Whilst down the Channel yesterday, we had a really interesting chat with Diane Rae, mistress of Grandvewe.
What she was telling us warmed the very cockles of my heart. They are covering in their deck, which has some of those most spectacular views of the river and surrounding countryside, and it will become a restaurant. They have a guy taking on the restaurant who sounds like he has formidable credentials.
That means within the one complex, they will be providing:
hospitality
tourism
wine production
cheese production
agriculture
For visitors to look at, they have the sheep milking area and the cheese production area. They also conduct cheesemaking classes about every 2 months, when they have enough names on their waiting list of enthusiastic cheesemakers.
They produce their own wine as well. What a fantastic contribution to our economy have this family bought to Tassie?
I love stories like this. It demonstrates to me that you can get anywhere you want with hard work, dedication to specific standards and a bloody good business and marketing plan, not to mention a willing family who can see the benefits of towing the corporate family line.
Grandvewe is a family business comprising mum, dad, son and daughter all working hard within the business and contributing equally with their own particular talents.
Interestingly, Diane mentioned that they can't find anyone to milk their sheep. As much sheep milk as anyone would care to sell them, they'd buy. They also have approximately 160 (from memory) of their own sheep that need milking twice a day for 7 months of the year. They can just cover the morning milking themselves, but added to the myriad other jobs they have to do to keep this business running, they would love to find some willing and able hands who would find this a therapeutic past-time where they can also earn some money as well. (They use a milking machine, by the way).
Anyone fancy themselves as a sheep whisperer?
Saturday 24 March 2007
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23 comments:
Hi Rita,
Your comments regarding this fine establishment are echoed by Ms L and Mr C who dropped in for some cheese tastings after lunching at Peppermint Bay. I was most impressed with the latest batch of "Blue by Ewe" I thought it fitting to purchase a block to compliment future "snacky times"
I see real potential with the restaurant and can't wait until the doors open for business
Cheers
hi rita,
i'm writing to say that i'm the guy who is going to be doing the food at the restaurant, i'm only new to the blog thing,but would be interested to find out what sort of crowd we could pull for lunches and what interest would generated by the foodies of hobart?
i'm excited about the project and would love some feedback!
luke
You can start by not cling-wrapping the cheese!
Gee they're hard on you Luke aren't they? "Don't cling-wrap the cheese!"?
(Don't tell anyone but I clingwrap mine too!)
Anyway, welcome to blogworld in Hobart. I'm really glad you've managed to find the food sites. How did you, by the way?
I'll wait and see whether anyone wants to respond to your question about the crowds you'll pull down there.
I reckon it depends on a few things, but going on the way things have been in that area when I've been down there over the past few weeks, during the day, it's surprisingly busy with visitor-type people ambling round.
yeah it was a bit harsh, especially since i'm not the cheese maker.
yeah it has been surprisingly busy down that way and i think it will only get busier. the aim is to open friday - sunday lunches. we may go for set menu's or it'll be 4 entrees, 4 mains, specifically tailored cheese course
(i.e french laundry inspired, ate there last year and the cheese course as amazing.) a few desserts.
i'd like to change the menu weekly to fortnightly and we'll have special dinners and lunches to celebrate the bounty of the seasons as well as for the friends of grandvewe. we'll start off slowly and see how we go from there.
i discovered the blogs when i googled hobart restaurants after we arrived here to live six months ago,but i've been so busy i only just started checking them out last week.
we've got alot of ideas and i would love to be able to try them out so when we are off the ground i'll shoot through a little flyer and we'll see what happens. either way we'll be opening something in hobart at some point. a cross between vini (syd) and movida. fingers crossed!
luke
Hey Luke - was that you that commented a few weeks ago on Gobblers blog about opening up a new restaurant and changing the menu and wanting feedback on the idea? It sounds like what you described above. Anyway, I thought there was lots of good feedback there, and good measured opinion from a variety of people.
If it wasn't you, you should pop over to Gobblers and check it out. (Link is on my Home page). I can't remember exactly when it was though. It was amongst the Comments to one of his posts, so you'd have to go all through his posts till you found it.
Anyway - sounds like you'll be on a winner. I'll definitely go down there.
Let us know when you're opening up, and what you have on your menu so we all know about it & can pop down & check it out.
Cheers - Rita
thanks rita, had a look at the blog and seems like i have a kindred spirit in town. sounds like the sort of place i'd like to eat at.
one dish i have been testing and hoping to put on the menu is pork neck braised in ewe's milk. it's based on a northen italian recipe which uses jersey milk.
the flavour is quite unique!
luke
How does the ewes milk stack up in comparison to the jersey milk? Isn't jersey milk really rich?
much richer, but what you have to do is reduce the ewe's milk for a little bit longer. once alot of the water is absorbed by the muscle tissue or evaporated the residual liquids are quite similar with the flavour and colour being the only major differences.
luke
Hi Luke - Sounds like you're doing heaps of research into your menu, using the products you have there on tap. Can't wait to try it out.
