Ceramic artist Stephen
Bowers at his Norwood
home with one of his works
in progress

LASTING
IMPRESSION

CERAMIC WARES MAY HAVE BEAUTY BUT IT’S THEIR FUNCTION AND POTENTIAL HISTORY THAT ATTRACTS STEPHEN BOWERS

WORDS KYLIE FLEMING
PHOTOGRAPHS RUSSELL MILLARD

Torn between his role as the head of Adelaide’s renowned craft and design institution, the Jam Factory, and working on his own art practice, Stephen Bowers knew the time had come to leave his day job.

After six years, the 58-year-old artist left his influential post as managing director of the Jam Factory earlier this year to free up time for creating his distinctive, collectible ceramic artworks.

He is presently creating exhibition work for shows at the Ann Linnemann  Gallery in Copenhagen in October followed by exhibits at Lauraine Diggins Fine Art Gallery in Melbourne in November and Sydney’s Robin Gibson Gallery late next year.

“I’m very, very busy at the moment,” Stephen says. “Most of the objects I make are obsessively time consuming, they just are by nature, and consequently I always struggled when I had a day job as I was giving that my all.

“I used to try and work when I  came home, or at the weekends or evenings, so I’ve had a pretty steady exhibition profile, it was a bit interrupted, went on the cool for a while, but I kept it up…you have to.”

Stephen creates most of his ceramic pieces at his Norwood home, a stone villa where he has lived for 20 years with a spacious light-filled studio full of books, CDs and paintings (he is also an accomplished painter). 

“I love being surrounded by books and music, light and space…all these things are inspiring for ideas,” he says.

Stephen’s painted ceramic vessels - plates, platters, mugs, jugs, vases, teapots, urns and jardinieres - trace the history and traditions of ceramics with eclectic and often witty designs.

Influences may include Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Islamic and European decorations, contemporary motifs and fragmented images of Australian icons.

The Katoomba-born artist says he grew up in a “wonderful bushland setting” in Sydney surrounded by an array of birds – cockatoos, ducks, magpies, galahs and parrots - which all feature strongly in his work.

“I always loved painting and drawing and as a child I was always scribbling away on paper at the kitchen table,” he says.

“I’ve never been to art school but can’t say I’m self taught as I learnt from others along the way.”

Stephen enjoys the fact his ceramic pieces can actually be used by collectors and can be passed from generation to generation.

“People come up to me and say they use them every day and that’s the beauty of ceramics, you get to live with it,” he says. “A lot of other art you have around you but it’s kind of remote, it’s up on the wall, because it has to be that way but with ceramics you can live with it, you can risk it, if they break, well then that’s mortality and the piece has had its history.

“I like making work people can use, I think it’s great they may be using it 10, 20 or 40 years from now and it will be part of someone’s life story, part of the mosaic of their life.

“Because it’s something that’s supposedly humble that you use, it’s free from all the other expectations of high art…you live with it, this plate you could actually serve curry out of but it will probably end up on someone’s wall but still, it could be used.”

Stephen became fascinated with ceramics in the 1970s when he arrived in SA during the Dunstan era and started working as an art teacher in high schools in Adelaide and Whyalla.

“The reputation of Adelaide and the Festival (of Arts), through Dunstan of course, was very exciting and his leadership was quite visionary and Adelaide really was on the map, you could hear the Adelaide clarion call reverberating around Australia on the arts,” he says.

“It was an incredible oasis in a sense and that was way back in the seventies but it’s still got that appeal, this dimension, which is unique and not repeatable.”  

Stephen did a traineeship in the Jam Factory's ceramic workshop in 1982 and spent the next five years juggling his daytime teaching career with being a potter at night. He later ran the Jam Factory’s ceramic studio from 1991 to 1999.

“The place is a mecca for artists, a hub, and there are so many artists in Adelaide who have had connections with the place and been part of it…it is a legendary institution,” he says.

“For Australia, the culture here is still relatively evolving, it’s quite new, so the Jam Factory which has been around since 1973 is almost ancient and it has a venerable line of antecedent going back.”

He says he is “very, very happy and comfortable” living and working in Adelaide and reaching out to his audiences through exhibitions around Australia and internationally.

“It’s such a cultural hub, it’s a fantastic city to live in, and there are brilliant artists here, you can see people like Fiona Hall, Bruce Nuske, Khai Liew and Kirsten Coelho all based here and their reputations are often interstate or even overseas but they create their work here,” he says.

Stephen says he left the Jam Factory on a high note and is confident his successor, Brian Parkes, will add another layer to its history.

“Brian is a fantastic appointment and it’s wonderful we’ve been able to get him into that position, he’s an exciting guy with an amazing CV, and I think we’re going to see a lot of really interesting things come out across the next few years.”

Chef Edoardo Strappa

Yellowfin tuna layered with potato and grilled eggplant from Pinocchio Ristorante at Unley

Housemade ravioli filled with braised kangaroo at Pinocchio

Marco Saibene and Edoardo Strappa at Pinocchio

The rebuilt Walkers Arms Hotel general manager Peter Johnson

Ken Sim and Eelin Lee run Eggless Café

Chocolate lamington served with raspberry coulis and vanilla ice cream from Eggless

Orange, mandarin and pistachio butter cake with mandarin syrup, poached mandarin and clotted cream from Eggless Café

FOOD CHAIN

ADELAIDE’S DINING SCENE IS A HIVE OF ACTIVITY WITH SEVERAL NEW RESTAURANTS OPENING THEIR DOORS AND A NEAR-CITY PUB UNVEILING A LUXURIOUS RENOVATION

WORDS KYLIE FLEMING
PHOTOGRAPHS RUSSELL MILLARD

Chef Edoardo Strappa (pictured) has opened Pinocchio Ristorante at Unley with authentic Italian foods inspired by his Umbrian heritage.

Edoardo, who previously cooked at Terranova Ristorante at Torrensville, has teamed up with friend Marco Saibene, originally of Milan, who guides the front of house.  

The menu centres on traditional Italian dishes and the best of SA produce. Edoardo’s favourite dish - ravioli di canciuero – is a house-made ravioli filled with kangaroo fillet which has been slow-braised in port,  pumpkin and herbs and then sautéed with roasted button mushrooms, zucchini and cherry tomato.

Other popular dishes are Edoardo’s taglioline pasta tossed with blue swimmer crab meat; herb-infused polenta with marinated vegetables or rosemary-scented lamb cutlets with baked potatoes and crispy pancetta.

Edoardo is keen to make it known the restaurant name is not inspired by the Disney character but the Italian cultural icon,  Pinocchio, who first appeared in a book in 1883.

More flavours of Italy can be found at Andre’s Cucina and Polenta Bar, owned by Andre Ursini of Masterchef TV show fame.

The restaurant, at the base of the Mantra Apartments near the corner of Grenfell St, offers  authentic Italian food with a modern approach.

Nearby at Walkerville, the Walkers Arms Hotel has reopened after an impressive $14 million redevelopment.

The hotel, established in 1839, was destroyed by an electrical fault in the front bar in 2006 but has been rebuilt by owners, the Dean Hotel Group, who also own Largs Pier Hotel, The London Tavern and Mac Hotel, Mt Gambier.

Architects Folland Panozzo rebuilt the hotel and the look, inspired by French designer Philippe Starck, includes sunken opulent lounges, designer chairs,  solid white tables, private courtyard huts with individual TVs and I-pod docking stations, LED promotion screens on the bar and black gloss toilets.  The outdoor courtyard features two superscreens which measure up to half the size of a drive-in theatre screen.

The previous front bar and drive-in bottle shop have been removed to create a stronger family focus with two dining areas. 

