8 Victorian products and producers that are changing what we eat and drink
It might sound a little off-beat, but escargot eggs are the latest delicacy taking the world by storm. And that’s just one of the cutting-edge Victorian innovations changing the face of the food and drink scene as we know it.
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The wheels of culinary innovation never stop turning.
Whether it’s developing the latest and greatest new flavours, adding depth to ingredients or leaping ahead of consumer trends, producers across Victoria are constantly innovating.
As part of the Herald Sun Weekend Hot 100, which celebrates the coming Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, we take a look at some of the most exciting, interesting and downright clever producers making waves in culinary circles.
PROVENIR
Driven by a desire for better animal welfare and meat quality, Provenir is Australia’s first commercially licensed mobile, on-farm abattoir.
It means that instead of animals being transported to an abattoir, the abattoir comes to the farm, minimising stress to animals, which, in turn, affects quality.
That grass-fed beef is processed by the Provenir butcher and delivered to households and top restaurants around the state.
With full traceability and provenance, Provenir provides an ethical, high-welfare option for those seeking to make more mindful meat choices.
LITTLE GREEN PANDA
Plastic straws were the canary in the coalmine for hospitality’s growing focus on sustainable practices, but now, thanks to Little Green Panda, we can have our pina colada – and drink it (through a straw) too.
Little Green Panda’s wheat stem straws are 100 per cent compostable, non-toxic, plastic free, gluten free and soggy free.
Distributed across Australia and New Zealand, France, Italy and Hong Kong and found in bars of five star hotel chains including Sofitel, Marriot and Hilton, this little Melbourne-based business is already making a big impact in eradicating single-use plastics from the hospitality industry.
SNOWY RIVER BLACK GARLIC
It’s sweet and sticky and chefs love it even more than the white stuff.
Black garlic is white garlic that has been aged in an “oven” at constant temperature and humidity that turns the cloves as dark and sticky as black jelly beans.
It’s the latest trick in the cook’s toolkit to add depth and complexity and that magic word – umami – to dishes.
Originating in Korea where it’s eaten raw for its health properties, black garlic has been embraced by chefs here for its versatility – it can be used in sweet and savoury dishes – and its uniqueness.
Mark Johnston grows garlic on his 18-acre East Gippsland farm for his award-winning Snowy River black garlic.
Ageing the bulbs for more than five weeks to give the garlic depth of flavour and colour, Johnston experimented with more than 20 varieties to find the perfect style suited to becoming black garlic – and was rewarded with a gold medal at last year’s Australian Food Awards for his efforts.
SNAIL CAVIAR
It sounds so much more delicious if you call it escargot.
We’ve had beluga, then salmon and trout – now snail caviar is the latest delicacy to take the world by storm.
Gippsland Pearls is Australia’s only producer of escargot caviar; the pearly white eggs revered for their delicate, earthy, mushroomy taste.
Coveted overseas and second only to Beluga in cost, Cheryl Jakobi and Sara Bailey harvest this unique product on their Lakes Entrance snail and mushroom farm and send their product to high-end restaurants overseas.
SNOWBALLS
The ultimate childhood treat has been given a very adult makeover.
Chef-turned-confectionary king Rod Barbey has transformed choc and coconut-covered marshmallow snowball nostalgia into organic, gluten-free treats for 2020.
Best enjoyed straight from the fridge, they come in a range of flavours from classic – vanilla marshmallow covered in dark choc – through modern: retro raspberry, choc orange or lemon delicious.
The salted caramel snowball sure sounds sweet to us.
GARDENING AT ACRE
It’s one of the largest urban agricultural projects in the country – 2500sq m of productive gardens that includes a high-intensity glasshouse, quail coop, worm farm, farmhouse restaurant and glasshouse cafe.
As part of the new Burwood Brickworks shopping centre, Acre is bringing the country to town and little urban farmers are encouraged to get their hands dirty.
Held every second Saturday, kids’ gardening classes will teach kids aged 6-10 about farm life and where their food comes while mum and dad take time out over a late lunch at the restaurant (who might be more interested in the bimonthly twilight gardening on Friday nights, learning about the farm with spritz in hand).
ME&U
He’s the man who brought online booking to our restaurants with Dimmi, now Stevan Premutico is on a mission to stamp out waiting for waiters and split-bill angst.
His new venture, me&u, is an app that “combines the beauty of Instagram with the convenience of Uber”, where diners view a menu and order from it on their phone, with payment at the end as simple as a touch of a button.
“Waiting four-deep in a queue to order a beer or sitting around for five minutes to pay a bill just isn’t feasible any more. Ordering and payment are the two biggest pain points in the hospitality experience and me&u aims to eliminate those hassles,” he says.
Launched in Sydney last year, Premutico says venues have seen an uptick in both sales and customer satisfaction from those using the app.
Some of the biggest hospitality groups in the country are already using the tech – Rockpool Dining Group, Merrivale – with Colonial Leisure Group pubs, including the Portsea Pub, some of the first in Victoria where me&u has been rolled out.
MINGLE SEASONING
Melbourne’s Jordyn Evans has shaken up the supermarket spice aisle with her “no nasties” range of spices and seasonings.
Mingle spice blends make dinners such as butter chicken, spag bol and tacos ready in less than 30 minutes, while shake flavours – spicy Mexican, Moroccan, garlic and herb – transform any protein or veg from meh to memorable.
With an all-killer, no-filler approach to taking on the big brands of the spice aisle with no preservatives, no flours, no added sugars, Mingle turns every cook into a master chef.
AUSTRALIAN CHICKEN SALT
Dousing your chips in chicken salt can now be a guilt-free pleasure thanks to the clever people at spice merchants Gewurtzhaus.
They’ve reverse engineered the chip shop classic condiment into a family friendly, 100 per cent natural seasoning that’s as addictive as the original.
With toasted sesame, kelp, garlic and onion powder and a touch of coconut sugar mixed through Pyramid salt from the Loddon Plains in northern Victoria, a few shakes will give every dish a hit of umami as tasty as it is natural.
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The Melbourne Food and Wine Festival runs from March 19-29, with more than 150 events.