Kangaroo Island really is flavour of the month, literally.
Food, wine and gastronomic experiences have overtaken the media angle about Kangaroo Island in recent weeks.
Beyond Seal Bay, the whimsical SATC campaign and the views from Southern Ocean Lodge, Kangaroo Island is becoming a darling of the food industry.
Witness the enthusiasm of affable celebrity chef Simon Bryant for all things Kangaroo Island. He was here again at the weekend, doing demonstrations as only he can do, at the Farmers’ Market at Penneshaw.
The KI Seafood Feastival in a couple of weeks also has been generating plenty of media as part of the Tasting Australia program.
Yet visitors to the island often describe having trouble finding local produce.
This is not to blame local traders and food houses. It’s a big island with few residents and producers are busy at the coalface. And it’s all about quality, not quantity. Hey, there’s plenty else to see and enjoy while you travel from one gourmet destination to the next. Part of the fun of the food on Kangaroo Island is the discovery.
The recent merger of Good Food Kangaroo Island and the Kangaroo Island Grapegrowers and Winemakers Association will bring more horsepower and economies of scale to the task of promotion and distribution.
Food and wine trails are being developed as we speak with funding secured by Tourism Kangaroo Island, but more about that later.