Somehow, every time we visit Mudgeeraba we fall in love again. It’s because little things count. A greeting from wait staff or a friendly smile from the open kitchen, water immediately brought to the table, a bowl of water for someone’s dog… it all adds up to make a village. The Oak Café, Mudgeeraba’s latest...

My fondest memories of my son’s childhood are the things we did together. During school holidays we’d catch trains, visit parks and playgrounds and spend hours watching big machines on worksites. In between, we’d cook. Sitting in his high chair at the kitchen bench, my son would help with the cooking – mashing banana to...

‘Dare to dream.’ It’s the motto that our busload of foodies has in common; the ability to dream big and to act to make it happen. I’ve joined Le Cordon Bleu’s Masters in Gastronomic Tourism course for a day as they take part in a four-day summer residential school. In a unique collaboration between Southern...

Cooking can be a very social, fun activity, building communication and cooperation. Like any creative pursuit where you learn new skills, cooking classes can lead to new friendships. They even make great date territory. What better way is there to find a person who loves great food and is willing to do something for others...

Do you know where your food is grown? When you tuck into that pitaya bowl surrounded by fruit, do you know which ‘rock star’ farmer harvested it for you? The Tweed Coast is part of the food bowl surrounding the Gold Coast, with the area’s food production, café and restaurant industries increasing in interest to...

Touted as a ‘destination’ farm, a ‘community of growers, producers, eateries, educators and more’, The Farm at Byron Bay is an 86 acre property owned by Tony and Emma Lane, heirs to the Oroton empire. Turn off the Pacific Highway to Byron Bay, and The Farm’s most visible signpost is a full carpark. With a...

What do we look for in a cooking school? A culinary experience which includes unfamiliar ingredients, improved techniques, new tastes, and even an addition to our repertoire of dishes. Taking a Lobong cooking class gave us that and more: a taste of another culture and a glimpse into other people’s lives. Lobong is the name...

There’s more than a touch of a French provincial town market in Ambarella Fine Foods. With its black and grey striped shop awnings, reproduction chandeliers, potted herbs and flowers accenting the displays, Mediterranean-influenced groceries for sale, a French patisserie and boulangerie, and even a kitchenware shop replete with Julia Child inspired cookware, it’s a lush...