Good Food columnist honoured at prestigious awards (and here are 20 of her best recipes to try)

A beloved cook and author and pioneers in non-alcoholic drinks, fine dining and Filipino gelato were among those inducted into this year’s Melbourne Food and Wine Hall of Fame.

Daniela Frangos

August 19, 2024

A Filipino food pioneer, non-alcoholic drinks innovators, a beloved Melbourne cook and author, and the duo behind The Age Good Food Guide’s 2024 Restaurant of the Year are among 12 local food and drink identities named in this year’s Melbourne Food and Wine Legends and Trailblazers awards.

Julia Busuttil Nishimura has been named one of Melbourne’s food and wine trailblazers.Emily Weaving

Good Weekend and Good Food columnist and master of wholesome home cooking Julia Busuttil Nishimura was recognised as a trailblazing food communicator for her cookbooks, columns and recipes, which are informed by her Maltese heritage and devotion to the Mediterranean.

“She’s just so encouraging,” says Pat Nourse, creative director of Melbourne Food & Wine and a member of the judging panel. “Everything about the way she communicates makes you not only think you can do it but want to do it right now. I think she’s one of the most exciting newer voices in food and recipes in Australia, if not the world, and a style icon to boot.”

Brothers Chayse and Blayne Bertoncello were honoured for their finely tuned, deeply personal approach to their buzzy, bijou Beaconsfield fine diner O My, which was named Restaurant of the Year in The Age Good Food Guide 2024.

“I have so much time for their style of hospitality and food,” says Nourse, who describes Chayse’s service as “effortless, incredibly charming, yet really detailed”. “He nails a very Australian brand of incredibly knowledgeable and intelligent service that is nonetheless absolutely down to earth, completely approachable and super fun.”

Fellow inductees recognised at the awards dinner, at upscale restaurant Societyon Monday, include Kariton Sorbetes’ John Rivera, who’s expanded Melbourne’s notion of gelato with Filipino flavours such as ube fudge, turon and durian chiffon; Imogen Hayes and Christina Trabucco for their game-changing non-alcoholic drinks under the T.I.N.A. label; and chef Tom Sarafian, who founded a food company that has had him dubbed the crown prince of hummus.

The annual awards have been going since 1993 and recognise those who have broken new ground, or inspired and nurtured the local food and drink industry. Previously only one trailblazer was named alongside the six legends. But this year, Melbourne Food and Wine has named six, a reflection of the rising influence of young visionaries in Victoria’s food and drink scene.

“There was a lot of new talent we wanted to nominate that didn’t qualify for our conditions for capital ‘L’ legends status, and we wanted to find a way to shine a light on them,” says Nourse. Those conditions include completing at least 15 years of service in Victoria’s hospitality industry.

Natalie Paull has been named one of the 2024 Melbourne Food and Wine legends.Emily Weaving

Among the long-serving Legends named are chef and food writer Natalie Paull, whose debut cookbook, Beatrix Bakes, became an instant classic; acclaimed chef-restaurateur Dan Hunter, of three-hat Brae; and Gerald Diffey, who defined the quintessential Melbourne neighbourhood bar 19 years ago with Carlton North icon Gerald’s.

“The Legends and Trailblazers we celebrate are the players whose forward-thinking, courage and contributions to hospitality are both the foundations and the future of the world-class food scene Victoria enjoys today,” said Anthea Loucas Bosha, CEO of Food + Drink Victoria, the parent company of Melbourne Food & Wine.