Executive chef Florentino Caballaro has created a modern pub?-style a la carte menu while a gourmet buffet seats 200 guests with funky replica Louis XIV chairs.

The hotel also has doughnut machine capable of producing 100 doughnuts a minute and a cocktail list of “velocity” recipes which take only 45 seconds to formulate.

Over the other side of town, a new dessert café called Eggless at Goodwood – run by Eelin Lee and Ken Sim - offers a sweet fix for vegans and those with egg or dairy allergies.

Eelin, who is a youth worker, does the cooking while Ken, a mechanic, is at front of house. Eelin’s parents used to own a vegetarian food business in the Central Market and her mother now helps with the cooking.

“We are passionate about desserts, I have been making them for many years, plus my parents are vegans and we find it very, very, difficult to find cakes and sweets whenever we eat out,” she says.

“I’ve been cooking without eggs for many years so I thought that we’d share with others out there that we can still have nice desserts without eggs or even dairy.

“We also understand that people with egg or dairy allergies find it very difficult so we would like to offer them a place to go to so that they don’t miss out on nice desserts too.”

Eggless specialises in lacto-vegetarian and vegan desserts and savoury snacks and also offers gluten-free options.  The dessert menu changes monthly and dishes are inspired by local seasonal produce and cuisines from different cultures.

Drop in for green tea tiramisu, passionfruit and lychee panna cotta,  gluten-free sticky date and raspberry pudding (vegan), dark chocolate and hazelnut tart,  orange, mandarin and pistachio cake (vegan) and pandan and coconut custard cake (vegan.)

In the inner west, Croydon’s Queen St precinct has a new eatery called the Red Door Bakery which is run by Chef Gareth Grierson and his wife Emma.  It specialises in eat-in or takeaway home-style goodies such as an Angus beef pie in butter puff pastry, freshly torched crème brulee tarts, a signature eggplant and Hay Valley lamb sausage roll and good coffee.

Closer to the coast, Adelaide coffee success story Cibo Espresso, has opened its 15th store at Henley Beach. The store’s design blends the signature Cibo style and opens onto Henley Square so coffee lovers can enjoy sea views with their long black, gelati or sweet treat such as Tortino di Fichi e Noci (a sweet moist cake folded with caramelized figs and walnuts) from Cibo’s new winter menu.

At North Adelaide, the entrepreneurial Steve Edmonds has created a business which takes all the hard work out of cooking at home with his new What’s 4 concept store on Melbourne St.

What’s 4 provides everything you need to create dinner and also has a café attached for dine-in meals.  

Steve says What’s 4  is a four -step process for creating a meal –  you pick a recipe card from the menu board, pick out the ingredients, bag it up, pay for it and take it home to cook.

The store offers more than 140 dishes to cook at home including beef, lamb, pork, kangaroo, chicken, salmon, snapper, barramundi, prawns, octopus, calamari, curry, vegetarian, pasta, salad and pizza.

“It’s not takeaway, not heat and eat, no can opener needed, but just every ingredient you need, portion sized and complete with instructions on how to cook your own restaurant quality meal in your own kitchen,” he says.

“There’s easy parking, it takes five to 10 minutes of gathering your ingredients, home to cook and you’re sitting down to eat within 10 to 20 minutes of getting  home.”

All meals are based on a serve for two but each dish can cater for one, two, three or more.  Meals range from $7 to $15 per person and include Scotch fillet with roasted capsicum, baby spinach, garlic mash and red onion marmalade ($14 per serve for two) or cajun Atlantic Salmon on lemon zest and raisin cous cous topped with mint yoghurt ($10 per person).

In other news, Kenny Ting from Concubine in Gouger St us set to open a new restaurant  next to Osteria de Mesa on Glen Osmond Rd called Singapore House and J-Chinese is a new bright, spacious and authentic eatery in Grote St (near the Morphett St intersection).

Peanut butter and jelly icecream served with fresh banana, toffee sauce and crushed nuts from Eggless Café at Goodwood

Mark and Peter Saturno in the cellar door at Longview Vineyard at Macclesfield

FAMILY CONNECTION

MARK AND PETER SATURNO ARE NO STRANGERS TO HOSPITALITY BUT THEY’RE DOING IT THEIR WAY

WORDS KYLIE FLEMING
PHOTOGRAPHS RUSSELL MILLARD

The sleepy Hills village of Macclesfield is worlds away from the buzz of Manhattan. Yet the small town of “Maccy” proved the ultimate drawcard for brothers Mark and Peter Saturno who left New York and returned home in 2008 to run their own winery – Longview Vineyards.

Adelaide boys Mark, 36, and Peter, 30, had been living and working in New York for a few years when the opportunity arose to come home and buy Longview, a picturesque premium vineyard established by Duncan MacGillivray in 1995.

After taking over the reins, the Saturno boys set about finding a new winemaker, streamlined the wine portfolio, reinvented the labels and took on experienced wine industry pro - and long-time family friend - Dennis Rosetto as general manager.

They’ve been chalking up successes ever since.  Longview won two prestigious UK Decanter gold medals for its 2007 Yakka Shiraz and 2007 Devil’s Elbow Cabernet Sauvignon among other awards while its Whippet white was named judges’ choice for Sauvignon Blanc of the year at the 2009 Hyatt Wine Award.

The winery, a popular wedding spot with accommodation and Sunday tapas, also won the Advantage SA (SA Great) 2009 Regional Award for Wine tourism.

Mark and Peter are young guys but bring a lifetime of hospitality knowhow to Longview as the sons of Leon Saturno.  Leon, together with his brother Adrian, built an empire over 35 years as the Booze Bros with hotels and bottleshops throughout Adelaide.

To say hospitality is in the blood is an understatement. Mark and Peter have an older sister, Kate Walters, who owns the Victoria Hotel at Strathalbyn while their cousins (Adrian’s sons) are Paul Saturno at the Benjamin on Franklin Hotel and Luke Saturno at the Gilbert Street Hotel. 

Wine was always a natural progression for Peter, the youngest son, who worked in the family’s pubs and bottleshops while at school at Mercedes College.

“I started working at the Royal Oak Hotel when I was about 13 and didn’t leave there until I was about 22 …that was a pub I loved very, very much,” he says.

He studied wine marketing at Adelaide Uni and worked in sales at local distributor Chace Agencies for four years before winning the Green Card Lottery in 2005 which allowed him to work in the US. Older brother Mark had already been living there for nine years.

In New York, Peter landed a job at respected wine importer and merchant Frederick Wildman and Sons which he says was a great learning experience but a “very tough, cut-throat job”.

“I got to a stage where I thought I could be schlepping the streets for another five years and still probably wouldn’t make enough money to afford an apartment…or we could try and do this for the rest of our lives so that was the decision and that’s why we’re here,” he says.

Mark, too, had come to a crossroads in NY wondering what his future held after 11 years working as a professional actor.   

Unlike Peter, he had chosen a different path to pubs and studied at the former CPA (now AC Arts) before acting locally with Magpie Theatre Company and State Theatre Company.

“I only did the pub work as a youngster in my summer holidays throwing cases of beer in the back on people’s cars, or when I was studying but beyond that was never really interested in the game at all,” he says.

Mark had harboured a long-term fascination with New York since visiting there in his teens so took the plunge at 23 and moved to the Big Apple where he was accepted into the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.

“It sounded very prestigious at the time and I fast learnt that it wasn’t all that fantastic anymore, it was mostly foreign students who thought it sounded prestigious…it’s lost its lustre over the years.”

Mark stuck it out for a year, studied, worked at restaurants between gigs and got married at City Hall. 

“The marriage didn’t last but the acting gigs did,” he jokes.   

He performed in several successful off-Broadway shows which led to a show on Broadway (The Retreat From Moscow) working with big name actors such as John Lithgow, Dame Eileen Atkins and Ben Chaplin.  He also scored TV work with stints on shows such as Law and Order.

