salt spring 17

Hungry Feel’s Chris White gets
his hands dirty with Mick Dan
from Good Harvest organic farm
“
I WON’T BUY AN
IMPORTED PRODUCT.
WE’RE ACTUALLY
CREATING OUR
OWN ECONOMY BY
CONNECTING WITH
LOCAL PRODUCERS.
”
Chris’s gardening style underlies Hungry Feel’s ‘locavore’ food
philosophy – a movement that aims to connect producers and
consumers within the same geographical region. At Hungry Feel,
that means 100 per cent of the menu’s ingredients come from the
Sunshine Coast and its close surrounds.
“It’s easy to say local – it’s a bit of a buzz word at the moment,” says
Chris. “For me, it’s just about having those relationships with the
people who are making or growing the produce that you’re using.
“From day one, we’ve always used local people. It’s just that we’ve
found more and more of them and we’ve made the effort to go out
and discover what’s in our backyard. I’ve been spending time in the
Mary Valley lately, and it just blows my mind how important that
area is.
“I think it’s one of the most important regions in Australia for food
agribusiness. I compare it to the Adelaide Hills in South Australia.”
The locavore philosophy is so integral to the business’s values that
Chris and Larissa even take their staff to meet local producers.
“We try and get out there and make that connection,” says Chris.
“It strengthens what you’re doing, but we also try to get our staff out
there on tours to meet the farmers.”
The long list of those farmers and producers Hungry Feel supports,
and that keep food miles to an absolute minimum, include Pt
Cartwright Seafoods, Kenilworth Free Range Farm, Hinterland
Feijoas, Mary Valley Country Harvest and Woombye’s Good
Harvest.
The restaurant’s chicken is certified free-range from Moya Valley,
Gympie; pork is from Kingaroy; and fish is locally caught. Haloumi
and mozzarella cheeses are handmade by the artisan Cedar Street
Cheeserie in Maleny, and olive oil comes from boutique producer
Obi Obi Essentials. Zucchini flowers are sourced from Beerburrum,
mushrooms from Palmwoods and strawberries from Palmview.
“I won’t buy an imported product,” Chris says. “We’re actually
creating our own economy by connecting with local producers.”
Showcasing seasonal produce is something the Whites have always
embraced. In recent years, however, with a string of unseasonal
weather patterns, Chris says that can sometimes makes things a bit
tricky.
“We’ve always wanted to be a seasonal restaurant, and we’ve
always wanted to showcase the seasons,” he says. “Over the last
15 years, those seasons have got a bit funky, I guess. It really does
48 salt
Larissa White