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Things Just Got Spicier in Healesville with the Opening of Gewürzhaus

Words by Amanda Kennedy
Images Supplied

Just when you thought Healesville and the Yarra Valley could not be more of a foodie destination, Gewürzhaus has come and proved you wrong. Sisters Eva and Maria Konecsny, with some help from mum, opened the first Gewürzhaus in Lygon St, Carlton in 2010. And the brand has grown from strength to strength ever since, having just opened their tenth store, smack bang in the middle of Healesville.

Gewürzhaus (literally spice house) offers more than 300 products to choose from including single origin spices and proprietary spice blends all waiting to entrance your senses. Anyone who cooks with spice understands that freshness and purity are key. So, the ability to buy as much or as little as you need is paramount, one scoop at a time. Spices are also milled and blended in Melbourne with no preservatives added to maintain their high quality.

Gewürzhaus is more than just spices though. They also stock salt, tea, confectionary, homewares for your table & cooking needs, as well as a Christmas range that recalls a wintery Christmas that may only exist in your imagination.

Store design is pared back allowing the goods to take centre stage. Signage on the clear perspex bins features not only a comprehensive ingredient list but ideas on how to use the products. For those who prefer the personal touch, friendly staff know their chops and are on hand if you’ve got questions.

Worse-case scenario you get home and forget what you to do with your newly purchased goodies, their website offers more recipes and hints than a person could reasonably get through in a lifetime. There are a multitude of recipes (including seasonal favourites), How-to guides and a health section with articles on FODMAP cooking that doesn’t skimp on flavour.

A couple must-trys: treat yourself to mukhwas, a post-meal snack of sugar-coated fennel seeds in all their menthol freshness and don’t pass by the Shichimi Togarashi, an increasingly popular seasoning from Japan which includes dried red chilli, dried citrus peel, nori, black & white sesame seeds and more. An essential with your ramen or rice bowl, it is also a surprise winner on freshly popped popcorn.

THE DETAILS

WHAT: Gewürzhaus
WHERE: 2/262 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville
WHEN: Open now
MORE INFO: gewurzhaus.com.au

We wish to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people as traditional owners of this land and to pay our respects to their Elders, past and present.

Mount Zero Olive’s Zero Waste Market returns with a Halloween twist

Words by Tehya Nicholas
Images Supplied

Halloween is just around the corner, so allow us to paint a truly spooky picture: single-use plastics piled up in your garbage bin, mountains of food waste going direct to landfill, unnecessary air-miles on your favourite snacks. Nightmarish, right?

The team at Mount Zero Olive’s think so too. Committed to sustainable practices, these legends are putting on a Halloween-themed Zero Waste Food Market to get you in the spooky-spirit, while combatting the genuinely scary prospect of an unsustainable future. And best of all, you get to wear a costume.

All of Mount Zero’s delicious products will be available to scoop, bottle and refill as much as you please in your brought-from-home containers, jars and bags. From native and Kalamata olives to grains, pulses, extra virgin olive oils, goats cheeses and salts – and even a sneak peek at their Christmas Hampers – there is plenty to choose from and no limits to the amount you can stockpile.

In fact, everyone is encouraged to bulk up and take part in saving thousands of bottles from the recycling bin. An estimated 300kg of olive and grain packaging is diverted through these markets, so you can know you’re doing your bit to help protect the environment.

Products from other stores will make a package-free appearance to complete the range. There’ll be Market Lane Coffee, Koji & Co for eco-friendly miso, Precycle Pantry for bulk household and pantry items, Girls on Bread for fresh sourdough and Little Wing for condiments and cheesy lasagne toasties.

“It’s been another tough year for our community, so we wanted to make sure we had a bit of fun with our last market of the year,” said Mount Zero General Manager Rich Seymour. “We love to see people’s creativity when we ask them to bring their own containers to our markets – so we look forward to seeing how this extends to their interpretation of sustainable Halloween costumes!”

Shoppers who do rock up in a cozzie will receive a ten per cent discount across all products, and of course, brownie points if it’s made from recycled or repurposed textiles.

The market will run from 9am to 2pm on Saturday 30 October, at the Mount Zero Warehouse in Sunshine West.

