KNOW YOUR PRODUCER
Melbourne chef Dave Verheul believes effort and excellence should be rewarded, reflected in his
nomination of Tuerong Farm’s Kittyhawk flour for a 2019 delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Award.GREAT CHEFS CELEBRATE THE GREATEST INGREDIENTS
QUALITY AND CARE FACTOR COME TO THE FORE
“In this age of mass-produced, chemical-laden ‘bread’, people like Jason Cotter
of Tuerong Farm are so important,” says delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards
Victoria state judge Dave Verheul. “They’re the ones who are putting in the immense
effort to grow wheat that has not been sprayed with fungicides or insecticides, that
wasn’t milled over a year ago, and that may actually taste of something.
“We are using Jason’s flour because this incredible product very much sits
alongside what we do here at Embla and Lesa – we want produce that’s connected
to our region and produced in a way that takes into account sustainability,
biodiversity and our health.” PHOTOGRAPHYBRETT STEVENS
STYLING
KIRSTEN JENKINS
MERCHANDISING
EMMALY STEWART
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
QUENTIN BERTHONNEAU
THE PRODUCER
JASON COTTER, TUERONG
FARM, TUERONG, VIC“There’s an international movement
whereby grain is being treated much
in the same way as a single-origin
coffee, or a wine – as an expression
of the place that it’s grown and the
variety that’s being grown,” says
Jason Cotter of Tuerong Farm on
the Mornington Peninsula.
Here, Cotter grows sustainably,
with minimal inputs, producing
Australian hard-white wheats
(including the featured Kittyhawk),
French red wheats and a handful of
ancient grains, all while bulking up
around 200 varieties of heritage
wheat from the 19th and 20th
centuries. Why? “Because the genetic
diversity of wheat has narrowed
significantly in the last 40 years,” says
Cotter. “Earlier wheats offer different
protein profiles, and with that comes
different flavours, better ease of
digestion, potentially better nutrition.
“We’re not chasing yield and
harvestability; what we’re chasing is
a flavourful product that’s nutritious
and offers a true expression of the
place it has been grown and the
variety of grain that we’re growing.”PRODUCE AWARDS.