VAN BONE. CREDIT: ADAM GIBSON
“Going over that was the attitude we had, we are amazed and thrilled to take it out, which is just an enormous achievement. Just being there with the who’s who of Australian dining was amazing and to stand up in front of a lot of my heroes and receive that award, it was quite a lot to take in really. Over the last two years, quite a few of them have walked through our doors and eaten and given us extremely positive feedback. So to then go there with a nomination and see these people and have a connection with them, it was truly, truly incredible. “We’ve made some friends, we’re pretty humble people but it’s amazing. You look up to these people for a lot of your career and for them to be praising you, it’s just an amazing thing.” It was nearly a case of double delight for the Van Bone crew, with Stucken also a finalist in the Restaurant Personality of the Year category, which was taken out by Shannon Martinez of Smith & Daughters in Melbourne. “Just being there with the who’s who of Australian dining was amazing and to stand up in front of a lot of my heroes and receive that award, it was quite a lot to take in really” - Tim Hardy
Blessed with sweeping views of the cliffs of Hellfire Bluff and Maria Island in the backdrop, Van Bone offers guests a 14-course menu which regularly changes. Every element of the restaurant is quintessentially Tasmanian from the ingredients grown in the gardens on site, seasoning provided by salt made from local seawater to the Tasmanian oak dining tables designed by Launceston furniture designer Simon Ancher. “We’ve sharpened the sword within our business enormously over that last year and we feel we’ve come a huge way and obviously seeing two nominations,” says Hardy. Two years running to have nominations is absolutely huge and then on the night, like I said, we thought we’d won without even winning. Any national award in itself is huge and looking at the calibre of restaurants that are around Australia, it is just amazing to even be put up with those places. “Once you get to that pointy end, how do you really say this is better than that? Or you know, put a number one or a number five on it etc. I know there’s country restaurants throughout Australia which are very much destinations in themselves, which I regard as a lot better than us. Whether they are or
28 Tasmanian Hospitality Review Oct/Nov Edition
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