Chefs, growers and grocers sing the praises of seasonal produce so why settle for less? Robyn Rankin investigates the push for food without a footprint

A growing foodie movement suggests the less distance you or the food has to travel, the better.

These days we’re all greenies in our own way – we’ve changed the light bulbs, we compost, recycle, grow our own vegies, live in homes designed to make the best of the environment and we have solar power and water.

And yet there’s another way we can help make a difference.Food is better for us if it is fresh, picked just a couple of days ago, compared with mass‑produced fruit, vegetables and meat that are kept in cold storage for days, weeks or even months.

Not only that but food produced locally is more likely to be suited to the local environment.

And the less distance it has to travel, from interstate or even the other side of the country, means less energy is used in transporting it from farmer to consumer.

This theory is being steadily embraced by Far North producers and foodies who also acknowledge the inherent and distinctive qualities of our tropical climate and the food we produce.

We speak of rambutans, mangoes, dragonfruit, starfruit, jaboticaba or even the rich dairy products that result from bountiful rainfall on the Tableland.

Ochre Restaurant chef and director Craig Squire is at the forefront of the movement in the Far North and is encouraging other restaurants to recognise the benefits of buying locally.

He hopes the region becomes known, like Tasmania and parts of South Australia, as a place to come for its food, let alone the myriad other attractions.

“I firmly believe we need to link food with tourism,” he says.

“This region needs to diversify its tourism assets … perhaps the new council will take it on.

“There’s some good stuff out there and it all goes back to something I read years ago, that we will never have an Australian cuisine until we fully identify our regional cuisine.

“When I was in Adelaide we used to have small-time quail farmers literally knocking on the back door of the restaurant, trying to get us to use their product. Then we started using chicken from Kangaroo Island, then I started using Australian-produced olive oil.”Craig recognises the importance of farmers getting a fair price and says the more restaurants that use local produce, the more an identifiable cuisine for the region is created.

“Then there’s the tourism aspect … if we can become a foodie destination, it becomes another reason for people to come here.

“It’s been proven that a downturn in tourism actually improves the product because it makes people review their business.”

Then there’s another trendy term – food miles. Buying local produce means less distance the food has to travel, consuming less transport resources, making it better for the environment.

“There are restaurants now established on the concept that they only buy product from within a 100-mile (160km) radius which vastly reduces the carbon output,” Craig says.

Sacred Spice’s Heather and Peter Boulot are living the dream.

They grow their own fruit, vegetables and herbs where they can and compost, recycle and favour local produce.

“We try to keep our footprint soft,” Peter says.

“If we buy our produce from a local grower it can be picked one day and served up to someone the next.”

He recalls ordering snow peas from a wholesaler and discovering in horror that they came from China.

“It requires a bit more effort but we’ve always thought of food like that. It’s part of a philosophy,” he says.

And while the menu “tries to reflect that” he says it becomes more of a challenge in the wet season or when dealing with local squid that needs to be gutted and cleaned.

“We don’t have microwaves and deep fryers.

This is what we do because we believe in it. People that come here love it.

They say the food has a vibrancy, life, energy and zest.

“It’s a matter of everyone doing a little bit.”

Seeing the mass of people converge on “healthy” food options such as Boost Juice at Sydney Airport recently, Heather says more people are interested in changing than in not.

On the Tableland, Liam Flynn from Flynn’s Restaurant at Yungaburra grows his vegetables to supplement the produce he sources from local farmers.

“This is as good a place as any in the world for fresh, local produce,” he says of the Tableland.

“Because of the tropical climate we have stuff coming out of the ground all the time … if there are no tomatoes for four months because of the wet season, you use pumpkins instead.”

Ninety per cent of his menu is sourced locally and he says because he deliberately keeps the restaurant and menu small, he has ample supplies. “I believe smaller is better.”

Liam says he can get fresh produce that has been left on the vine to ripen directly from the farmer cheaper than he could source a lesser product from supermarkets.

Wondaree Macadamia’s Greg O’Neill says while many outlets and restaurants like to use them, distribution can be difficult because of the small amounts needed.

Barramundi Gardens co-owner Gail Thiele says the cost of freight and freshness are incentives for chefs to buy local. They grow hydroponic lettuce, Asian greens and barramundi, with spring rolls produced on‑farm.

“I can have a chef ring me at 3am, tell me he wants something, I can pick it at 6.30am and he can have it by 10am,” she says.

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