David Bartlett, MP Premier
Tuesday, 3 March 2009
Tasmania to train Australia’s top chefs and farmers
Premier David Bartlett today highlighted Tasmania’s potential to become a place of innovation. He also explained how an investment in enhancing skills could result in an enhanced reputation for quality products and food tourism.
In his State of the State address to parliament, the Premier said his vision for innovation stretched from crops in the field through to quality food on restaurant tables.
“From extra water supply, to quality crops in the ground, to innovative farm management practices, to the trucks that leave the farm gate, to the frying pans of the likes of Tetsuya Wakuda, I am convinced Tasmanian agri-business will lead an economic recovery in this State and entrench it for the future.
“Today I can announce we will work with the University of Tasmania and other stakeholders, such as the TFGA, to create a top flight farm management course.
“With our innovative agriculture sector and our world-wide reputation for fine food Tasmania is the natural place to establish such a university course.
“We can create in Tasmania a continuum of food excellence that runs from the seedling in the paddock right through to the restaurant menu.
“That is why we will also establish Australia’s leading institute for high-end chefs.
“The Tasmanian Culinary School of Excellence will take Tasmanian cuisine to the world.
“Dr. James Cretan will chair a working party to establish the institute this year, with special advice coming from Tetsuya Wakuda.”
To demonstrate local culinary possibilities, Mr Bartlett announced Brand Tasmania will run an event in May of this year called ‘Savour Tasmania’.
“It will bring three world class chefs to Tasmania who will use Tasmanian produce to create meals in Tasmanian restaurants over four evenings.
“Savour Tasmania will also include a wine show and public master-classes.”
Further information:
Tasmanian Government Communications UnitPhone: (03) 6233 6573
Now it's out in the open!
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6 comments:
Rita, well done on refraining! it must have been tough for such a passionate person like you! TJ
Glad you appreciate the amount of restraint that was involved here TJ!
Give me a break!
Finally some advisor with a penchant for eating out gleaned from many junkets at our countries best & brightest spots, suddenly gets traction in the right department & all of a sudden we collectively realise that we are sitting on a goldmine!
Give me a break!
These resources have always been here as everyone knows but often the local inhabitants have been blasse maybe even secretive & protective about their bounty. It might be unpalatable to the dyed in the wool Tasmanian Foodies, but it often takes a spruiking mainlander to legitimise the message & value add to its currency in the marketplace of awareness. Of course there have been earlier generations that had hit the beach first & their contibutions & influence are profound. Like all walks of life though, things are speeding up & it seems we are mostly preoccupied with the now & the new. In this spirit should we not celebrate the Leos, the Tets, the Rodney & the Severines, the Lukes & the Katrinas, the Lees & the Simons, for enriching this states culinary landscape?
What I hope is that we dont get ourselves postioned into some sort of culinary or cultural cringe where we feel we have to prove our collective capabilities like some sort of 'uncle Tom' house foodie.
We have got something here that many people can see the huge value in, it would be a shame if we were not in the driving seat to guide it to its full potential.
This might sound a bit zenophobic & to a degree it is. What I would like to see is a Tasmanian spruiking the Islands bounty.
What defines a Tasmanian I hear you ask? Simple, someone who chooses to live here, by circumstance or by choice.
Actually give me a break. What is wrong with giving Tasmania another shot in the arm.
OK, we locals may be affronted, even patronized a little by such comments, as we know its good. But hey, as we head into a recession and it is expected that food exports both international and interstate will buoy the economy, should we not embrace this publicity.
A chefs school of excellence, why not. If that in turn brings talented people to the isle who may in turn stay.
It may be an unpalatable truth, but mainlanders (love them or hate them we may need them), have a less than favorable xenophobic view of us, might be nice to change that with a bit of cash behind it.
Bartlett is a dickhead, but thats as far as I will agree, lets not be so parochial in our view, I say go Tassie.
All it will do, will export whatever talent graduates here, to move back os & perpetuate the already one way traffic that our primary produce already suffers, only this time, we'll give em the inside track
I don't know that I feel qualified to have an opinion on this subject as a relative newcomer to Tasmania.
If what Earmuffs says is right that all that will be Achieved is to export our goods and talents overseas with little gain to the local food scene, then I would say that thats great for producers, but not for Tassie consumers. I say that in a way that it still shits me that the mainland can still sell many home products cheaper than I can buy them here. As for talent, well, its hard as a talented individual in a small pond, the lure of the bigger market and bright lights is always going to be there.
On Steves point, reading between the lines, then I would like to see some more local talent included in the showcasing of the produce.
On anons point, I guess any publicity is better than none, and we could all possibly be grateful for any positive re-enforcement of our industry as we head into an economic downturn. But, I never trust a pollie.
Cartouche
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