passion for husband and wife team Paul and Tonette O’Brien. Their business is a tale of two expats – Paul from Sydney and Tonette from Ireland – who were inspired by a life-and-death health battle and took a leap of faith to embark on a mission to redefine their life and coffee experience.

“We started the business at home in 2018, selling coffee to family and friends,” Paul said. “We quickly expanded into our Somerville warehouse six months later. With the café opening in mid-2023, it’s a pleasure to finally share our passion with the local community.”

The heart of Revs, as it's fondly referred to by regulars, is the enormous light-filled café. Walk in and you'll be greeted by an ambience that Paul said was selfishly built around their preferences: the artwork, the fit-out, and the bright orange coffee machine. "We never had a masterplan; it was just literally what we enjoyed, and it turns out a lot of people enjoy it too.” It’s an atmosphere that engages all the senses in a space where conversations flow as effortlessly as the coffee.

But what sets Revs apart goes beyond the ambience. Every element of the business is local, and Paul and Tonette are firm believers in "doing good business with good people”. Local suppliers, many of whom are also customers, provide the ingredients that elevate the café’s food offerings to the same high standard as their coffee.

Coffee beans, the star of the show, are roasted on site, and it's here the Revs team really work their magic. “We’re obsessed with big, bold flavours,” Paul said. “We’ve spent years perfecting our roast profile to balance big and bold without the bitterness. It’s easy to complicate coffee so we aim to keep it beautifully simple. We offer light, medium, dark roast and decaf – in plain English, nothing pretentious.” It's this obsession with the perfect roast that has carved a niche for Revs.

Education is a cornerstone of Paul and Tonette’s philosophy and central to their mission. In addition to their comprehensive barista training for wholesale partners, they recently opened Revs Coffee College to the public. Their Barista 101 course equips novices with the skills to create coffee in just three hours – a pathway to satisfying the Peninsula's growing demand for coffee specialists. “It gives me a lot of pleasure to share over 20 years’ experience in the Coffee College,” Paul said. “Furthermore, we can close the loop by placing students into roles through our café partnerships and business networks, so it’s a real win-win for local business and the economy.”

Paul and Tonette's zeal is driven by a desire to live and work locally. Their love of the Peninsula lifestyle and their commitment to moving here permanently was cemented during a challenging period when Tonette was battling cancer. It was this realisation that prompted them to start Revs, and it's why they've made it their mission to keep things local.

"Life's too short for boring coffee" is their motto, and it's one they've fully embraced. In the end it's about more than just a cup of coffee; it's about a revolution in the way they savour life on the Mornington Peninsula.

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 6.30am-2pm

Revolution Coffee Roasters. 5/5 Speedwell St, Somerville P: 1800 844 955
www.revolutionroasters.com.au. FB: revolution.roasterss. INSTA: revolution.roasters

FROM SMOKE Stone provides a solid base for thriving business

A great pizza requires the perfect base, and thanks to Smokehouse Pizza Kitchen the perfect stone-baked pizza bases are available at plenty of quality delis and supermarket fridges right across the Mornington Peninsula.

After 15 years running the iconic Smokehouse Pizza restaurant in Sorrento, David and Elizabeth took their side hustle making stone-baked pizza bases, which at the time supplied other catering venues and a few independent grocers, to the next level. “After a fairly short period, the demand for the pizza bases grew and grew and before we knew it we were also supplying wineries, breweries, cafes and restaurants here on the Mornington Peninsula and in Melbourne,” Elizabeth said. It became time to move to larger premises when their leasing options at their original restaurant in Sorrento became unsatisfactory, so the search for the factory space for the making and baking was under way. Eventually in 2016 they moved into the Henry Wilson Drive Estate in Capel Sound, where they remain today.

The New York-style thin crust stone-baked pizza bases are preservative and sugar-free and are made from 100 per cent Australian ingredients. They are also vegan, which gives them a very wide appeal. The most popular of the Smokehouse pizza bases is the 11-inch base sold in two packs. Catering packs of 20 delicious bases – also available as a sourdough – are available for cafes or restaurants to order, allowing those venues to control their costs in the knowledge they are using a top-quality local product.

As David pointed out, the depth of flavour in the sourdough enhanced with EVOO, coupled with the large stone tiles in the oven, make for an ideal baking combination. David starts baking daily at 4am and Elizabeth manages the orders and the packaging.  They bake to order, thus guaranteeing freshness, and any spares get sent to Southern Peninsula Care, with which the couple have an affinity after having worked with the Streetsmart program for more than a decade in their restaurant years. “We genuinely bake to order so at the end of the week we like to ensure any extra stock gets sent into the community where it’s most needed,” David said.

A few years back the family business was particularly busy during the lockdown period and luckily for Elizabeth and David they could use and occupy some of their adult children to help. Four of their seven children were busy remote schooling, so the family worked together to do both baking and schooling. This was a win for everyone, including customers who were still able to buy the pizza bases at their local deli or supermarket to make pizzas at home during a time when everyone was cooking and making at home so much more than they ever had before.

One of many great local supporters of Smokehouse Pizza Kitchen are the team at Cellar & Pantry at Red Hill, who not only stock its products but regularly use Smokehouse pizza bases to create amazing pizzas and share the recipes on their socials and in owner Dee’s popular newsletter.