“I eventually started to become despondent about acting; it’s a really hard, tiring treadmill and I was questioning if it was sustainable, and I thought what’s the one thing I truly love other than acting, and it was wine,” he says.

Peter’s arrival in New York and his passion for wine had reignited Mark’s interest in the subject, so when they heard that Longview Vineyard was for sale they could
sense potential.

With their parents (Leon and Anne) living on a farm just down the road from Longview and Leon knowing vineyard owner Duncan MacGillivray from their work with the Hutt St Centre board the opportunity seemed all the more fortuitous.

Mark: “After lots of late night phone calls and big deep breaths we decided to do it and were back within three months.”

The brothers invested their early capital into a two-year upgrade of the vineyard and later worked with Voice Design in Gilbert St to design a range of award-winning wine labels.

“We needed to make the portfolio of wines a little leaner too. Duncan was an entrepreneur who had lots of concepts and ideas but that made the portfolio balloon to about 21 wines which is way too much and it was a bit confusing,” Mark says.

“We didn’t feel like we needed three different Chardonnays, or a bunch of Semillon Sauvignon Blancs or a mid-range Nebbiolo, so we cut some fat out of that and stuck to what the vineyard does best.”

They wanted to maintain a cool-climate elegance with the wines but the most significant change was engaging winemaker, Ben Glaetzer, in 2008.

“We always had six different winemakers with six different facilities, wine was stored here, there and everywhere and it was too cumbersome so we decided to go with one winemaker for the bulk of our wine,” Mark says.  

They also work with Adelaide Hills contract winemaker Michael Sykes who makes the sweet wine Epitome, while Barossa winemaker Tom Shobbrook crafts a Nebbiolo.

“We’re passionate about Nebbi, we love to drink it, so we want to make it unique and do it properly, not an Aussie style but the traditional way. We’re quietly excited about it, how well it performs here,” Mark says. “We’re also doing a small trial of Pinot Grigio and with our family heritage being Italian, on my father’s side, we want to explore the potential of this vineyard to do those northern Italian varietals…we’re hoping that they’ll become nice little champions for us.”

Mark, marketing and PR director, and Peter, sales director, are obviously happy with the popularity of Longview whites but are keen to spruik the quality of their reds which they see as a real strength.

“We think as the collective Australian palate starts to turn a bit more from the 16.5 per cent alcohol fruit bombs that are out there, they have their place, but I think people are turning towards wines with a bit more elegance, and cool climate Shiraz is definitely something people are taking a lot more notice of,” Mark says.

Peter: “We feel we’re in a premier little area, the Adelaide Hills, for reds and there’s no doubt about that. There are a lot of fantastic producers like Shaw and Smith saying Macclesfield is where it’s at for reds and we’ve even had Barossa producers come up wanting fruit as well.

“We’re proud of the reds, they’ve got so much longevity, structure, they do change. They’re even better the day after which is a sign of complexity, they don’t fall apart.”

As well as business partners, the brothers are good mates, sharing an office at Macclesfield and an apartment in the city. 

“We finish up here at work, drive back together sometimes, hash a lot of things out on the journey, then maybe go for a run when we’re back in the city where the conversation continues,” Mark says.

“We also convene the Adelaide Hills wine region marketing committee. We’re passionate about really pushing this region as a whole, so yeah, I guess life is 24 / 7 for us right now.”

GREEN QUEENS

WHEN IT COMES TO NATURAL SKIN CARE, ADELAIDE BRANDS ARE LEADING THE WAY

Our quest to lead healthier lifestyles has many people examining the products they bring into the home, especially food stuffs and personal care items. The incidence of chemicals in makeup and skin care is of particular concern. SA brands such as Jurlique, Janesce and Kosmea have always championed the need for natural ingredients and now a fresh generation of labels is taking skin care to a higher level.


Y-Natural

Barbara Gare of Y-Natural skin care says people who haven’t been affected by health problems or allergies are unlikely to be impressed by chemical-free skin care.
  Talking about the benefits of the products is wasted on people who have no trouble using the major commercial brands, she says, but for anyone who has suffered skin allergies or done their research on achieving a healthier lifestyle, the news that there are alternatives receives an enthusiastic response.
  “In the past people chose natural products for what they didn’t have in them but now they are choosing them because they are beautiful and effective,” she says.
  Rose Bradshaw, co-owner of the brand, says when she first started spruiking the benefits of Y-Natural products people saw her as a “wowser on the fringe” but now “people just nod in agreement”.
Barbara: “Young mothers are one of the groups that has really questioned the ingredients in personal care products.
  “A rising incidence of allergies has also prompted people to be more concerned and the Internet has helped create more informed consumers.”
  Y-Natural skin care has been based at Eastwood for four years but established for five and some of the products had been in the making long before that.
  Motivated by a breast cancer scare, Rose started making chemical-free skin care and hair care products at home which she shared with family and friends.
  After meeting Barbara through the University of Adelaide alumni, the two started talking about developing the products into a commercial brand in late 2004.
  The resulting Y-Natural range, free of petrochemicals, synthetic chemicals and nanoparticles, has 18 products ranging from cleansers to a serum and shampoo and conditioner.
Among the most successful items in the range are Luxury Cleanser, Nourish Oil, Protect Anti-Age Moisturiser and Anti-Age Serum.
  Rose and Barbara say every ingredient in the range is used for a reason, whether it is to cleanse, moisturise or protect the skin. They have also developed a natural preserving system, something that challenges most skin care companies trying to extend the shelf life of their products.
  In January 2009 Y-Natural achieved accreditation with Australian Certified Organic.
  This means that 95 per cent of the contents of a product must be certified organic ingredients and the other five per cent of ingredients are sourced from a restricted list.
  “There has to be a paper trail for everything and you can’t have any hidden pots, they check everything,” Rose says.
  “It tells the consumer that from the producers we use to the processing of ingredients and the manufacturing of products, we are doing the right thing.”

www.ynatural.com.au


KuuSh

When it comes to celebrity endorsement, Aldinga-based skin care brand KuuSh has as much to brag about as any other company.
  Yes, the label is well known overseas and UK supermodel Kate Moss is a fan, especially of the 24 carat Gold Moisturiser ($1000, 50ml).
  However, creator Catherine Griss is quick to point out that it was health rather than fame that prompted the launch of KuuSh.
  With a background in homeopathy, Catherine started researching the range in 1998, after enduring a miscarriage.
  The number of ingredients in everyday skin care that could be absorbed through the skin concerned her and she sought to make a more natural product.
It took until the beginning of 2004 before she had a range of products that she was happy with, initially launching in organic stores, before trying the overseas market.
  “I felt the international market was more educated about natural and organic products and would be more accepting of the range,” she says.
  KuuSh is available in prestige spas such as Home House in London and leading hotels such as the Radisson in Fiji and the Novotel in Papua New Guinea.
  More than 200 products make up the range, with best sellers including Gentle Rose Petal Exfoliant and Black Cohosh Moisturiser (which helps plump up the skin).
  “When I started researching natural products, laboratories told me that successful products were five per cent ingredients and 95 per cent marketing,” she says.
  “I wasn’t comfortable with that. The range had to be holistic.”
  KuuSh products are made up of premium active ingredients including Catherine’s favourite watermelon seed oil, passionfruit and avocado, although “it’s what you leave out that makes quality skincare,” she says.
  Catherine makes the point that anything with a carbon atom is “technically organic, including petrol”.
She advises people to be wary about brands claiming to be organic and to check the ingredients list. Look for brands that are certified organic rather than just having one or two certified ingredients and also consider how much water is being used to fill out the product.
  “Up to 80 per cent of some products is water,” she says. “I’m really passionate about educating people on the truth.
  “Companies claiming they’re organic should go the hard yards and get certified.”
  KuuSh products are certified organic by NASAA (National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia) under “very strict” standards.
  “I’ve been called everything from a cosmetics queen to an ingredients cop,” she says.