THE DETAILS
WHAT: Mount Zero Olive’s Zero Waste Food Market: Halloween Edition
WHERE: 6 Law Court, Sunshine West
WHEN: 9am-2pm, 30th October 2021
MORE INFO: Mount Zero Olives

Regional ISO packs, delivery offerings & takeaway: Live List

Now that we are back in a lockdown (hopefully a short one) every hospitality business across Victoria has once again moved to only take-away or home delivery.

It takes some serious mental strength and resilience to fundamentally change a business on the fly like this and we wish all the business owners and their staff the best.

Below you will find a list of some of the take-away and delivery offerings from these businesses and we encourage you to do what you can to lend your support.

Sky’s the limit for pilot-turned-baker Nicole Street

Words by Della Vreeland 
Images supplied

NICOLE STREET wishes she remembers the name of the aeroplane captain who shaped her life.

When she was younger, she recalls returning from an overseas trip with her family and being invited into the cockpit to meet the pilots.

“I was so taken by the whole scene that then and there I decided this is exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up,” Nicole says.

“To this day, I wish I knew who that Captain was so I could go and tell him how much he shaped my life and the amazing journey it has taken me on.”

And what a journey it has been. Nicole did indeed decide to pursue a career in aviation. For years she worked as a commercial pilot with Kendall airlines which later became REX after the Ansett collapse.

“I just love being up in the air. It is just the best office I could ever imagine,” Nicole says.

“It is such a joy to take people to their destination safely and in the role I had we actually got to meet and greet the passengers as they disembarked and have a chat to them about where they were off to.

“That friendly interaction and personal touch made the job extra special.”

Following the Ansett collapse, and with a desire to start a family, Nicole decided a re-route was in order. 

With her husband also a pilot, she opted to find a career path that would allow her to be more present at home while still feeding her passion for interaction.

“In order to fund my flying training and career, I had held many jobs, including working in some larger restaurants in the Dandenong ranges both in front-of-house and in the kitchen as a dessert and pastry cook,” she says.

“From a very young age I was always in the kitchen cooking. Mainly sweets. I had a great love for baking and sharing what I had made with friends and family.  

“Growing up I would have friends come back to our house after school and we would whip up some cake or biscuits or a quick slice to indulge in.  We still love gathering with loved ones to share great quality food and drinks and I would say this is the heart and soul of our family.”

And so began Fudge by Rich. Created out of Healesville, Nicole says the business idea came about after some thorough research regarding the plentiful food and wine options available in her region.

“Living in the Yarra Valley and being surrounded by such great food and wine, I was quite taken with this quaint little town where we lived and was inspired by an overseas venture to Italy where we came across some lovely artisan food markets,” she says.

“I really wanted to bring to the Valley a little bit of what I had seen overseas. So following some research into what was available, I found that there appeared to be a gap in the local scene for a good fudge, and it just so happened that I had an original hand written recipe that I used to make growing up which was always a great hit when I made it!”

That was more than 10 years ago. Nowadays, Nicole continues to conjure up her decadent treats – which come in a whole multitude of flavours and brittles – receiving rave reviews from customers all over.

“I am often overwhelmed by how this small business has grown. It is so humbling to have people take time out of their day to express how much they love your product,” she says.

While there is no doubt Nicole misses her time in the sky, she says she will remain forever grateful for her years in aviation, which set her up to launch her own business and take on the most valuable role of all – Mum.

“I think I have truly embedded myself in the business and art of fudge making,” she says.

I love that I have been able to find a new career in doing something that I enjoy that has challenged me, and still be able to be, number one, a parent to my three young girls.

“The flexibility of having your own business is one of the best perks. It is a lot of hard work, with continual challenges, but the flexibility wins out for me.  

“I do still look to the skies and think, I used to be up there. The passion to fly is something that never leaves me.  (But) I feel lucky I have had amazing experiences that very few ever get to experience.”

Check out Nicole’s range of fudge over on OHO Markets.

Father’s Day Gift Ideas to Turn that Frown Upside Down

With Dad locked in lockdown with nothing but a hazy memory of freedom,  you are going to have to go all out with a Father’s Day gift this year!

