Food & Wine

PERTH hospitality guru David Weinman has been commissioned by The Marketing Pepper Board of Malaysia to promote Sarawak pepper across the globe. And what better place to start than in his home town, Perth?

The dawn is rising on another vintage and, as David Pike discovers, it could be a pretty good one. IT has approached that time of the year when I get to see dawn on a daily basis.

Rain, while desperately needed in the pastoral and cropping regions of the eastern States is proving to be a huge headache for winemakers, as David Pike discovers.

There’s plenty of activity in Applecross as some familiar names bring a little more choice and flavour to the area, as Julie-anne Sprague reports.

WHILE Valentine’s Day was more than a week ago, Gusto couldn’t go past some of these great-night-out stories.

VANS Sidewalk Café has reopened under the ownership of Kevin McCabe and David Cooney.

The gap between Australian fizz and the best Champagne from France may be narrowing, but David Pike doubts we will ever match the masters.

The world’s appreciation of Western Australian wines is growing, and the efforts of Patrick Salord and other sommeliers is helping drive the success, as Julie-anne Sprague reports.

A recent tasting has left David Pike in awe of that naughty, unpredictable variety that is pinot noir. This wine has a nasty habit of performing inconsistently. PINOR Noir is a very naughty grape variety because it very rarely behaves on cue.

Jerry Fraser can shuck oysters with the best of them and has built quite a reputation for himself in his short time in Perth, as Julie-anne Sprague reports.

RENOVATIONS to create a new-look cafe section at Simon’s Seafood Restaurant are complete and include a stylish Italian pizza oven.

OH the outdoor life. My day of rest this weekend was spent lending a hand to a couple of aspiring local vignerons that needed to attend to their bird problem.

THE news that Umberto Tinelli is opening a new restaurant, Rigoletto, just minutes away from his former establishment, Campo de Fiori (now known as Gala Restaurant), does not worry Gala’s new owners Hans Lang and Marianne Kempf.

On his way back down south for another vintage David Pike turns his mind to the weighty topic of the emergence of regionality in WA’s wine growing centres.

City dwellers prone to a purchase or two at a continental deli rejoice. One of the city’s best has opened a new outlet, as Julie-anne Sprague reports.

For the likes of David Pike the festive season doesn’t end with the New Year, as this week’s invitation to summer fun, music, food and wine indicates.

There’s nothing like immersing yourself in a culture to discover the wonders of its culinary traditions, and an upcoming visit to Italy is bound to appeal, as Julie-anne Sprague reports.

BEV Sprague’s Amano Cooking School is getting ready for its first classes in March.

With the sun setting on the festive season David Pike turns his mind to pre-season training for its return next year and the contemplation of some Tasmanian offerings.

A Perth chef has brought a little touch of class back to the preparation of a fine cup of coffee with the arrival from Belgium of the Royal Coffeemaker, as Julie-anne Sprague reports.

COULD there soon be a new restaurant in Applecross? There has been talk for some time that the former Heathcote Hospital site, with its exceptional views, would be a good home for a restaurant. Gusto has heard that two prominent Perth restaurateurs have

O’BRIENS Irish Sandwich Bar opened its first Australian store in West Perth this week. The global franchise has more than 200 stores and its operation has been brought to Australia by Perth businessman Rob Moran and his Sydney-based business partner Brya

It has been a big year for foodies in Perth with a few famous names moving on and some new trends emerging on the local scene, as Julie-anne Sprague reports.

With what has been a big year in wine coming to a close, David Pike takes the opportunity to reflect on what 2002 had to offer for lovers of the grape.

CONSUMERS are forcing major take-away chains to offer more choices and a greater variety of healthy food items. The appearance of salads, wraps, and baguettes at some of the world’s major fast-food chains has been brought about by a change in consumers’

AS far as Martin Black is concerned, owning his own chocolate company took a lot more work than was the case for the fictional young chap called Charlie who inherited Willy Wonka’s chocolate empire in the famous children’s story.

WITH the ink drying on a $2 million contract to supply a chain of eastern States supermarkets, Canon Foods is embarking on further expansion.The convenience foods producer – it focuses on chicken meat – is drawing up the final plans for new faciliti...

David Pike this week celebrates the Sheraton Wine Awards’ 25th year and pays tribute to ‘the chairman’.

IT is difficult to know which of the two prospective partners would’ve been more disappointed, at the time, by the failure of merger negotiations between Hotham Wines and Barrington Estate.

LIQUOR retailer Patrick Stephenson continues to profit from his Liberty Liquors venture, close to a year after selling the business to national supermarket giant Woolworths.

Wine as the winemakers intend, that’s the thinking behind the growing adoption of Stelvin Closures. David Pike opens the debate.

THE restaurant trade’s night of nights was held last month to celebrate excellence within the industry and to recognise the importance restaurants play in the Western Australian tourism economy.