www.kuush.com

Our skin care companies aren’t the only ones trying to limit their use of chemicals. Other Adelaide producers watching their ingredients include:

Fragrance
Entrepreneur Liz Cook recently launched her own range of botanical fragrances called One Seed.
  Made from 100 per cent botanical extracts, the scents are hand blended in one litre batches.
  Hope – Liz’s favourite - is a mix of sandalwood and dewy oakmoss, with hints of lavender, lime and bergamot.
www.oneseedcompany.com

Makeup
Long before mineral makeup became trendy, Antonietta Bergamin launched Colores.
  The Adelaide-based mineral makeup brand, which has no fillers or binders, dates back to 2003.
  Antonietta launched the label after suffering skin allergies from regular cosmetics.
  She offers workshops on mineral makeup so customers can learn more about the product and find out how to apply it properly. www.colores.com.au

Treatment
Cherie Foran opened her “botanical treatment studio” Eleaner, at McLaren Vale, so people could try out the natural body products she was making and they’ve proved such a hit that four years on it’s tough to get a booking.
  The extensive list of treatments includes the popular Maslin Body Treatment with back massage (60 mins/$95).
  Cherie makes all the products used in the treatments, including her favourite cocoa body butter which uses fair trade cocoa. www.eleaner.com.au

 
Peter Butcher and Elizabeth
Tasker from Halifax Wines


Paul Petagna from
Petagna Wines


Paul’s son Corbin

Adam Hooper of La Curio Wines

LITTLE MEANS A LOT

A GROUP OF ENTERPRISING MCLAREN VALE WINEMAKERS IS PROVING BIG ISN’T NECESSARILY BEST

Small is beautiful when it comes to a band of new-wave McLaren Vale winemakers who are focusing on quality over quantity.
   This diverse group of artisan winemakers is adding a new flavour to the region which has been dominated by the larger, more established wineries.  
   Last year’s Vale Cru tasting event, at the Victory Hotel, was a celebration of these smaller producers and another event is scheduled for later this year.
   Among the group of exciting winemakers are Paul Petagna, Adam Hooper and Peter Butcher. 

PETAGNA WINES
   Paul Petagna produces small volumes of ultra-premium red wines under his Petagna Wines label, which includes the flagship Diavolo Shiraz Cabernet and Dio Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre.  
   He also produces Piombo Valletta Shiraz for Sellicks Hills Winery originally created by his late father-in-law, Modestino Piombo.
   “It’s pretty much old-school winemaking and I’ve been influenced greatly by my father-in-law who was an Italian immigrant…making wine was always a natural thing for him to do,” Paul says.
   Paul left a career in IT to pursue winemaking and, together with Modestino, planted Shiraz and Grenache vines at Sellicks in 1998.     
   He started making wines at the former Red Heads artisan wine studio with Justin Lane and Adam Hooper.
   “It was a great environment, it was a melting pot of people who were passionate about learning and experimenting and pushing the boundaries with wine,” he says.
   Paul’s wines reflect the nuances of this southernmost sub-region of McLaren Vale. 
   “I’m lucky, I work the vineyard 100 per cent from the ground up, and feel I have an affinity with that and a responsibility as well, I guess, to do things right and get the best from the vines and the fruit,” he says.
   “Our wines are made here in the shed and we are micro to the extreme, use organic practices so there are no nasties, nothing is added, and my reds have ridiculously low sulphur levels.”  
   Paul lives at Sellicks Beach with his wife Angela and their children Siena, 9, Lia, 8 and five-year-old twins Corbin and Kaci.

LA CURIO
   Adam Hooper studiously avoids making wines which are a carbon copy of anyone else’s.  
   His idiosyncratic approach is the inspiration for La Curio wines which are garnering praise throughout the wine world.
   The Roseworthy-trained winemaker produces La Curio Reserve Bush Vine Grenache, Reserve Shiraz and Nubile Grenache Shiraz – and a La Curio Sangiovese is in the pipeline.    
   Fruit is sourced from about 13 local vineyards which are extremely low yielding and minimally irrigated, with some aged between 60 and 110 years of age.
   Adam had been working at Tatachilla. When it was taken over by Lion Nathan in 2002, he decided it was time to leave and pursue his own winemaking ideas. The first vintage of La Curio was released in 2003 with striking label imagery featuring escapologist Harry Houdini’s famous figure-of-eight handcuffs. 
   ”I like escapism within creating wines and the labels represented a  freeing of the shackles, escaping to do my own thing, breaking stylistic constraints,” he says.  
   “I take a fairly hedonistic approach to my winemaking and have lots of little whims but, really, I still set all these little rules for myself and don’t do things without a reason.”   
   There are only 1500 cases of La Curio reds produced and the wines are exported to US, Sweden, UK, Canada and China.    
   Adam also makes wines as part of the new Red Heads Studio (see page 31) and bespoke wines for the Loom Wine Group.

HALIFAX WINES
   Peter Butcher of Halifax Wines is a big fan of Shiraz from the Cote Rotie region of France and does a fine job replicating this style with fruit from his McLaren Vale vineyard.
   Peter, who has worked with wine for 20 years, and his wife Elizabeth Tasker, a marketing strategist, bought their property in the cooler and higher south-eastern corner of McLaren Vale in 2000.  
   They now have an established vineyard with four hectares of Shiraz vines producing fruit for their portfolio of red wines.
   Elegant European wine styles provide inspiration for Peter, who is adamant he doesn’t want to produce high-alcohol, jammy, over-ripe Aussie reds.  
   One of his mentors is respected Cote Rotie producer Renee Rostaing.
   “Without wanting to sound arrogant, I don’t want our wines to be part of a sea of mediocrity…I want them to have character, complexity, layers of flavour and be a bit more savoury,” he says.
   “A lot of Australian wines these days are made for wine writers in the US and the show circuit and are completely incompatible with food but we always want our wines to go with food.”
   Peter is a passionate proponent of a wine’s “sense of place” and regards his work in the vineyard as pivotal to the resulting wines.
   “Most of my work is done in the vineyard and then the winemaking itself is a free-ranging, pretty minimalistic process,” he says.

www.petagnawines.com.au

www.lacuriowines.com.au

www.halifaxwines.com.au

WORLD OF FLAVOURS

Adelaide is preparing to play host to music, arts and dance acts from around the globe at the 18th Womadelaide Festival.
The festival (March 5-8) will feature 57  artists from 27 countries during a weekend packed with performances, visual arts, workshops, cooking sessions and more than 100 food and craft stalls.

Taste The World cooking sessions are a much-loved part of Womad with  festival artists and other guests taking to the stove to prepare  exotic recipes from an array of countries and cultures.

Womadelaide is a family-friendly event and even the cooking sessions have a youth element. Celebrity chefs Poh Ling Yeow and Simon Bryant will be on hand for several workshops and there will be sessions run by The Little Cookie.

www.thelittlecookie.com.au 

Junior primary teachers Alexandra Marcus and Joanna Tierney established The Little Cookie to offer hands-on cooking classes for children which teach them about food and healthy eating while getting them actively involved in preparing food.

Simple egg pasta with sauce by The Little Cookie:

You will need:
1 egg
100g Tip 00  flour 

What to do:
Place flour on a board or in a bowl.
Make a well in the centre and crack eggs into it. Beat the eggs with a fork until smooth.
Using the tips of your fingers, mix the eggs with the flour until everything is combined. Knead the pieces of dough together until you have one, smooth lump!
Now comes the tricky part! You need to knead and work the dough with your hands until it is smooth and silky instead of rough and lumpy. This will take a few minutes and lots of stretching and rolling!
Then wrap it in glad wrap and leave it in the fridge for half an hour or so.  Now you’re ready to roll the pasta. Follow the instructions on the machine. Have fun!

