From cafes to hatted chefs, cocktails to coffee – the rich and diverse culinary landscape of Wollongong and its surrounds has been showcased in the newest publication from local, independent publisher Quicksand Food, The Illawarra Cookbook.
The hard-cover, coffee-table style cookbook – which will hit the shelves in early December – features 55 recipes curated from 33 of the region’s best cafes, restaurants and bars including Caveau, Kneading Ruby, Rookie Eatery, The Scarborough Hotel, His Boy Elroy, Dagwood, Babyface Kitchen, Earthwalker + Co, Balinese Spice Magic and Lee and Me.
A tribute to the culinary community of the Illawarra, the cookbook also showcases the producers, farmers and small businesses that have helped to cultivate the region’s distinct and locally-focused food scene, including Green Connect, The Schoolhouse, Kiama Farmers’ Market, The Pines Dairy, Mahbrook Organics and Buena Vista Farm.
“Over the past few years, there has been a surge of new venue openings in the Illawarra. Energetic hospitality professionals are providing a quality product, and the Illawarra public are embracing it,” said Director of Quicksand Food, Stefan Posthuma.
“Living here myself, I’ve experienced first-hand just how much hard-work and passion is driving this reinvention, and we wanted to pay homage to this. The Illawarra Cookbook is a celebration of the people, produce and places that are driving the region’s increasingly modern – yet locally-focused – culinary landscape.”
“We also wanted to be a part of this journey – to become part of the region’s culinary transformation and put in on the food-lovers map,” he said.
The Illawarra Cookbook is accompanied by the release of a new series of The Quicksand Food Podcast – featuring interviews with chefs, producers and farmers across the region. The podcast delves deeper into the Illawarra’s culinary landscape, canvassing both the opportunities and challenges faced by the expanding industry.
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