You Say Tomato! with Noosa Springs Golf & Spa Resort
Head Chef Graham Waddell from Relish Restaurant at Noosa Springs Golf & Spa Resort, gets a twinkle in his eye when he talks about the abundant fresh produce available in the Noosa region. Melanie Rosettenstein gets dished the details on the importance of fresh produce in his cooking and who his favourite farmer is.
There’s no denying that a bushel of veggies and fruit that are freshly picked and lightly dusted with fertile soil and little drops of dew dripping down the side makes you feel closer to the earth. It also makes you want to sink your teeth into something delicious and fresh and when it comes to his cooking, Head Chef Graham Waddell from Noosa Springs Golf & Spa Resort’s Relish Restaurant couldn’t agree more.
“Fresh produce is what puts the excitement into being a chef – the first asparagus or truffles of the season coming into the kitchen really gets the team buzzing,” says the chef who got his first taste of local, fresh produce growing up and working in bonny Scotland. “When I was working as a commis chef at Highgrove House, everything was seasonal,” he recalls. “The gamekeepers would bring in wild grouse and partridge – still with their feathers, langoustines and lobsters jumping out of the box and strawberries still warm from the sun.”
For Graham, working with what’s in season makes a chef’s job easier.
“Seasonal produce writes the menu for you” he says. “Our job as chefs is simply to enhance it with a light hand, to not to be too clever and let the produce shine.”
Besides taking a menu from mundane to marvellous, the use of seasonal fresh produce plays a vital role in sustaining local farmers and the local economy, environmental sustainability and meaningful relationship and community building.
“Times have been really hard for farmers in the last couple of years with weather destroying crops and little assistance from the government,” he says. “This is another reason why I am a staunch supporter of local farmers.”
When it comes to his go-to farmer, Graham is resolute.
“Peter from Noosa Reds in Doonan has the best tomatoes on the planet! This is it, end-of-story,” he says. “I’ve been using his tomatoes for years now. A few of his cherry tomatoes gently cooked down with some olive oil, good pasta and seasoning is heaven!” Chef’s kiss! Magnifique!
Peter’s tomatoes are vine ripened and have been described as the ONLY tomatoes to buy. In fact his tomatoes are so good that most of Noosa’s best restaurants use them. Like many farmers in the area, Peter has been no exception to the impacts of the weather which has made Graham even more committed to support him.
“We support local and when Peter has availability his tomatoes are on the menu no question. Locals and holidaymakers alike want to taste what’s good in our region and Peter’s tomatoes are right up there on top of the list,” says Graham.
Peter deeply appreciates the support he gets from Graham and other chefs in the region especially under current challenges such as high labour costs and unpredictable, extreme weather.
“The restaurants appreciate good quality, and they are loyal, buying from us twice a week and in the high season sometimes even more,” he says. “It’s so good for us to have regular customers like Noosa Springs who are always happy with whatever volumes we are growing and are prepared to pay money for the high quality of produce.”
Amongst the list are Hellenika, Otto, Agnes and Bianca in Brisbane while closer to home reads like the A-list of restaurants including Rickys, Noosa Waterfront, Locale, Lucio’s Marina, Sails, XO Sunshine Beach, Humble on Duke, Relish, El Capitano, Bistro C, Aromas, Moonstruck, Piccolino, Outer Square, Mariella Mexicantina, Harry’s on Buderim, Buderim Golf Course; also in meals by Noosa Cartel and Apple Pip Catering; and grab your bags of goodness from Noosa Reds farmgate at Doonan, Grub Organics or from Good Harvest at Noosa and Kawana Farmers’ Markets.
Commenting on what makes his tomatoes so delicious and popular, Peter says the focus is on taste and quality.
“If we harvest on a Monday, the tomatoes are delivered on a Tuesday. You can’t have them fresher than that.”
Whether large or small, Graham uses Noosa Reds in many of his dishes.
“With the smaller tomatoes we use them in a Lebanese-style salad with haloumi, olives and whipped feta,” he says. “I like to stuff the larger tomatoes with a Provençal mix of goats cheese, herbs and couscous and serve with beef jus – or with Cantabrian anchovies on crostini is just delish!”
‘Tomayto, tomaaahhhto’ – however you say it, Peter’s reds are the best!
