Red Hill Truffles

It’s a sunny, chilly autumn afternoon and Jenny McAuley of Red Hill Truffles is preparing for the busiest season of the truffle calendar. ”The truffle season starts at the beginning of June and runs for 12 weeks,” explains Jenny. “The truffle starts growing in the ground in the first week of December and it takes until the first of June to grow and ripen. The fungus grows on the root of tree, and the tree likes the fungus because the fungus kills the grass around the tree that competes with it for the sugar, water and elements it needs to thrive.

Essence Food for the Soul

When chef husband and wife team Jim and Melanie Houston got married at the Portsea Hotel, little did they know that 10 years later they would buy a business across the road from the Portsea Hotel and live in it with their three children for the best part of a year. That business is now known as Essence Food for the Soul. As chefs, life for Jim and Melanie was busy, particularly with three young children. The long hours took a strain, and they were ready to make a lifestyle change within the food industry. Sometimes everything falls into place and you find the ideal scenario, and this wholesale food business was perfect for the chef team. Essence Food for the Soul is all about the best quality produce made into delicious, heat and serve meals that help the time poor to eat well.

Barmah Park Vineyard

Barmah Park is a stone's throw from Mornington, just off the Moorooduc Hwy. Come here to warm up beside their log fire and unwind with the help of stunning rural vineyard views, fine food, wine and friendly service. What was a working cattle farm is now an acclaimed restaurant with a spacious dining room - graced with natural light and a rustic cellar door. There is something for everyone with their modern Australian menu that reflects seasonal moods. 

Cibo Deli

Inside this green-and-white store is a selection of mouth-watering products and foods along with Italian Wine, Beer, Spirits, and Liquor. Cibo Deli Mt Martha is like 'Little Italy', only it's in the heart of Mount Martha's thriving Lochiel Avenue Strip. This upmarket Italian-style deli and grocer has a supreme collection of premium imported Italian and locally sourced foods. Their mission is to provide you with the most delicious epicurean treats for cooking, eating and entertaining. 

Volpino Pizzeria & Winebar

With a strong emphasis on fresh and local produce, Volpino offers an array of Mediterranean inspired seasonal dishes to compliment the classic wood fired pizzas that are a mainstay of this vibrant, beachside venue. The deck is super sized and a perfect place to soak up the winters sun, unwind and dine alfresco with friends, family or as a couple. Add a unique, hand selected wine list and you have the perfect ingredients for a memorable day or night out. To borrow a famous Australian phrase, it’s all about the vibe and it’s this attitude that inspires us to follow the boys from Volpino.

Biji Dining

Something unique happened the other night in Red Hill South. We stumbled upon a dining pop-up that, apart from having incredibly delicious food, blew us away because it was so humble, imaginative, and authentic. It reminded us of days when things were a lot simpler, yet the food was far from that; it has such a sophistication, where the flavours of each meal took you on a journey far away.

Biji Dining Pop Up!

Welcome to Biji Dining, the husband-and-wife team of Harry Mangat and Sandy Soerjadhi. Think of these guys as two adventurous, humble, and trailblazing spirits with a back end of mixing it with some of the best establishments and people in the business. Raymond Capaldi, Peter Gunn, Blayne Bertoncello, Rosheen Kaul, and Ross Magnaye, not to mention the time spent in Attica.

Red Hill Brewery

Many beer-lovers have, under the romantic influence of a well-crafted boutique beer, indulged in thoughts of trying their hand at brewing.  For Karen and Dave Golding, the influence of countryside pubs and microbreweries they visited while travelling across Germany, Belgium and England in the early 1990s was so strong that they bought a fertile plot of land in Red Hill to grow hops and set up a full-scale brew house.