AUSTRALIA. Brisbane Airport last week hosted a special ‘Paddock to Gate’ dinner to champion the many local brands in its food & beverage offer. A VIP dinner in the International Terminal’s Village Green area brought together 40 guests for a four-course menu supplied by the restaurants in the terminal, each with a ‘hero’ item of local produce.
Guests included media, bloggers and influencers and the local producers themselves, which each had tasting stations to showcase their products to guests and to travellers.
Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) noted that ‘Paddock to Gate’ is a “celebration of the best local produce from South East Queensland growers and suppliers used in an array of tasty menu selections for travellers at Queensland’s gateway airport”.
Following a A$45 million transformation of the International Terminal in 2015, the F&B on offer in the terminal is much changed, with award-winning producers of local meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, eggs, craft beers, wines, breads, pastries, jams, condiments and deli items available at Brisbane Airport.
BAC Head of Terminal Retail and Commercial Trevor Hill said that the company offers a stage for local suppliers to showcase quality local produce to a growing international audience.
He said: “We think Queensland farms and artisan suppliers produce some of the best products in the world and we’re keen to celebrate and promote this to the six million-plus passengers who travel through Brisbane International every year.
“It’s all about creating an environment that encapsulates the personality of Brisbane and Queensland that is memorable, engaging, intriguing and a place people wanted to return to. Our restaurant and retail partners have certainly achieved that by offering quality local ingredients and products to provide a unique experience. There is nothing like it on offer at any other airport in Australia.”
BAC hailed the quality of the produce as well as the stories behind the producers.
The Brisbane River Grill features beef from the fertile rangelands of The Darling Downs, seafood from Queensland’s oceans and free range eggs from Tamborine Mountain. Its beef is the work of the Hughes and Dobbin families, who breed and raise stock to offer a “genuine paddock to plate experience” according to BAC.
Tamborine Mountain eggs come from pasture-raised hens that have access to fertile land for foraging, their ‘barns’ are on wheels and are towed around the property to different locations. The partnership with Brisbane River Grill has seen their flock increase by 500 hens to meet demand, noted BAC.
Sirromet Wines’ selection has been chosen, said BAC, to match with handcrafted cheeses from the highlands of Woombye. The cheese is the product of regional suppliers Graeme and Karen Paynter, who started the company in 2013 to escape corporate life. Their vision was to recreate the best of the world’s artisan cheeses locally on the Sunshine Coast.
Windmill & Co has partnered with local ale houses Newstead Brewing Co and Burleigh Brewing Co to provide customers with a taste of Brisbane through locally brewed beers and ciders. The menu includes fruit and vegetables wholly locally sourced from Queensland.
Other Queensland staples on display are Merlo Coffee and popular breakfast restaurant The Muesli Folk (formerly My Muesli), which can both be found at Bar Corretto on Level 4 of the International Terminal.
Local produce is available at the following locations in the International and Domestic terminals:
Brisbane River Grill (International)
• Tambourine Mountain eggs
• Green Beacon Brewery – Newstead
• Sirromet Wines – Mt Cotton
Windmill & Co (International)
• The Muesli Folk (previously MyMaple) – Hope Island, Gold Coast
• Burleigh Brewing Co – Burleigh
• Newstead Brewing Co – Newstead
The Botanist (International)
• Merlo coffee – Bowen Hills
• Sirromet wines – Mt Cotton
Bar Corretto (International)
• Maleny natural yogurt (in Moroccan Lamb Tenderloin)
• Kingaroy Kitchen tomato relish (in Beef Cheek Burger on Brioche)
• Kingaroy Kitchen mango chutney (in Cajun Chicken Burger)
Burger Urge (International)
• Wild Breads – Darra
• Gotzinger bacon – Yatala
The Market Place / Fonzie Abbott (International)
• Fonzie Abbott coffee – Albion
Glasshouse Bar / Aviation Pier (Domestic)
• Green Beacon Brewery – Newstead
• Tambourine Mountain eggs
• Sirromet wines – Mt Cotton
Video footage of local products offered at BNE International can be viewed on this page and at the link here.