When do you envisage opening up?
yeah, always testing! it's something i learnt when i left the kitchen to discover what i really loved about food. firstly i wanted to be a chef, but now, a cook.
having produce on the doorstep as well as the potential to eventually grow it excites me more than calcium chloride, foams and anti griddles!! i think all cooks have a desire to be intuitive and diverse when it comes to seasonal produce and the many possible outcomes and unless you are right there amongst it, touching, smelling feeling, testing it's so hard to discover what is possible.
i'd like to be open by august. i'm away for a few weeks and will heading full steam ahead when i return. there's a few things to set up,but we plan on keeping it simple, so hopefully there will be no complications.
i keep dreaming of foraging for mushrooms and wild herbs and spending time with growers........i can't wait to get cracking.
luke
Luke - I love your comment about wanting to be a chef at first, now wanting to be a cook. That is beautiful, and has captured exactly what I would love all qualified chefs to feel like.
Naturally many do, but there are also many who don't and just do it as a job.
I've spoken informally to so many apprentice chefs over the past 10 years, and asked them what their favourite food to cook, and also to eat is (in the hope of extracting how passionate they are about their chosen field).
The majority have given responses which didn't really fire me with hope for their cooking future, which in many instances has in fact been borne out.
But - the ones who, for instance, told me that they'd always watched their mum or nan in the kitchen etc etc, are the ones who are still there perfecting their art, and you can really taste it in their food.
Cheers - Rita
it's a chronic problem which starts with all apprentices, i found myself learning from chefs that cooked to impress, rather than cooking what they liked to eat. so many chefs don't taste their food for precisely this reason. it's sounds ridiculous, but so true.
i went through the same stages, i think alot of chefs are insecure and have fear of being branded to "simple" for not overworking their food.
the most important thing is cook for yourself and think, take your time and enjoy what should be a labour of love.
luke
Do you think that (the point you made about just taking your time & enjoying a labour of love - which by the way, I agree with) gets lost in the mayhem of a busy kitchen & customer environment, plus having to get the absolute most out of your dollar?
it's definitely a challenge,but having seen chaotic kitchens and tranquil ones, you can actually produce fantastic, profitable results without the mayhem.
i think a key factor is not biting off more than you can chew, the hope is that only consistancy you aim for is quality and the rest can evolve.
i guess i'm gonna find out!! fingers crossed!
Dont want to burst anyones bubble but we were told that the Grandvewe people hadn't decided who was to do the food yet, or maybe they were being coy?
Maybe they were being coy, because when I was there chatting to them (obviously before I wrote my post about Grandvewe) they actually mentioned the name "Luke" as being the person that would be looking after the food side of things. I asked were the public allowed to know his surname & they said it was best for them not to say at that stage.
I deliberately didn't use his name when I wrote about it, just in case.
That then was backed up by the fact that Luke actually read and responded to my blog, and, as you can see from the comments above from Luke, he seems to be quite well underway with planning the restaurant at Grandvewe.
I would have said it was a done deal for Luke. Hope it is still heading that way. Thanks for the feedback though.
looks like i'm outta a job........already!
luke
Hope not Luke. Just to be safe, check out the fine print!
hey rita,
what's your email? i'll send a sneak preview of the menu ideas.
cheers, luke
Howdy! Name's Nicole. Luke, you know who I am. Found the blog googling our business name and stumbled upon your corrspondance.
Rita. We're so chuffed to hear that you enjoy and understand exactly what we're trying to achieve with our little family business! Thank you for your kind words!
Luke, just in case you didn't already know, we're super excited to have you and Your Luverly joining us. I'm especially looking forward to making the time to enjoy the fruits of your labour. Cant wait for the Wessex Saddleback!
As for the cling wrap........ fortunately or unfortunately we cater for the majority who happen to be interstate visitors. With Luke and his partner joing us we hope to put our heads together to attract more local & loyal trade for our mutual benefit. For the record we really dont like using plastics at all in what we do but it is by far the most practical, cost effective and easily understood packaging. If cling film offends we can certainly wrap in waxed paper.
Must away now. I'm leaving Melbourne today, homeward bound after a very stimulating but long 4 days of the D.A.F.F Inaugural Enhancing Entrepreneurial Skills Course.
Hhhhhmmmmmm............ just read the last little bit. Chinese whispers. Sometimes, in both partie's interest, it pays to be a little coy. Like I said, we couldn't be more pleased to see Luke's smiley face working the kitchen at Grandvewe!
Hi Nicole
Glad you found my blog and were happy with what I wrote about your business. It is truly a great business and it will be even more enhanced by Luke's restuarant, I'm sure.
He sent me the sneak preview of his menu & it looks fantastic. I will definitely be down there to eat, and bring friends too.
Anyway - great to "meet" you. I'll make myself known next time I'm there.
Cheers - Rita
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