FUTURE’S BRIGHT
EVENTS
Orange F.O.O.D Week celebrates its 30th anniversary. Plus, come along to our Meet the Producers lunch.
YOUNG CHEF DOM ABOUD had a plan. “Sarah and I always wanted to move to Orange and open up our own restaurant,” he says of his partner, Sarah Crowley, who was born and bred in Orange. The pair met while they were both working at the legendary Rockpool Bar & Grill in Sydney, Dom as a junior sous-chef and Sarah in venue management. “But I was thinking it would be perhaps in our mid-to-late 30s,” he continues.
Orange, though, had a slightly different plan. “We used to do a lot of trips up here to see Sarah’s family, and we always came up for F.O.O.D. Week,” Dom reveals. “We never missed it, and we’d bring up big groups with us, too. So when the guys from the Union Bank [restaurant] got in contact with me because they wanted to relaunch the venue and were looking for someone to run the kitchen, it was a no-brainer. It’s not every day you get that opportunity, and I was already in love with Orange – it has a whole week dedicated to food! So Sarah and I spoke about it for all of five minutes before we were making plans to move up here. I took the job before I’d even seen the venue from the inside.”
It’s a rare regional town that attracts so many young people (Dom beat his estimate of the age he’d move to Orange by a decade, as he’s just 27). >
But Orange has done it, through a combination of vibrant local events like F.O.O.D. Week and a friendly community.
“I’ve met some chefs in the community who were more than helpful,” he explains. “They’d give you every detail of suppliers, and tell you who to chat to for this, or someone else can help you with that. There’s such camaraderie, and that makes a big difference. Everyone was so welcoming and they want to make it easy for you. That gave us a really strong start.”
The Union Bank reopened in October 2019, so it wasn’t long before that strong start was forced to a halt by COVID-19. However, since restrictions have been relaxed, business has actually been better than ever, according to Dom. “We expected that back-to-work trade drop-off in January, like we had last year, but we were absolutely steamrollered! People still want to have a weekend getaway and they still want that escape. And a place like Orange, with wineries and a really good food scene, has become the spot to come to. It’s got a unique charm to it.”
Known as the food basket of New South Wales, it’s no surprise Orange has become so famous for its food, Dom tells us. “I love the produce up here,” he enthuses. “There’s a wonderful gentleman named Robbie Robinson, also known as The Market Cat. He’s one of the original Food Board members and he forages for mushrooms. We’ve had a ridiculous season for mushrooms because it’s been so hot and wet, so we’re getting beautiful pine mushrooms and slippery jacks. I’ve been out with Robbie before – we pick mushrooms, and 20 minutes later we’re making a mushroom butter, I’m making pasta and it’s on the menu in an hour’s time. That’s quintessentially Orange. It really speaks to me – straight from the forest onto the plate.”
Together with four other local chefs, Dom is creating a special five-course dinner on 12 April for Orange F.O.O.D. Week’s 30th anniversary. Dom and colleagues Richard Learmonth, Ruben Lopez, Lily Hahn-stevens and Chris Tudor will showcase the best of local produce – teamed with the best of local wine, of course – for an eager group of 300 diners.
And it’s not just the produce that Dom believes will ensure the event’s success. “The people who are involved in the produce are so passionate about it,” he says. “They put so much time into it. It’s a massive drawcard for me, seeing how much everyone loves what they do.”
So it’s the people, even more than the food, the wine, the spectacular scenery or the elegant architecture, that will keep visitors coming back. “Orange is definitely on the rise,” says Dom. “And I really respect that 30-year history of F.O.O.D. Week. Hopefully we can keep doing it justice.”
Anyone who’s been to his restaurant, or any of the other up-and-coming eateries, will be sure that he and the rest of Orange’s new food generation will do just that.
Orange F.O.O.D Week runs from April 9 to 18. Visit orangefoodweek.com.au
“We pick mushrooms and make a mushroom butter, and it’s on the menu in an hour’s time.”