Roasted red sauce

You will need:
6 tomatoes
4 basil leaves
garlic to taste
1/2 onion finely diced

What to do:
Gently score each tomato with a sharp knife. Remember to ask an adult to help you.
Place the tomatoes in a microwave for approximately 4 minutes. Once the tomatoes have cooled down gently peel the skin away and scoop out any seeds.
Put the tomatoes into the tomato machine and gently turn the handle. You will see your delicious healthy sauce
falling into your bowl.
Gently fry finely diced onion and garlic in a fry pan before adding your tomato sauce.
Before you remove the sauce from the heat gently tear delicious fresh basil and stir into your sauce.
Season with salt and pepper. 

Artists from around the world will swap their musical instruments for cooking utensils again this year when they create favourite dishes from their home countries during Taste The World sessions.
The sessions were first introduced to Womad in 2004 and will once again bring a kaleidoscopic array of world foods to audiences.
The cooking action will be held at the kitchen next to the Coopers Garden Bar at various times from Friday to Monday, March 5 to 8.

Highlights include:

Singer/musician Mariem Hassan from the Western Sahara will cook meifrisa, a traditional festive meal made with camel, a revered animal among the Saharawi people. Mariem will serve the meifrisa with bread called leftir which is unleavened and baked without any yeast. (Saturday, 5pm)

YAMOTO Japanese drummers will prepare authentic makizushi or sushi rolls with authentic ingredients such as kanpyo (dried gourd shavings) and denbu, mashed fish boiled with sugar and soy sauce. (Sunday, 8.30pm)
Kamel el Harrachi from Algeria/France will prepare Algerian Chorbo, a tasty spicy beef and chickpea soup. (Monday, noon)

France’s Babylon Circus will prepare oven-baked skate (fish) wings with camembert gratin. (Monday, 5pm)

www.womadelaide.com.au

Some Womadelaide food stalls to check out:

Parachilna Garden Café
If you’ve been meaning to go to the Prairie Hotel but don’t have time to do the road trip, fear not, as Australia’s most awarded and hip outback hotel is relocating its Flinders Ranges Café from Parachilna to Womadelaide with a “Tastes From The Outback” menu of true-blue Aussie foods.

Byron Bay Organic Donuts
People keen to taste one of these donuts may need to be prepared to wait in a long line but it is worth the wait. The hand-rolled ‘doughy’ doughnuts were the undisputed favourite of the masses last year with a permanent line of people waiting to taste what all the hype
was about.

The Organic Market
The Adelaide Hills gourmet institution brings great organic coffee, vegetarian delights, local gourmet produce and a sumptuous dessert cabinet to Womadelaide.

Passion 4 Juice
The mobile juice bar has a team which travels the UK and Australia serving fresh-pressed juice at big music festivals such as Glastonbury, The Glade, The Big Chill, Edinburgh Fringe and Womadelaide. The 100 per cent natural juicy concoctions are full-bodied, tasty and absolutely free from preservatives, added sugar, artificial colours and flavours. 

Leigh Warren appeared on the
first cover of Adelaide Matters
in February 2000

Peggy Veloudos from T-Bar
tea salons

Joff Chappel of Miss Gladys Sym Choon

Chef Rosa Matto

DECADE IN PRINT

ADELAIDE MATTERS HAS SPENT 10 YEARS TRACKING THE LATEST IN FOOD, FASHION, ART AND DESIGN

Fads come and go but Adelaide Matters has been part of the city landscape for 10 years.

Our first issue, February 2000, was dedicated to the Adelaide Festival and a glance at the first year of covers reveals a group still very active in the arts; among them dance choreographer Leigh Warren, film producer Kerry Heysen and composer Graeme Koehne.

Adelaide Matters was going to “distill the essence of our city, its inhabitants, their lifestyles and moods”, said then-editor Megan Lloyd.

A glance through the first year’s issues shows Alison Dunn, then Adelaide Festival marketing manager, and now CEO at the Helpmann Academy, and in-demand furniture designer Khai Liew.

Some of the first pictures of the new-look David Jones store, part of the Adelaide Central Plaza complex were featured, as were some of its fashions, as well as clothing from Burnside Village, Max Mara and North Adelaide boutique P.Smith (now closed).

Adelaide Matters featured a “must haves” list of fashion which included a denim jacket, pussy bowtie blouse, pleated skirt and shirtdress.

It also included a trench coat and halter-neck top – both of which are still extremely fashionable.

In 2010 the pleated skirt and shirtdress are no longer at the top of the fashionista’s list, replaced by the maxi dress and shorts.

Melbourne St was once a fashionable address but in 2010 it has been usurped by Rundle St, with recent openings by Lisa Ho, Zimmermann and Saba, backed by locals such as Sooki and Miss Gladys Sym Choon.

Our fashion models were once colleagues and relatives but are now sourced from agencies.

Among our most famous faces have been Alex Venema, the face of this year’s Adelaide Fashion Festival, and Jennifer Hawkins.  

Our first year also included themed magazines such as the children’s edition and the rose edition. Browsing through the children’s edition, it’s amazing the difference 10 years makes.

Jay, a fresh-faced boy at his dad’s cappuccino machine is now driving and building up his bank balance to study at uni, while a blonde-haired toddler (Henry) is readying himself for Year 7.

Back in 2000, cooking schools were just starting to gain momentum with classes run by pioneers such as caterer Rosa Matto and restaurateur Ragini Dey. While Rosa and Ragini are still going strong, the past decade has seen an explosion of cooking schools and the list now includes Outdoors On Parade, Bottega Rotolo, Sticky Rice, The Cook’s Pantry and Homewares Direct.

The Rose wine variety revival was in full swing in 2000 with our tasting panel giving Charles Melton Rose of Virginia and Eldridge Estate Gamay top points in a Rose tasting.  In the same year, Penfolds released its first vintage of Penfolds RWT Shiraz 1997 which was being dubbed “Baby Grange” at $80 per bottle. The most recent release is priced at $170.

We wrote about young chef Ben Sommariva, then 28, who was chef at the late George Capoccia’s  Eccolo restaurant in Grote St (it later became Auge under Terry Soukoulis). Ben is now head chef at The Kitchen Door at Penny’s Hill in McLaren Vale.

Blumenstein’s cafe, named after co-ownerVictoria Blumenstein from Seattle,  opened in Grenfell St with artisan sourdough bread by John Downes, organic food by chef Geoff Platt  and fantastic coffee.  Unfortunately it later closed down and Victoria headed for the Barossa, Geoff cook in Grafton, NSW and John Downes continues to make sourdough.

A story on the hottest restaurant designs featured David Bui’s  Halong Vietnamese restaurant  and Now Furniture’s refit of Soho – both on Melbourne St (both now defunct). We also featured Greg Hamilton’s stylish design for The Melting Pot at Hyde Park and designer Michael Youds’ refit of the Newmarket Hotel.

Peggy Veloudos was onto something when she opened her first T-Bar tea salon in Gouger St which became a huge hit and she has since opened two other outlets in the city and at Burnside Village in addition to an online store. 

The Adelaide Festival 2000 catered for audiences with food at The Canteen which celebrated the tradition of the Coles cafeteria and followed on from 1998’s Parachilna café theme. This year, while not an official Festival event,  chef Ann Oliver will host “cold + hot + sweet and offal supper clubs” at the Red Ochre Grill (phone 8211-8555) for the duration of the Adelaide Festival (February 26 to March 13). Ann’s supper clubs at her former restaurant Mistress Augustine’s throughout the 1980s until 1991 were legendary and she will revisit the tradition for the last time before she gives up catering for large events.

