Stories

Berridale

Berridale, a modest little farm nestled into the hills of Blackheath, is a long way from the glittering Opera House sweep of views that surrounds Quay restaurant on Sydney Harbour. And yet the story of the little farm and the grand Sydney three hat restaurant are linked in very fundamental and exciting ways.

The story begins with a chance meeting in 2006 between Quay owner Leon Fink and boutique farmer Richard Kalina. Leon was impressed by Richard’s innovative farming techniques and by his passion for rare crops. A meeting was organized between Quay’s Peter Gilmore, and Kalina, a man who has himself known fame in his previous life on the other side of the world as a photographer. 

The meeting of these two has given rise to an exciting partnership; one which helps shape the menu at Quay and will do so for years to come.  Fuelled by their shared enthusiasm for organic farming methods and the development of unusual, boutique crops, Peter and Richard have gone on a rare journey together… a collaboration between farmer and chef which is perhaps unrivalled in Australia. They have developed a type of a “bespoke” farming style which has produced crops not seen before such as organic white raspberries, which will feature on the menu at Quay for the first time this summer. The venture has fed Peter Gilmore’s passion for tiny vegetables, somewhat of a signature in his exquisite food, with such new additions to the menu as miniature pea sprouts, miniature turnips and tiny white and red carrots.

Berridale farm is an unlikely contender for the role of modern day culinary trailblazer. The area was first cleared and turned into a berry farm over 100 years ago, then later planted with apples and pears. In 1926 a fire swept through the property and the farm’s main concern, the jam factory, burned down. The farm was left fallow for many decades until actor Rebecca Gillings bought it in the 90’s and set it up as an alpaca farm. A lovely story, except that the alpacas ringbarked the apple and pear trees and killed them. The farm was put up for sale and in 2003, Richard and Nina Kalina purchased it after first seeing it in London over the internet.

Why buy a farm in the mountains? Richard knew from his Finnish wife and her family that everything grown at altitude tastes different and that berries love the cold. That if Australians could only taste what real organic berries and vegetables and fruit from healthy soil tasted like, they would want more. His first great passion was currents, a crop he had seen bastardized by modern day farming methods but grown properly, full of goodness and flavour.

Richard’s farming has led him into areas he would never have dreamt of in his previous career as a photographer, whose portrait commissions included The Queen, Tony Blair, Morgan Freeman and Christopher Reeves. Today, his proudest achievement is an innovative secure berry compound that combines a hail net, a bird and a rabbit fence and spans almost an acre.

For Peter Gilmore, the symbiotic relationship between Quay and Berridale is a dream come true. A chef with a history of working closely with providores. In Berridale, Peter finally has the opportunity to design menus from the soil up. Through his and Richard’s shared passion, they have worked out ways to deliver vegetables to Quay’s kitchen so that they are still growing moments before they hit the table. New textures and flavours are constantly evolving from the partnership. Whether it is about Peter’s famous Goat’s Curd Cigars with miniature vegetables and flowers or the magnificent new seasonal masterpiece Snow Egg, the story of the collaboration between these two artisans is a culinary fairytale.

Feast Fine Foods

Richard Gunner from Feast! Fine Foods supplies Quay with his award winning lamb.  His farms base their product selection on quality.  They believe that only well cared for, ethically grown stock, make product of the highest quality.  Understanding their farmers and understanding what they do to their environment and why, forms the basis of this code of ethics. 

It is no surprise then to discover that in March 2009 Feast! Fine Foods was selected as a finalist in the “From the Paddock” Category in the 2009 Vogue Entertaining + Travel Produce Awards. 

Also in March 2009, their Hay Valley Lamb was announced as one of only 6 finalists in the 2009 Presidents Medal awarded to the most outstanding product in the 2008 Sydney Royal Shows Fine Food, Dairy and Wine Shows.  The Presidents Medal finalists are chosen from over 5500 entrants and 73 trophy winners across the 3 Royal Sydney Shows. 

We are very proud to include Richard Gunner’s produce amongst our selection at Quay.

Uarra Fisheries

Joto Fresh Fish was founded in early 1998 by Jules Crocker.  They were delivering seafood to Sydney restaurants from the beginning, with one van, one employee and working out of a small rented premises in Clovelly, in Sydney’s East.  They were also committed to outstanding quality and service, which is still their greatest asset. 

With this philosophy, their reputation quickly grew and they are now Sydney’s top-end seafood supplier with a purpose built factory in Botany, a fleet of seven delivery trucks, delivering six days a week to over 80 of Sydney’s best restaurants. 

At Quay we believe that a successful business is built on solid relationships which is clearly a philosophy shared by Joto who have developed many close relationships with fishermen, exporters, restaurateurs, processors and aquaculture producers.  It is the relationship with Uarra Fisheries’s Bruce Malcolm that allows Quay to use the best farmed Murray Cod available.  They deliver the best quality and the best service – a business ethic that has ensured their success.