Once you pick up some Smokehouse stone-baked pizza bases from your local outlet, the next decision will be what to place on top. “It’s really a personal choice,” Elizabeth said, “but our customers constantly tell us they prefer to keep their toppings super-simple and fresh, allowing the flavours and texture in the base and toppings to complement each other rather than overwhelm.”

Smokehouse Pizza Kitchen email: smokehousepizzabases@gmail.com FB: smokehousepizzabases INSTA: smokehousepk

FROM SEA Get by with a little kelp

What do you get when you put a naval clearance diver, a former craft beer brewer and a surfer with a degree in solar wizardry together? Southern Seagreens.

These seaweed farmers are growing native kelp off the coast at Flinders. As a regenerative seaweed farming business, it’s a win for both our water and for us. Southern Seagreens works with the sun and the sea to grow kelp that’s packed with important vitamins and minerals and is capable of sequestering up to five times more carbon than land-based plants.  

“Our primary aim is to grow the most sustainable and nutritious food possible,” said co-founder Cam Hines. “This entails the farming of native kelp at Flinders.  Seaweed is a zero-input crop, requiring no soil, fresh water or fertilisers.  It mops up impressive amounts of carbon and happens to be super-high in protein and nutrients important for our health.

“We also dive for wakame in southern Port Phillip.  It’s an invasive yet super-tasty kelp species.  By removing the wakame from the water, we are helping the native kelp grow and re-establish.” 

Southern Seagreens currently has two kelp products available.  The first is dried wakame, which is a perfect addition to a variety of dishes such as soups, salads, pasta sauces, poke bowls and stir-fry for a delicious flavour boost.  

The second product available from Southern Seagreens’ website is furikake. This was developed in the early 1900s as a food sprinkle/topper to ward off calcium deficiency and malnutrition in Japan. Since then it's become something of a staple in pantries across Japan and Hawaii. This is an all-natural, umami-packed furikake that will boost the flavour and nutritional benefit of everyday foods.  Some might call furikake a superfood because it provides more iron than meat and more calcium than milk. Its delicious combination of ingredients includes dried Victorian kelp, organic toasted white sesame seeds, organic black sesame seeds, organic chickpea miso powder, brown sugar, and lemon myrtle powder. Add it to rice, eggs, avocado, salads, tofu, fish, roast vegies, soups, or almost anything.  

“The real opportunity we see is to work with creative individuals to incorporate kelp into our everyday diet,” Cam said. “Local chefs are already adding the kelp ingredients into some of their dishes. We are having conversations with other local producers for future creations.”  

Both products are available at a growing number of outlets across the Mornington Peninsula, including Torello Farm, Red Hill’s Cellar & Pantry, and the Merricks and Somers general stores.  To learn more about Victoria’s first regenerative seaweed farm, find product stockists or place your order, head to the website or socials.

Southern Seagreens. 28 Collins Rd, Dromana 
www.southernseagreens.com  FB: southernseagreens   INSTA: southern_seagreens

FROM AIR Waste not, want not

The Peel Thing is a business built on a real passion to reduce waste through creating joy with the addition of something a little special: a garnish. 

Katie, The Peel Thing’s owner, is the daughter of European migrants who instilled in her a ‘no waste’ ethic from a young age.  “I was definitely influenced by my parents’ strong belief in using up what we had and not ever wasting a single thing, especially when it came to food,” she said.

After decades in the corporate world, Katie felt it was time for a change. In 2019, she developed her initial business, Beach Box Grazing, on the Mornington Peninsula.  This flourished during lockdown, and from it evolved Katie’s real passion for the sustainable sourcing of plant-based options for both food and drink garnishes.

The initial range of dehydrated citrus fruits sourced and dried on the Peninsula are not only delicious, they also add a little sunshine to a drink, cheeseboard or dessert.  “Providing a product that brings that little special something to so many people is such a delight,” Katie said.  

The popularity of these garnishes meant her home-based business needed to move to the sought-after Dromana Collins Industrial Estate.  The range has expanded greatly over the past year to include a fun collection of edible fruit decorations, sprinkles and cocktail sugar rims, artisan cocktail salts and syrups.  Not only are the products colourful and delicious for use in the kitchen and at the bar, the dehydrated citrus fruits and flowers can also produce a wonderful aroma throughout the home. 

Quality is of the utmost importance, Katie said.  “The drying process is slow and low to ensure the original fruit’s nutritional value and colour remains as close to the fresh product as possible.”

Packaging also takes the less waste approach, with the business reusing it where possible and keeping all packaging and printing local with as low an impact as possible on the environment.  All products are 100 per cent Australian-made and primarily sourced across the Peninsula and Victoria. The products can be ordered online and are widely available in stockists locally, nationally and globally. 

“Winning the 2022 Mornington Peninsula Business Excellence Award was the crowning achievement for our new business, validating our relentless pursuit of excellence and strategic innovation,” Katie said. “It affirmed our direction and provided us with a confidence moving forward that has supported us to grow from strength to strength.” 

The future looks exciting for the business as the team continues to innovate, with new products currently in development to use 100 per cent of the fruit and adding a little extra.

Katie’s unwavering commitment to sustainability, to use the entire piece of the fruit or flower and her high energy to do so, makes for some extraordinary products heading our way from the factory-based business in Dromana. 

The Peel Thing. Factory 1/7 Thomson Tce, Dromana  P: 0411 703 295 

www.thepeelthing.com.au  FB: The Peel Thing   INSTA: thepeelthing