Best Markets in Templestowe and Beyond

February 21, 2018February 4, 2023 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

The Best Markets in Templestowe and Surrounds

Markets in Templestowe and surrounds.

There is nothing I enjoy more than spending my weekend wandering through a gorgeous, local Farmers Market before heading home with a basket full of produce to cook for myself and my family.

Shopping at a Farmers’ Market inspires creativity don’t you think? If you find an authentic local market then you have found the local growers, makers, bakers and creators in your community.

Well I have made it my mission to research, visit and discover as many of the best markets in Templestowe and beyond.

Templestowe is a little gem of a Suburb to live in, with great proximity to the City, its own river frontage, interesting architecture, extensive and sprawling parklands, great shopping and easy access to The Artisan Hills and stunning surrounding Countryside Continue reading →

Mushrooms and Chocolate and a very sweet Saturday

July 17, 2016July 17, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net ~ 4 Comments

JoBo and I went along to a little mushroom tour on Saturday morning, starting at Prahran Market, progressing to Parwan Valley Mushrooms and then ending up back at Prahran Market for a delicious lunch.

It was wonderful learning about how mushrooms grow and are harvested. In my kitchen I plan to show each individual mushroom much more love and respect from now on. Perhaps a brief salute or wink before cooking will suffice?

More about mushrooms to come.

To finish the fungi festivities we attended a lovely soiree catered by the team at Tommy Collins Kitchen. Tommy and co worked their chef-y magic on the mycelium (I learnt a lot yes?) and presented us with a delicious assortment of mushroom based dishes. JoBo and I could not decide which one dish we preferred because they were all ten types of delicious.

I am now inspired to see what mushroom-y magic I can conjure in my own kitchen.

The day concluded with the presentation of the most amazing cake crafted by Tad Lombardo from Cioccolato Lombardo. Tad tells us that he worked on the “On the forest floor” themed cake for more than two weeks. The cake was made in honour of Damian Pike’s 30 years as a stallholder at Prahran Market.

They let me eat some cake. Can you believe it? This stunning confection was cut up and shared with all and its delicious sweetness is still on my mind. If you can get your hands on one of Cioccolato Lombardo’s chocolate caramel’s then do it. They were oh so delicious.

I loved hanging out with JoBo, the mushrooms and the cake.

Big thanks to Prahran Market, Vikki Leng and Australian Mushrooms for the fun(gi) times.

Happy Eating.

Dani xx

Dani B is a food blogger from Melbourne. She writes about “good food for a good life” at Eat My Street. She also hosts an online cooking club for other enthusiastic foodies. Follow along on Facebook or sign up to find out more.

String and Salt Cooking School

October 28, 2015May 16, 2016 ~ danib@eatmystreet.net

Last night I had the pleasure of being invited along to attend a cooking class at String and Salt Cooking School in Warragul.

Opened by Warragul locals Michelle and Dave 18 months ago, String and Salt operates as a beautiful homewares store by day and a warehouse style cooking school by night. Housed in a beautifully renovated building in the main street of Warragul, String and Salt is a little gem of a store that is loved by locals and visitors alike.

The range of classes on offer at String and Salt really excites; gluten-free, Malaysian, Sausage Making, Salami Making, South African, Dad’s in the Kitchen, The basics of Bread and more. Classes are taught by a variety of chefs and cooks.

Last night was “A Taste of the Peninsula” themed class, presented by Michael Demagistri of the newly established East. Bar and Dining in Mount Martha. Michael might be known to some of you from his time on MasterChef: The Professionals, where he made it into the top four before being eliminated.

To start the evening, Michael shared with us a little bit about his history and journey as a Chef. Highlights include his time working with Jacques Reymond, a 3 month stint at Noma and his role as head chef at the Sorrento Golf Club. Two weeks ago he realised his long-term dream of opening a restaurant in beautiful Mount Martha.

Michael’s passion is to make food from scratch, using natural produce with a touch of playfulness. He also likes to forage beach-side and what better place could there be to do this than the beautiful Mornington Peninsula.

Our menu for the evening was:

Seven Spiced Pumpkin Seeds

Scampi, brown butter snow, lemon powder and miso. This dish was melt in the mouth delicious and may have been my favourite.

Heirloom tomato, purple basil and burata salad.

Seafood Paella with clams, mussels, flathead, scallops, nasturtium and salt bush.

Creme brûlée with banana ice cream and crispy pearls.

All of the food was amazing and beautiful with multiple layers of flavour that really “zing” together on the plate.

String and Salt cooking school provides an elegantly casual environment to listen to the experts talk about their cooking, and to learn some tips on how to replicate the dishes at home. There were opportunities throughout the evening to “have a go” and there was a very hands on approach to smelling, tasting, and seeing all the produce that Michael had brought along (or foraged on his way) for the evening.