Respect for food
> Australian restaurant owner and chef Steve Earl believes in a more sustainable way of preparing and producing what we eat
BORN in Winchelsea, in the state of Victoria, Australia, Steve Earl has always had an affinity for the Great Ocean Road, and admires those who source produce from local areas and treat it respectfully.
Growing up on a farm and having a father who is a keen hunter and fisherman also gave him a unique insight into the journey that food takes from its natural state, until it reaches the plate.
In 2007, Earl bought La Bimba Restaurant, which overlooks the Southern Ocean and Bass Strait, on the Great Ocean Road in Apollo Bay, in Victoria’s south coast.
Its decor is made up of tables and benches that Earl crafted himself, as well as banquettes and light-fittings made of recycled timber sourced from the region, using what was available rather than creating demand for unsustainable or synthetic products.
Driven by his healthy respect for food, sustainable farming and the importance of local food networks, Earl also bought a 45-hectare farm in Wongarra just outside of Apollo Bay in 2009.
There, he grew black truffles, fruits and vegetables, Welsh black beef and Suffolk lamb and pork to use in his restaurant, until he sold the farm in 2014 to commit more time to his family and restaurant.
At La Bimba, Earl prepares, cooks, cures, smokes, eats and shares the produce from his local food networks.
Believing that commercial fishing and hunting not only places pressure on fishermen and hunters, but also on nature’s supply, Earl tries to incorporate fishermen’s bycatches (marine animals caught unintentionally) into his food.
This means no bycatches are wasted, and there is a different menu every day for visitors that come through his restaurant.
One of Earl’s favourite dishes is seafood paella.
“It is simple food,” he says. “I stayed in Spain for a while and fell in love with the vibrant flavours of Southern Spain with Spanish, Portuguese, Middle Eastern and North African influences – it is a melting pot of cuisines which go well with the food we prepare.
“Having a restaurant near the coast, it is generally going to have some seafood in [on the menu]. That is one of the things that can represent the coast and the flavour of our ocean really well because the dish has whatever we can get.
“It is all about what you can get from your surroundings.”
Earl’s restaurant features down-to-earth, hearty cuisine – which includes local herbs, spices and even wild venison – where everything has a connection to the environment.
This gives guests a delectable taste of the region, standing out in today’s globalised world where food often comes commercially from everywhere.
This helps keep the focus on the uniqueness of the environment along Victoria’s Great Ocean Road and The Otways.
Earl remarked: “It is about educating the public. If guests only want fresh fish, that translates to using only what is caught.
“In today’s commercial fishing, you hear demands for suppliers to catch 50 snappers at 550 grams, which puts a lot of pressure on fisheries.
“Guests must be educated about what to eat seasonally and locally, and utilising what the environment is providing for us, rather than dictate what should or should not be caught.”
He adds that we should leave the world in a better state than we enter it, but we are not really doing that.
“If everyone starts doing their bit to minimise impact, hopefully, we can work towards leaving the world in a better state for the future generations to come.”