T
he quest to identify and understand Australian
cuisine through this country’s indigenous
ingredients has driven Jock Zonfrillo as a chef.
Spending time with Indigenous communities
provided the impetus that led to great success for his
restaurant, Orana, but it’s also providing the template for
our chefs to better understand this country’s fl avours.
Accolades are not Zonfrillo’s goal. Rather, its
The Orana Foundation, which serves dual purposes
of supporting Indigenous communities in developing
food supply businesses, and creating a database of
Australian native foods and how best to use them.
It informs Orana’s nimble menu that changes as
produce availability allows, but Zonfrillo’s masterstroke
is in the application. Ingredients alone do not provide
the magic, but it is how they are prepared and combined
with other ingredients that unlock an entirely new taste
spectrum. It’s a universe Zonfrillo is still discovering, while
a league of rising chefs is also embracing lessons being
learned in Orana’s kitchen. The infl uence is spreading. SUSTAINABILITY
AND INNOVATIONOrana
AdelaideOrana’s scarlet
prawns with
roti. Above:
Jock Zonfrillo.
GOURMET TRAVELLER 77