Sophie O’Neil and Mark Brancatisano, of Torello Farm, accept their From the Paddock award.
Two Mornington Peninsula businesses have claimed top honours in the 2023 delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards, bringing two of the four national trophies home to our picturesque region known for its bountiful produce.
In their 18th year, the awards cast the spotlight on Australia’s finest producers, the dedicated individuals who nurture and cultivate the ingredients that grace the tables of our leading chefs and hospitality venues as well as the homes of residents.
The awards that found their way to the Peninsula were From the Earth, won by Tuerong Farm, and From the Paddock, claimed by Torello Farm. An esteemed panel of judges featuring some of Australia’s culinary luminaries, including Danielle Alvarez, Jo Barrett, Peter Gilmore, Lennox Hastie, Andrew McConnell, Matt Moran, Josh Niland, Matt Stone, and Alla Wolf-Tasker, evaluated the entries.
Torello Farm’s co-owner and director Sophie O’Neil shed light on the journey to this recognition: “You need to be nominated by a chef, and we were nominated by Simone Watts, who is a tireless advocate for the Mornington Peninsula farming community. It’s a really important award for producers because obviously we celebrate chefs and restaurants with hats and all sorts of things, but there are not many awards for food producers.”
What sets Torello Farm apart is its dedication to providing high-quality meat to the public. “We process whole animals week in, week out, every week of the year,” Sophie said. “And doing that at the level we do it, it’s a lot of effort, and often that calibre of meat is only available on restaurant menus. We’ve always been really proud that we make it available to the public seven days a week.”
Torello’s commitment to sustainability extends to value-adding. When faced with the challenge of selling roast cuts during the summer months when demand for such dishes wanes, the farm’s culinary creativity comes into play. It transforms these cuts into delectable meat pies, lasagnes, ragouts, and tagines.
“Value-adding creates a lot of work, and a lot of humans are behind what we do, but that’s what makes it special,” Sophie said. “A big part of our ethical and sustainable philosophy is making sure every part of the animal is used. We encourage customers to try lesser-known cuts like flat iron, merlot and denver steak with recipes on our website, and we have a team in our farmhouse kitchen value-adding our beef and lamb into delicious take-home meals.”
Andrew McConnell commended Torello Farm. “Torello Farm is a deserving winner of this award for their incredible commitment to nose-to-tail butchery and heritage breeds. Their Belted Galloway grass-fed beef and Dorset Down free-range lamb have as much integrity on the plate as they do in the way they are reared and supplied to the consumers.”
Torello Farm’s neighbour, Tuerong Farm, is best known for growing, milling and baking heritage, ancient and modern grains. It earned its From the Earth award nomination from Vue de monde executive chef Hugh Allen.
Owner Jason Cotter said: “In 2019 we were national finalists in our category and we got an award for best new product. I felt we were heading in the right direction so it was lovely to win our category this year. It was probably off the back of persisting in what we were doing, which is specialising in single origin wheats that are flavour driven. It’s only in the last couple of years that we’ve amassed enough of the varieties that we’ve liked to start milling and presenting them to a wider audience, and the response has been really great.”
delicious. editorial director Kerrie McCallum underscored the importance of recognising such producers: “Since 2006, the awards have been championing the unsung heroes behind our chefs and restaurateurs – Australia’s finest producers – and educating our readers on why it’s so important to buy local. We want to acknowledge producers with a focus on environmental sustainability, provenance, species diversity, preservation, and collaboration with their local community.”
Congratulations to Tuerong Farm and Torello Farm for their outstanding achievements, contributions to Australia’s food industry and bringing recognition to our thriving culinary region.
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