Patrizia Simone – Chef/Restaurateur
It is often said that Patrizia Simone cooks with love. She accepts this, but thinks that cooking with respect is just as important. 'I always try to teach my apprentices that you have to learn to actually see where the food comes from and understand it that way,' Patrizia says. 'Go back to the roots of the produce, see how it is grown, feel that bond with the land. That is how you develop love and respect for the produce, and then you cook with passion.'
For two decades Patrizia's passionate cookery has attracted food aficionados to her home base of Bright, around three hours from Melbourne, in Victoria's High Country. Husband George looks after front of house. He also keeps an eye on the finances. 'I would not have survived without his business mind because money means nothing to me. I am interested in produce and cooking and don’t take much care about the bills. George says, "I can’t believe you paid $300 for these mushrooms!" but I just laugh. We are a good team.'
Meandering
'I love walking but no-one wants to walk with me because I stop all the time. Herbs are my passion, and in spring you just walk through paddocks and you can see magnificent herbs everywhere. I love to walk in the mountains around Bright. You can go up to Mount Hotham and walk around. I go for a walk every morning. At mushroom time I like to go walking through the pines. I see deer sometimes when Im walking in winter, and lots of other wildlife.'
Mt Buffalo
'Mt Buffalo is a gorgeous place for a picnic. The wilderness and the wildflowers are wonderful. My son likes to climb the mountain; I remember making a picnic for the whole group of climbers and waiting for them at the top but when they arrived they were too tired to eat it! The views are wonderful. I think it is comparable to anywhere in the Alps. You can see for miles, all the valleys, all the different shades of greens. Most winters I try to make a day visit to Mt Buffalo or Hotham or Falls Creek because I grew up with snow and I love it.'
Chestnuts and cheese
'One of the best times of the year is chestnut time, in autumn. You can buy chestnuts at farm gates. Even better is to pick the chestnuts yourself. These majestic trees are so old and beautiful, their shape is very elegant. There are a few chestnut groves around, especially on farms near Harrietville, Mt Beauty and Eurobin. Milawa cheese is an icon in our area. It is a fabulous asset. I used to try to source cheese from local ladies who made it in their homes, but now Milawa produces a huge variety of good quality cheeses. I particularly love their goat's cheese.'
Meandering
'Our whole area is perfect for day trips and little excursions. Wandiligong is a tiny mining town that now has beautiful orchards of apples, shaped in a way that gives you that old charm. It is not something that every town will give you: that feeling of being in the past and in the present. Harrietville is an alpine town with little farms where individuals have found a niche. In the 1950s European migrant sharefarmers moved up to our region to grow tobacco plus a whole lot of different produce. You can taste it and buy it at the various wineries and farm gates, beautiful artichokes and berries as well as common things like tomatoes.'
