In the lead-up to Meet the Buyer™, we have partnered with the West Australian Good Food Guide (WAGFG) to do just that.
For while the annual event bringing producers and buyers together under one roof is for industry only, we wanted to give you a taste of the conversations behind the scenes – to hear from some of the people who have helped build Western Australia’s reputation for premium food and drink.
In this four-part podcast series, WAGFG Editor in Chief Georgia Moore talks to Western Australians who champion local produce across our great State every day.
People like Rachael Torre and Scott Gibson. Rachael runs Wholefood Circus, a café, deli and bar in Shenton Park that puts local, seasonal fare at the heart of everything they make. Which makes her a natural ambassador for Perth Markets, in Canning Vale. “I’m one of the lucky ones, sourcing beautiful seasonal fruit and vegies for our team,” Rachael says.
Among those is cabbage relative kohlrabi, an ingredient Perth Markets’ CEO Scott encourages more cooks to embrace. “It’s fabulous in salads, fabulous in stirfries,” he says. “It’s an ugly, bulbous thing but it’s awesome to cook with.”
If you’d rather someone else does the cooking, you will love hearing what Peko Peko co-founder Samantha Bottegal has in store. After working in Japan, she brought her love for their cuisine home. Now you can, too, with flavour-packed sushi, rice paper rolls and dressings once only available at Peko Peko’s beloved Doubleview and Dunsborough outlets now popping up in select retailers.
“It’s all produced out of our Doubleview store and once we have a little bit more room to supply, we have a whole new menu coming out,” she says. Like all good foodies, Samantha is also happy to recommend other venues and has some great tips for anyone dining out in Dunsborough.
Over in the Peel region, Quindanning Buffalo is winning fans for its rich, creamy buffalo milk. Cheesemakers were quick to catch on, with La Delizia Latticini using it for their buffalo mozzarella and Peel’s Harvey Cheese using batches for brie and blue cheese, among other varieties.
It’s another exciting development that cheese industry stalwart Howard Crump, who has championed local cheese for decades, believes more of us should know about. “Western Australian cheese needs to be made here and not just packaged here, out of a container,” he says. “Buy West Eat Best has been important in pushing that along – they were sponsors of WA Cheese Week for so many years and really helped our cause.”
Back in Perth, Jason Millar has been tinkering with a different kind of liquid, with equally impressive results. He is the co-founder of PIQUE Coffee, in Wembley, with wife Claire. “We roast all our own coffee,” he says. “It’s set up more like a wine bar with coffee than a usual café.”
And the former musician isn’t doing the usual coffee, either. Jason has created a range of cold brews, with the valuable input of regulars, as well as a range of coffee cola sodas. “A lot of people get confused because they think it is just coffee and coke but it is made from scratch – it is unique to us,” he says.
Jason will be sharing those unique flavours with potential stockists at Meet the Buyer™ for the first time. In fact, half this year’s exhibitors are making their debut appearance on a floor that sold out in record time.
“We have a standby list which is growing daily,” Buy West Eat Best program manager Melissa Worthington says. “It’s great because it shows that the appetite is really there.”
The atmosphere on the day is next level. “It really does speak to the passion, the collaboration and energy of WA producers and of the WA hospitality, foodservice and retail buyer,” Melissa says.
It also speaks to Western Australians’ appetite for local and the stories behind all that fabulous food and drink. We may not be able to take consumers to the trade floor, but we will continue to bring you their great stories.
Have a listen to this special podcast on Spotify or Apple or wherever you get your podcasts – and join us in celebrating the wonders of Western Australian food and drink.