We are here to help with a list of thoughtfully selected items from OHO Markets. Each item on our list is made by a regionally based artist or producer and with every purchase, we donate money to a charity that works in regional locations.

Take a look through and get ready to celebrate your newly attained status of ‘Golden Child’ like you have always deserved!

Father’s Day Hamper

The OHO Fathers Day Hampers consist of a range of items that haveFather's Day Hamper been carefully selected from OHO Markets with a whole bunch of little goodies from regional makers. The hampers come in three different sizes to suit any budget and each one is beautifully packaged up and tied with ribbon.

 

 

Truffle Paddock Products

If your Dad is a foodie then this range of products is for him. There’sTruffle Melbourne the Pimp My Pasta Truffle Sauce, Fancy Beans Truffle Baked Beans, Truffle Met An Olive Truffle Oil, Black Beauty Truffle Salt and many more. The range is produced by Truffle Paddock who is Australia’s leading specialist truffle product producer and the truffles are farmed near Phillip Island.

 

Gourmet Chocolate Hampers

For a sweet treat choose a hand-made chocolate hamper from Chocolate gourmet hamperPlatypi Chocolate who is an artisan chocolate maker based in the Otway Forest town of Forrest. There are two hampers available, the Favourites Pack or Go Nuts.

 

 

 

Book of Life

This cookbook was produced with the assistance of award-Book of Lifewinning local chefs, restaurateurs, brewers, distillers and producers of Gippsland. Turn the pages to explore this expansive and vibrant food-producing region through recipes and stories that showcase why Gippsland is a special treat for your taste buds.

 

 

James Northfield Vintage Travel Posters

These travel posters were produced by James Northfield who was a Lorne Vintage Postercommercial Australian graphic artist mostly active from 1910 and 1960. He was commissioned to produce a series of posters by the Australian National Travel Association, with the aim of encouraging visitors from local and overseas tourism markets.

Available on paper or canvas there is a poster that represents Victoria’s most popular places.

 

 

Tea Culture

Chai tea victoriaFor the Chai tea fanatics, you can’t go past the Tea Culture range with their Powder Chai Latte and Vegan Sticky Chai to try. Both organic and blended locally on the Mornington Peninsula.

 

 

 

Heritage Collection Recycled Wool Scottish Tartan Blankets

Lift your Dad’s game when he’s in the great outdoors with these Quality camping blanketsblankets that are perfect to snuggle in around a fire or give your Dad a classy look when having a picnic or at the beach. With several designs to choose from, they are soft, durable and not fuzzy so they won’t shed. And they look so good.

 

 

Short Hive Honey

This family business sure knows about honey, as their Grandfather Infused Honeyhas been a beekeeper for over 50 years. They produce honey with a twist, think Espresso Honey, Salted Honey, Chilli Honey and a new limited edition, Cacao Honey.

All the honey comes from hives kept in the South-West district of Victoria and it’s 100% Australian all-natural honey.

 

 

Wild Freight Train Chillies

Home-made chilli sauceIf your Dad loves chillies this range of chilli sauces from Gippsland is for him. There are five sauces to choose from the Smokey BBQ, Cherry Balsamic, Cocoa & Zucchini, The Conductor and if he likes it really hot then try The Bullet. There is a selection of heat levels to suit everyone’s taste.

 

 

 

FareShare Fundraising T-Shirts

These quality AS Colour t-shirts are printed with fun illustrations FareShare Fundraising T-Shirtsthat accurately capture these crazy (and unprecedented!) times we have all ensured recently. $10 from every shirt will be donated to ‘FareShare’s Good Food Chef’ campaign so you are also helping people who have been doing it tough in recent times.

 

 

Photographic Prints

Photographic PrintsIf your Dad is missing the ocean, these limited edition custom prints from Gippsland photographer Rikki-Jo could be just the trick.

Available in different sizes there is a price that will suit your budget.

 

 

 

 

Olive’s Olives

Choose from either Pure Olive Paste or Green or Black Table OlivesOlive's Olives produced by this family-run, 300-tree grove in the heart of the Macedon Ranges.

 

 

 

 

Can’t decide? If you think your Dad would prefer to choose his own OHO Gift Vouchergift from One Hour Out Markets, then order a gift voucher so he can stroll the markets himself. Just order here.