Martyn and Wendy Flevill

Kate Palmer

CAFE STRIP

SAND AND SURF ARE ONLY PART OF THE ATTRACTION OF SEMAPHORE WITH QUAINT CAFÉS BECOMING A DRAWCARD

Swedish Tarts patisserie brings a tasty slice of Scandinavia to Semaphore.

The patisserie and café is owned by Louise Vanzati (pictured left), who originally hails from Järsvo, in the north of Sweden, and also owns the Argus House Bakery in Strathalbyn.

Louise makes a  tantalising range of cakes, tarts and pastries including banoffe tarts, Sarah Bernhardt cake with chocolate ganache and an almond meringue base, Swedish postkakan (post cake) honey-glazed hazelnut cake and the intriguingly named but delicious scab cake covered in flaked almonds.  The blackboard menu features a blend of Swedish and Australian foods with all-day breakfasts such as smoked bacon and free-range eggs on house-made bread, omelettes, Swedish waffles with cloudberry jam or fat Swedish pancakes with lingonberry jam. Lunch dishes include freshly cooked filled flatbread, salads and savoury crepes or waffles. 

Louise has transformed a previously run-down space into an eclectic little café with cherry-coloured fabric banquettes, timber tables and chairs and feature walls painted by a local Estonian artist.

A benchtop with stools offers Swedish books to read over a coffee while a chandelier adds some bling near the front of the café with its red Ruggero espresso machine serving Brasilia coffee. 

Swedish Tarts is known among the locals for its Bowl Latte which is a popular tradition in Europe.

“People sit here and drink them for about half an hour!” Louise says.

Other drinks include Swedish Glogg, which is a hot, spiced blackcurrant juice, homemade chai with honey, ginger and milk or warm blueberry or rosehip soup served with whipped cream and crushed amaretti biscuits.

In a delightful twist, Louise met her Swedish partner Bo in Adelaide’s IKEA store!

“I hadn’t set foot in Semaphore before I met Bo and I have really taken to it… I can’t believe how beautiful it is.”

Lovely Jubbly

The aromas of eggs and bacon and hot roast beef rolls make it very hard to pass by the laidback Lovely Jubbly café at Semaphore.

Since husband and wife team Martyn and Wendy Flevill opened the café in 2008, it has become a local favourite for freshly cooked breakfasts and lunches.

Martyn, who hails from Hampshire, is a trained chef and prepares everything on the premises. He roasts his own chicken breasts and joint of topside beef to create burgers and there are always homemade soups.

Favourite dishes include their hearty Full Monty breakfast with eggs, mushrooms, sausage, bacon, tomato and beans or the popular egg and bacon muffins made with rolls from the nearby Skala bakery at Port Adelaide.

The café has simple décor with an open kitchen, aubergine walls, linoleum floor tiles and a long window bench.  The outside courtyard is a peaceful zone with palms and bamboo fencing, and is a meeting spot for a local Dog Club.

Wendy says the café name wasn’t inspired, as many think, by chef Jamie Oliver but rather by a character played by David Jason in the British sitcom, Only Fools And Horses.

Whipped Bake Bar Cafe

Whipped Bake Bar Café at Semaphore breaks the mould for suburban bakeries.

The designer cafe is owned by Kate Palmer who comes from a baking background and helped start the popular Ned Kelly Bakery with her father, Murray Price, four years ago.

“I always wanted to remain part of the industry but do something different, a little more funky, and this is it! “ she says.

Kate, who says she is a frustrated interior designer, renovated the building and knocked down walls to create the spacious, modern café with polished floor boards, chic Belgian light fittings, stripy fabric banquettes and retro-style wallpaper (Woodstock from Cole and Son in the UK).

“This place needed work, everyone told me I was mad, it was a hovel, but I didn’t see it as it was, I only saw it as it would be,” she says.  Kate balances working at Whipped with raising her young sons, Patrick and Jack, and she is often helped out by her husband Kim who works in IT but is also a qualified cake decorator.

The Whipped menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner is based on fresh, local and often organic produce with free-range eggs from Paskeville, smoked bacon from the Argentine Butcher a few doors along and all house-made condiments. 

There is a compact range of boutique SA wines and local beers from The Brew Boys, while a bright yellow Marzocco espresso machine turns out coffee made with beans from The Organic Coffee Co.

Kate says signature dishes include the “big night out” breakfast, a best-selling house-made chicken burger and a sunrise parfait with layers of Whipped’s own muesli, SA yoghurt and berry compote.

The display cabinet is filled with an eye-catching selection of homemade cakes, cupcakes, pastries, éclairs, muffins, doughnuts and slices.

“Semaphore is a great place to be, it’s definitely changing, but most people down here want the character to remain as it is,” Kate says.

Swedish Tarts, 40 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore

Lovely Jubbly, 170 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore

Whipped Bake Bar Café, 35 Semaphore Rd, Semaphore, www.whipped.com.au

Jaime Sanchez (below)
designed a chair for his daughter Eva, 3 (above)

Two Halves designers Daniel
Scott (left) and Austin Brandon;
Jack and Jill coat hooks (above) and Sink shelf

CREATIVE JOURNEY

FOUR EMERGING DESIGNERS DISCUSS THEIR ASPIRATIONS

Adelaide design student Brianna Hammond (right) will be winging her way to Europe in just a few months, after winning a coveted scholarship with the prestigious Fabrica “creative laboratory” in Italy.

Brianna, 20, is about to complete her Bachelor of Design (Visual Communication) at the University of SA  before spending a two-week trail period at Fabrica which is Benetton’s research centre in Treviso, Italy. 

If successful, she may go on to score a one-year placement at the talent incubator, which gives designers younger than 25 the chance to work and learn with other young artists and designers from around the globe.

 “I’m from Tumby Bay, my family are all there, so it won’t be a new thing being away from home but I guess I’m a little bit nervous about going away on my own,” Brianna says.

Brianna entered a multi-media project in the NewStar exhibition, part of the agIdeas International Design Forum Melbourne which awards the scholarship.   

“I entered in the multi-media section, I thought that would stand out, and included animation set to music, a website and then decided to include some photos I’d taken as part of my course,” she says.

“I’d taken a lot of photos of bearded guys and made it into a health campaign idea so the point behind it was ‘Movember is over, but you can keep supporting prostate cancer because it’s now Decembeard’.”

Brianna, the fifth UniSA student to win the scholarship, says her campaign fits in with Fabrica’s interest in creative work that tackles social and environmental issues.

“They’re not just interested in pretty websites and design which purely looks nice but has no meaning,” she says

Brianna leaves for Italy in January and will spend the two week trial living and working at Fabrica’s headquarters, a striking building designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando. 
 

www.youtube.com/user/brihammonddesign
www.fabrica.it

CREATURE COMFORT

Industrial design student Jaime Sanchez took inspiration from his young daughters when creating the ingenious Dinosaur chair which doubles as a toy.

The Dinosaur chair was a finalist in this year’s prestigious Vivid Awards in Melbourne which are a national showcase for emerging designers.

Jaime, 38, of Torrensville, says he wanted to build an object for his daughters Eva, 3, and Lola, 1, which wasn’t just a toy but also required their input to construct.

“The chair is very much like those little plywood dinosaur models kids used to have and that shape really lends itself to a chair,” he says.

It is easy to construct and assemble - kids just push open the “bones”. It is also safe with no fixtures and fittings and its shape makes it easy to flat pack. 

