MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR – METRO PEPPINA
ILike the hotel it is nestled in with at Parliament Square, there was much anticipation for the opening of Massimo Mele’s Peppina – which was only heighted by the delays of Covid-19. And just like the Tasman, the Italian restaurant has wasted little time making a big impact on Hobart’s dining scene. Named after Mele’s grandmother, Peppina celebrates Mele’s Italian heritage and his culinary experiences while focusing on seasonal Tasmanian produce to bring dishes to life. “We opened the last week of December, two days after the borders opened so it was pretty hectic,” Mele said. “We were under a lot of pressure from day one, so to get that recognition after the conditions we opened the restaurant in, I think that makes it even a little bit sweeter. “Just after the New Year we all got hit by Covid, so when a new restaurant opens up like that without the infrastructure built and established, it is pretty difficult.
“The local support has been really amazing and the fact that it was so long in the works, the anticipation had been pretty incredible. “I’m from Hobart, so for me to grow up and go away and then come back and open a restaurant like this that gets instant recognition, it’s pretty humbling. But that recognition for the team is a little pat on the back for the past six months.” With his family’s heritage moulded from Naples, Mele’s masterpiece pays tribute to how he was introduced to cooking. “I like simple Italian produce, using the traditions and the cultures of Italian food that I’ve grown up with and just kind of blending it here with Tassie produce. “I named the restaurant after my grandmother, she was a farmer and she was also a matriarch of the family and that’s how she cooked and that’s how she kind of went through life.”
Tucked away on the picturesque East Coast, French-themed Furneaux has well and truly put St Helens on the map for local and interstate visitors alike. Headed by chef Stefaan Codron, Furneaux took home best stand-alone restaurant as well as the title as best regional restaurant in the state. Hailing from Belgium, Codron began his culinary career at 13 and has worked in Michelin-star restaurants in France, spent 13 years with Hyatt International working as an executive chef, was a development chef for Lite n Easy, and a global development chef for Dominos pizza. However a visit to Freycinet five years ago planted the seed about opening an establishment in the region and four years ago he took the plunge – and hasn’t looked back. “St Helens [is] a beautiful little gem tucked away, East Coast, absolutely superb,” Codron said. “What do we love about it? Everything. The people, the environment, absolutely everything, there’s nothing not to love about St. Helens and the East Coast. RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR – REGIONAL FURNEAUX
“But for us it is the restaurant. It is being able to look after people, serving good food. [We have won] an award that we absolutely adore and I have to also say thank you to the customers and our team, because without them this wouldn’t be possible.” Furneaux’s two victories add to the two the restaurant won in 2019 (Best Speciality Restaurant and Restaurant of the Year – Regional), while it also took out the Best Restaurant – Regional crown at the 2019 national awards for excellence. Codron said using Tasmanian produce was a “match made in heaven” with French dining. “Go from seafood, to anything that grows on land, it’s incredible. And we are so lucky everything is so pristine. Everything is Tasmanian, why not love cooking with it? “At the moment we have beautiful oysters and we do them in a beautiful little cream sauce with truffle. “Scallops are coming in. Everybody wants scallops. Here we are doing beautiful little dishes with them, we have it with a beautiful vinaigrette, nice and warm, absolutely sensational.”
Hospitality Review: June 2022 24
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