TASTE
DISCOVER YOUR NEW LOCAL
Produce from hinterland farms stars on the menus of cafés at Brisbane Aiport terminals, as Kerry Heaney discovers
AIRPORT SHOWCASES
TASTES OF
QUEENSLAND
From top: Woombye Cheese served at Brisbane River Grill; Tamborine Mountain Free Range Eggs for breakfast, also at Brisbane River Grill; Ryan Kingsnorth’s chickens roam free on his farm; and Michael Bishop with turmeric served in lattes at Corretto Café and Bar, International Terminal
Find more information about dining options at Brisbane Airport online at www.bne.com.au. Follow foodie blogger Kerry Heaney at www.eatdrinkandbekerry.com.au 28 | BNE March/April 2017
Photography by Eric Wang
S
pread a thick layer of soft, creamy Woombye goat’s cheese onto a slice of char-grilled artisan sourdough, top it with rocket pesto and bite into a real taste of Queensland. At Brisbane Airport’s Domestic and International Terminals visitors don’t even have to leave the building to find food that’s locally grown, harvested and made, providing a genuine opportunity to taste the place. Woombye Cheese has featured on the menu of Brisbane River Grill at International Terminal since it opened. The family-owned cheesemaker started just three years ago in the hinterland of the Sunshine Coast and its hand-made products have quickly found favour not only at the airport but also at Brisbane’s best restaurants and delis. Milk is delivered fresh every morning from local farms and a different cheese is made every day, all completely by hand with no mechanical process at all. According to owner Karen Paynter it’s that artisan quality that allows them to see, sniff and taste the cheese to make sure it is maturing the way they want before it goes to market, a dedication that is already being recognised with awards. Ryan Kingsnorth of Tamborine Mountain Free Range Eggs is enjoying a similar success with the produce from his small farm in high demand by Brisbane River Grill, as well as Glasshouse Bar and Aviation Pier Café and Bar at Domestic Terminal, and more cafés across Brisbane. Kingsnorth’s chickens are never locked up, even at night. Protected by electric netting and a guard dog, his happy flock lives in a moveable caravan surrounded by open, bug-filled pasture. It’s chicken heaven and that’s why the eggs are creamy and full flavoured. “It is a real buzz for us to get photos of the menu from friends and snaps of their meals. It’s great to see the finished product,” Kingsnorth says. At Corretto Café & Bar at International Terminal Atlantic Salmon is glazed with a Buderim Ginger Lemon and Lime Marmalade resting on a bed of stir-fried Asian greens. The ginger is grown on the Sunshine Coast where rich volcanic soil, high rainfall and high humidity make ideal growing conditions. The Ginger Lemon and Lime Marmalade is a variation on Buderim Ginger’s Original Ginger Marmalade, an Aussie staple which has graced pantry shelves for more than 55 years. Corretto Café & Bar also packs a mighty yellow punch with turmeric lattes made using Golden Turmeric Elixir from Brisbane-based Alchemy Cordial, a family-owned business which was among the first to manufacture chai and coffee syrups in Australia 20 years ago. Alchemy’s founder Michael Bishop says the idea for the elixir came from his permaculture farm in northern New South Wales where he grows turmeric. “For some time, we have been harvesting the turmeric, grating it and steeping it in hot water along with ginger for ourselves,” says Bishop. “We added black pepper, which is important as your body cannot absorb curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, without black pepper.” Bishop developed the idea into a syrup that cafés could use and their naturally flavoured Golden Elixir was born. Popular in both hot and cold milk, it includes turmeric, ginger, black pepper, organic vanilla, cinnamon, and a little raw sugar. “Customers love the flavour and we have been surprised by how many people, both young and old are fully aware of the health benefits of turmeric,” says Bishop.
NOW OPEN Next to DFO, Brisbane Airport
skygate.com.au