Jaime says he made a lot of industry contacts at Vivid and met several furniture retailers who expressed an interest in stocking the dinosaur chair but he is still looking for a manufacturer to back the project.

Jaime, a senior business analyst who is studying industrial design part time at the University of SA, says he enjoys product design and the challenge of creating design solutions to make life easier.

His latest project is a cube-shaped bookshelf which can be configured to store objects of all shapes and sizes.

sanchez@bigpond.net.au

HOOKED ON DESIGN

The most successful product in the Two Halves design range typifies the adage “from small things, big things grow”.

The Adelaide company’s Jack and Jill coat hooks were intended as an easy way for product designers – Austin Brandon and Daniel Scott - to have a presence in the wholesale market but they have become so popular they are produced in their thousands and help fund the designers’ other projects.

Austin and Daniel established their business in 2006, after graduating from the University of SA’s industrial design course.

Encouraged by the success of having their Quartered coffee table shortlisted for the Launchpad design award, they decided to set up a studio to make and sell their own products. They also had designs featured in the 2007 and 2008 Launchpad Awards.

“When we finished the industrial design course we had that real uni mentality that we could do anything,” Austin says.

Daniel: “We were making and selling furniture through own shop but the costs on the retail side were just too high.”

The Jack and Jill coat hooks were a result of going back to the drawing board and coming up with an alternative product.

“We wanted something that was simple, just one component,” Daniel says.

Austin says he didn’t ever expect to be selling hooks but acknowledged the product was teaching them a lot about business.

“From where we initially started we’ve changed a lot with making and developing products our focus, rather than selling (retail),” Daniel says.

Other projects being developed by Two Halves include a wine rack and plank light, while a new larger version of the Jack and Jill hooks will be launched shortly.

The pair admits to being idealistic about still wanting to design and sell their own furniture but say they will wait until they have the “right” piece.
“Making other products and getting them out there still gives me a lot of satisfaction,” Austin says.

twohalvesdesign.blogspot.com

Georgina Rogers at
El Choto at Hindmarsh

Grace Vari at Vari’s, Norwood

Domenica Forza at Underdale’s Forza Continental

Joanna Prokopowicz at Mama’s Pierogi, Beverly

COUNTER CULTURE

FROM PRESERVED MEATS TO CHOCOLATE, CONTINENTAL DELIS ARE THE SOURCE OF SOME OF THE WORLD’S BEST FLAVOURS AND AROMAS

The weekly shopping can be less of a chore and more an adventure when exploring the exotic foods and charm of Adelaide’s continental delis.

The suburbs are home to several old-school delicatessens offering aromas of coffee beans, fridges full of traditional meats and jars of imported goodies. More often than not, the store owners are quick with a smile and happy to share their knowledge about the colourful array of foods on offer.

This all rings true at the new El Choto Fine Foods at Hindmarsh, which is Adelaide’s only Spanish deli, run by Georgina Rogers (formerly of Bottega Rotolo).

“I always wanted to have a deli, I’ve lived in the western suburbs for a few years and there’s been nothing like this here,” she says.

“If you’re cooking at home, you need to be able to pop out and get a good bottle of olive oil, or spices or fresh bread and not have to go into the Central Market.”

El  Choto has bright orange walls, timber floors and shelves lined with Spanish vinegars, Calasperra paella rice, paprika and packets of the popular sweet olive oil tortas snacks ideal with cheese, coffee or tea and Ceramica black cookware from Colombia.

Blanxart Spanish chocolates and fresh Portuguese tigelada baked custard tarts rest on the counter.

The fridge is filled with boquerones, white anchovy fillets marinated in olive oil, hojiblanca green olives (the traditional tapas olive) and Spanish cheeses including Queso Oveja Al Romero traditional manchego with solid rosemary crust. Georgina has also been able to source a great range of traditional smallgoods such as mejilla (cured pig’s cheek).   

El Choto also stocks mojama air-dried tuna fillets, ideal as a salty, textured addition to pasta, jamon iberico free-range ham and morcon sausage which has a Spanish chilli and black pepper kick.

Fresh Spanish artisan breads are delivered to El Choto Saturday and the deli also serves Peruvian organic Fair Trade coffee.

Vari’s Generi Alimentari Italiani at Norwood is a traditional Italian delicatessen with legendary status.  Owners Frank and Grace Vari have seen the social fabric of The Parade evolve over the 50-plus years they have run the deli. Their son Pat is the next-generation Vari to work at the store.

“We remember when the trams were here and the street had all little shops like this, not the big shopping centres,” Grace says.

“It is wonderful now, how much food we can get here in Adelaide…people travel a lot more these days and want and expect to be able eat everything.

“In the early days here it was very different importing some of the foods – we even had a lot of trouble selling our packet herb and vegetable seeds back then.”

Vari’s is a treasure trove full of neatly arranged foodstuffs which take up every inch of the shop. It feels authentic with Il Globo newspaper on the counter next to a basket of fresh eggs, salami and big jars of homemade panzarotti, treccia and mostaccioli biscuits and old Italian tunes playing in the background.  

Racks hold fresh panini rolls and wood oven loaves and every type of pasta imaginable while buckets of lentils, borlotto beans and white fagiolo bean rest alongside sacks of coffee beans. Floor-to-ceiling shelves contain meticulously arranged tins and jars while a display fridge is full of melanzane (pickled eggplant), wild olives and onions, homemade semi dried tomatoes and roasted peppers.  The back of the shop is jam-packed with smallgoods hung from hooks and a fridge full of  casalinga, prosciutto, pancetta, sopressa and salami and big chunks of Italian provolone and parmesan cheeses.

The western suburbs also has quite a few old-style Italian delis including the homely Barilla Continental on Grange Rd, Seaton, which is run by community-minded Joe Barilla.  Forza Continental Deli at Underdale has cheerful service and sells all the staples required to cook up an Italian-inspired lunch or dinner.

The delicatessen culture embraces other European cultures such as Poland. A popular Polish deli called Krakus at Mawson Lakes is a mecca for lovers of European foods.  The store, owned by Marian Nedza, specialises in continental meats, cheese, pickles and homemade Polish sourdough bread. Specialties are the Country Polish sausage (no fat), wedding sausage, viennas, kransky, kabanosi, kassler chops, pepperoni and liverwurst and an exhaustive grocery selection with pretzels, pasta, flavoured tea, stock and seasonings, red cabbage, mustards,  carp fillets, bream, herring, mackerel and sardines. Customers can take away homemade sauerkraut, cabbage rolls and potato salad or grab a roll for lunch filled with meats, coleslaw, onions, pickle and cheeses which can be enjoyed with an Altura coffee.   

Another Polish favourite is Mama’s Pierogi at Beverley (previously at Croydon) owned by Joanna Prokopowicz who is aiming to preserve traditional European-style pierogi (dumplings). 

The new shopfront sells savoury and sweet pierogi, tripe, zurek sour flour soup with Polish sausage, bigos (stew) , goulash and dumplings kluski (made with potato flour), kopytka (made with wheat flour) or knedle or meat and sauerkraut croquettes.
 
El Choto at 124 Port Rd, Hindmarsh
Vari’s Generi Alimentari Italiani, 210b The Parade Norwood
Barilla,  405 Grange Rd, Seaton
Forza, 133 Holbrooks Rd, Underdale
Krakus, 5 Goodall Cres, Mawson Lakes
Mama’s Pierogi, 644 Port Rd, Beverley

Harmony O’Cadin of On
Cue Events says couples
are dispensing with
traditional speeches
and dances

Event planner Stephen
Culgan and his wife Katy
on their wedding day in
Sydney

DAY TO REMEMBER

AS WEDDINGS GET MORE ELABORATE AND EXPENSIVE, THE ROLE OF WEDDING PLANNER IS BECOMING INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT

When it comes to the modern wedding, perfect weather and a beautiful bride are only part of the story.

