As Tasting Australia begins, food curator and chef Kane Pollard is putting SA’s best produce and venues in the spotlight – including his own go-to places to eat.
Ever since his early days at Topiary, chef Kane Pollard’s food philosophy has always centred around respect for South Australia’s amazing produce.
“I think no matter where you travel and where you go, it’s really hard to match the quality of the produce we have here, how close we are to the growers and the variation of micro-climates that are dotted throughout South Australia,” he says.
“All the growers really take into consideration the land and how they treat it, which in turn comes out in the quality and the flavour of the food.”
How Kane started: Strong food roots
Growing up in a family of Adelaide Hills market gardeners, Kane learnt the importance of quality produce from a young age.
“I grew up around food,” he explains.
This passion only grew during his teen years, when he worked during school holidays as a kitchen hand at a pub in Beachport and a nursing home in the Adelaide Hills, developing an appreciation of the relationships between producers and chefs.
After years working in kitchens from North Terrace to northern Queensland, an opportunity came up to purchase a restaurant at Newman’s Nursery on the outskirts of Tea Tree Gully.
Kane felt ready. Topiary was born.
Waste not, want not
Here, Kane’s respect for South Australia’s produce was amplified, as he focused on sourcing locally, making everything from scratch and using as many elements of the produce as possible.
“As we started to build relationships with the growers and producers, you start to see how much love and energy, time and money is put into growing,” he says.
“By the time you follow that whole pathway and it (the produce) gets to your kitchen, all you want to do is use all of it and not waste anything.”
After a few years, the team managed to reduce the busy restaurant’s waste down to less than one household general rubbish bin per week.
But they felt they could do more. “So we covered our bins and sinks for a week to be able to gauge what exactly was making its way to the bin and the sink without us knowing.”
From there, they began to make tweaks to the menu – if they couldn’t find a use for certain items, they’d be scrubbed off the menu and replaced with something else.
From little things, big things grow
This philosophy has travelled with Kane to his new restaurant offering, Ondeen, set in the peaceful Adelaide Hills town of Verdun.
Opening just over a year ago, Kane sees the property – the former home of Sidewood’s Cellar door and, prior to that, Maximilian’s – as a blank canvas.
“There’s a big, beautiful grassy field, an open dam, a small plot of vineyards … and I see a huge opportunity to utilise all the land to its full extent.”
The team has started small, planting a kitchen garden with soft herbs, edible flowers and seasonings along the walkway up to the eatery, but there are plans for another garden closer to the kitchen, and then orchards and hopefully, one day, barley fields.
“There’s no better feeling, I think, than when you’re serving food you’re proud of and that has a story behind it and a reason for being there.
“And you know when you’re putting that plate down on the table, you’re also supporting a whole lot of people in the chain to get it there.”
Get ready for Tasting Australia
This love for South Australia and its produce comes to life in Kane’s role as Food Curator for Tasting Australia presented by Journey Beyond – one of the country’s biggest and longest-running eating and drinking festivals.
With more than 150 events on the program, the 10-day festival will run from 2-11 May. Last year, more than 260 businesses were supported by Tasting Australia, while a record 77,000 people flocked to the event’s hub, Town Square, in Adelaide’s Victoria Square/Tarntanyangga.
In the 12 months leading up to the festival, Kane focuses on connecting chefs with producers, looking over final menus and ensuring guests get “a really good cross-section of what we have on offer here in South Australia”.
“Tasting Australia has always been seen as the ultimate place where you could go and be as creative as you can be.
“It was always a dream to be involved in the festival as a chef in general, but to be able to help tell the producers’ stories and connect local producers with visiting chefs – it was a dream I didn’t even realise I had until it became a reality.
“We’re just super spoiled for choice when it comes to passionate people doing what they do best, and it all seems to come together really beautifully in a melting pot for Tasting Australia.”
SA’s hottest food experiences right now
But SA’s amazing food experiences aren’t limited to Tasting Australia.
Kane says the strong sense of collaboration between chefs, venues and producers – his favourite thing about SA’s food scene – means there are many amazing experiences to be had year-round.
“There are a few that spring to mind right now,” he says.
“Staguni, Clare Falzon’s new restaurant out in the Barossa. It’s really wholesome – local, minimal tampering with the product but maximum love going into it.”
Another recommendation is the Watervale Hotel in the Clare Valley: “I’ve loved watching Nicola Palmer’s adventures out there in Clare. I’ve noticed that the garden-to-table side of their offering has become really, really strong.”
And he’s also a fan of a relative newcomer to SA’s dining scene, Thelma in Piccadilly.
“It used to be a small Turkish deli and it’s really cool to see this place fire up again. They’re all about some simple French influence with hyper-seasonal produce served in a beautiful way by beautiful people.”
Kane’s other top SA eats
Date Night: Loc
“They have a different chef all the time doing short stints, and I’ve found so far that every single one of them represents their style of cuisine and local produce in such a fun, easygoing way.
Meal with friends: Rosemont Hall
“It’s an old dance hall on Prospect Rd, and they serve a modern take on Vietnamese dishes with great local produce in a share-style way. The drinks list is fantastic and there’s a great buzz to the venue.”
Family-friendly spot: Stanley Bridge Tavern
“It’s a pub that has this beautiful outdoor grass area with large picnic tables. There’s no toys or playgrounds necessarily, but it’s all just natural textures. There’s a little creek, garden beds, large stones to climb on, and the food’s always fantastic.”
Special occasion: La Louisiane
“It’s one of those transformative dining experiences where you come off the streets of Adelaide, down into a basement, welcomed with a mini martini, which gets things off to good start, and then there’s the moody lighting, beautiful music, tasty food and general buzz.”
Somewhere to take a friend visiting from overseas: Kuti Shack
“It’s nestled in the dunes, so whether it’s a hot summer’s day or there’s wind and sand going everywhere, you feel like you’re protected. Everything they do, whether it’s a special or a menu staple, it’s always tasty and fresh.”
Find out more about Tasting Australia, see the whole program and make your bookings.
