QT Hotels & Resorts is changing the face of its food supply chain to bring some seasonal and specialised produce straight from the producer to the plate.
It is excited to announce the appointment of Georgie Neal to the newly-created role of forager, which will see her establish a close working relationship with farmers and growers nationwide to source fresh, seasonal produce for QT's award-winning restaurants including Canberra's own Capitol Bar & Grill.
Which is an average day on the job like for you?
There is no such thing as an average day, every day is different. I'm usually on the road trying to see as many growers as I can because that face-to-face interaction with them is so important and I don't think you can build the sorts of relationships I have with them from talking over the phone. Its old-school and there's also lots of research.
Which growers and farmers have you found for Capitol Bar & Grill?
When I first came on board, I visited the Capital Region Farmers Market at EPIC and discovered some really stand-out producers there. The king of heritage apples is only 20 minutes from here, they're called Loriendale Orchard, there's also a great potato and garlic grower towards Cooma, and Braidwood is also really amazing. Once you speak to one person they will tell you about someone else and so on. It's really exciting.
Why is it so important for restaurants to be supporting local growers?
Food is such a fundamental part of life, it's not just an economic thing. I think we all really need to eat predominately what is grown in the region and what is grown seasonally. Why buy something that is not grown here when you can? I think it's really the foundation of what dining should be all about. People are so caught up in being able to buy everything year round by walking into a supermarket, but produce doesn't come in plastic bags and cling-wrapped, they come from the ground, it's picked fresh and when you eat it straight away it has so much flavour, it hasn't been gassed or cold-stored – it's just so fresh. We're not doing anything ground-breaking but Capitol Bar & Grill is really progressive in the way it wants to celebrate growers' stories. It's a genuine desire to support what people are doing and the extraordinary work that goes into making our food. As we change the menu we are really trying to work in reverse to how most restaurants work. We want to know what's about to be in season and work with growers to use those ingredients – a more holistic vision of sustainability. The thing I love is that there is no limit to what we can do.
Where did your passion for food derive from?
I grew up in a food-mad family. We got together for all those special occasions, Christmas and birthdays, and that was what brought us all together and really instilled that love of food, culture and simple life into me. I've always been passionate about food, I've always read cookbooks instead of novels in bed and I absolutely love cooking. Entertaining and cooking for the people you love is the richest part of life. It's such an instant pleasure and it's very rewarding. Being a city girl there's also that other side of my life that is enriched by seeing the origins of food and it's really humbling being able to look at food differently.
What do you love most about your job?
Growers taking you into their heart and you become like their family. It's so much more than just business for me, those relationships are everything and mean the world to me. I get really emotional about it because people are so generous with their time and knowledge and I just feel really, really lucky to be a part of it.
Capitol Bar & Grill
A: 1 London Circuit, Canberra City
W: qtcanberra.com.au