A lot of time and effort goes into making the day an amazing experience for not just the bridal party but the guests as well.

But the “wow” comes at a cost with $30,000 to $40,000 being spent on the average wedding in Australia.

The expense of a modern wedding is one reason why wedding planners are in vogue, according to Harmony O’Cadin of On Cue Events.

“When people are investing so much, they need a planner to ensure it all comes together,” she says.
Harmony says a planner will also handle any
last-minute dramas such as the DJ not showing up.

 Harmony set up her business with friend Sarah James two years ago. Both had been working in hospitality and could see a niche for weddings and corporate event planners. They decided to split the duties with Harmony focusing on the wedding side.

“I thought weddings would be a fun thing to be involved with – and they can be – but there’s also some tension,” she says.

Fortunately, Harmony deals with the stress well. She says a wedding planner’s role can include being a counsellor and providing a “constant ear when friends and family are sick of hearing about it”.

Her service includes a premium package, which covers the entire wedding from initial planning to the big day; a recommendations package where she provides couples with the names of various suppliers; and a wedding day service for people who want to organise their own wedding but have someone coordinate everything on the day.

A premium package can cost anywhere from $2000 to $5000, while an on-the-day service costs from $600 to $2000.

“When you think about it, most people have never organised a party for 100 or 150 people, so how they approach their wedding day without any expertise, I don’t know,” Harmony says.

Harmony says the main priority for many brides is to create a memorable wedding, using an amazing theme or striking colour or pattern.

“It’s trendy to have a wedding in a marquee. There are so many beautiful places to put a marquee like our wineries or along the river,” she says.

“Having a marquee also gives you creative freedom, rather than a venue where you’re limited with décor.”

Harmony says extravagant flowers are a priority for many brides, although they are moving away from the traditional white wedding.

In another departure with tradition, there is less emphasis on speeches and dances at the reception, and long tables seating 20-40 guests are a popular alternative to round tables of 10.

“Wedding budgets are getting larger but the weddings themselves are not necessarily getting bigger in terms of numbers,” Harmony says.

“It’s actually quite popular to have an ‘intimate’ wedding. Some couples are choosing to have less guests and to hold their reception in a fine dining restaurant such as The Manse.

“This means they spend the money on superior food and beverages, and styling and decorating the restaurant.

“Intimate weddings with generous budgets are incredibly classy and yet they can be quite relaxed due to the smaller number of guests.”

Stephen Culgan of The Dandelion Project agrees “wow factor” is an important part of the wedding planner’s brief.

“The emphasis is on creating a memorable occasion. The bride wants to think that out of all the weddings you’ve been to this year, hers is the one you remember.

The Dandelion Project offers a range of event management services, including weddings, and image consulting. Stephen runs the business with his wife Katy Coghlan, and while both are former Adelaide residents, they are drawing on the experience of years spent working interstate and overseas.

Before moving back to Adelaide six months ago, Stephen was working for event management group James Gordon Workshop in Sydney.

He says while high end corporate events were clearly being affected by the global financial crisis, wedding inquiries were still strong.

When he and Katy returned to Adelaide, they decided to launch the Dandelion Project, offering everything from personal styling to planning for weddings and major events.

Stephen says demand for wedding planners or coordinators is on the rise because people are time poor.

“Some people know what they want but don’t know how to make it happen, while others have no idea where to start,” he says.

Another advantage of using a wedding planner is they can get the best out of any budget because they know which areas are worth investing money in.

The Dandelion Project offers a range of services from a full wedding which includes setting up the gift registry, buying outfits and organising the décor, through to a last-minute overhaul just a few weeks out from the wedding.

“We offer a full plan through to a rescue package,” Stephen says.

He says his clients are opting for traditional venues, rather than marquees, because of the cost involved and channeling the savings into lavish decoration and great food.

As an experienced event manager, Stephen felt he knew best when it came to his own wedding but now realises he should have handed the organisation over to someone else.

The glamorous event was held on a boat on Sydney Harbour and while it was a memorable occasion for the couple, Stephen admits he spent too much time worrying about the detail instead of enjoying the experience.

 “There’s a perception that wedding planning is a luxury service but if it means easing the workload and ensuring you enjoy the occasion, then it’s just a good idea,” he says.

www.oncueevents.com.au

www.thedandelionproject.com.au

www.royvphotography.com.au

Creative Spaces

WHEN IT COMES TO DECORATING CHILDREN’S ROOMS,
OPT FOR GOOD DESIGN AND QUALITY PRODUCTS TO
ENGAGE YOUNG MINDS.

There is a quiet revolution taking place in the western suburbs; mums are growing tired of Disney prints and fairy motifs. Whether it’s decorating a toddler’s bedroom or buying clothes, demand is high for more options, preferably eco-friendly and fashion-sensitive ones.

Dianne Goldsmith, mum to Madeleine and Piper, opened Kiddylicious, at Glenelg, in February.

“I was sick of going into shops and finding Dora (the Explorer) and Disney characters; it’s plastic and not very nice and I wanted some alternatives,” she says.

She found some options, but only after exhaustive searches on the Internet, and she was dubious about buying brands she hadn’t used before.

“I don’t like to buy online because you can’t touch the products or feel the quality,” she says.

Convinced she wasn’t the only mum up late at night trawling the Internet, she decided to open her own shop, offering quality gifts, furniture, homewares and linen.

Her target range is “children who are in their first bed”, so generally those aged two to 10.

Her product range includes everything from melamine dishes, clocks and mobiles to ride-on suitcases and Lilly & Lolly linen and furniture.

She says personalised canvases and wall plaques with children’s names are popular among home decorators but the gift lines – many with an educational focus – are her biggest sellers.

Items include eeboo notebooks, Djeco origami kits and pencils, Rosie Flo’s books and a selection of wooden toys for boys and girls.

While the range is a little different to major stores, Dianne says she doesn’t want it seen as elitist.

“I don’t want it to be pretentious. It’s good value and simply an alternative to other things on offer,” she says.

Interior decorator Heidi Barreau admits her focus changed from grown-up living spaces to the needs of children, after the birth of her son Leo.

As a parent she wanted well-made clothing and toys for her son, not “tacky pictures and designs”, and she was surprised at the lack of variety.

She decided to retain the interior decorating side of her business, Plume, but change the retail arm from home office supplies to toys, clothing and decorative items for babies.

Relocating from Henley Beach to a tiny shop at Grange, she launched the new business – Plume Petite – with friend and fellow mum Kelly Frost earlier this year.

“It’s all about the things we wanted but couldn’t find,” Heidi says.

Everything from floor rugs to bedheads and fold-out sofas is available. Dwell Studio linen, Bholu rugs, Milk Baby organic skincare and eeni meeni clothing and accessories are among the items stocked.

Interior decorator and retailer Rebekah Cichero at One Small Room, Croydon, has long championed the concept of individual design.

Her design shop, which caters for adults and children, is a mix of collectible furniture, locally made jewellery, selected clothing items and textiles by Sprout Design. When it came to decorating rooms for her children – Ruby and Toby – Rebekah says she wanted to avoid a nursery-themed room, opting for a style with more longevity.

“A nursery may look cute for a baby but they soon outgrow it,” she says.

A favourite piece of furniture and a cowhide rug were the inspiration for the rooms; the low-line buffet being used as a nursery cupboard and the rug setting the chocolate and white colour scheme for daughter Ruby’s bedroom, although Rebekah says she has since relented and included a pink feature wall. 

Kiddylicious, 105b Jetty Rd, Glenelg

Plume Petite, shop 5, 1-3 Jetty St, Grange

One Small Room, 6-10 Elizabeth St, Croydon