The experts

Byron Bay —— What those in the know are eating, drinking and seeing.

01.

Barbara Vega Sommelier, Raes on Wategos (raes.com.au)

“In my rare downtime you’ll find me at St. Elmo Dining Room & Bar (stelmodining.com) in the centre of Byron, drinking manzanilla sherry and enjoying some fantastic tapas. There aren’t many places that serve good Spanish sherry but the owners here have a passion for it and Spanish wines in general. They have a revolving list of wines by the glass that changes often. I had a sherry from Sanlúcar de Barrameda that was just delicious

– savoury and saline, served chilled with jamón and cheese. Bliss.”

02.

Chris Mohen

Furniture and product designer, Mason Wylde (masonwylde.com.au)

“There’s a maker called Jai Vasicek (jaivasicek. com) who does the most amazing ceramics. He has a store in town that’s set up like a gallery and the highlight for me is his vases. He has a unique aesthetic, playing on the idea of the human figure but giving it an abstract take – I guess you could say that his pieces are perfectly imperfect. I find them beautiful and arresting, plus I love the fact he’s a local.”

03.

Jude Hughes Chef, Barrio (barriobyronbay.com.au)

“My favourite place to eat is The Nomadic Kitchen, a food stall at local markets, including New Brighton and Byron Farmers. Nomadic’s roots go deep into Sicilian cuisine. Braised beans with sourdough cooked over fire, glugs of olive oil and a fried egg is so satisfying, plus their sweet shortcrust fruit tarts are a portal to what’s ripe at the market on the day. The owners, Robert and Michelle, grow their own beans and apples, make salami and source everything locally. The only trend they follow is the seasons and there’s nothing superfluous, just wholesome cooking.”