Savour Australia awards honour five Border and North East restaurants
THE quality of Border and North East restaurants continues to be recognised with five eateries successful in this year’s Savour Australia awards for excellence.
Albury’s Taco Bill won the NSW regional specialty restaurant section while Green Zebra, also in Albury, beat 15 finalists to take out best regional breakfast restaurant.
Green Zebra made the regional coffee shop/tea house finals as well.
A third Albury entry, Indian Tandoori Restaurant, was a finalist in the regional Indian/sub-continent category.
In the Victorian awards, Wahgunyah’s The Pickled Sister Cafe won best regional cafe restaurant and Rinaldo’s Casa Cucina, located in Wangaratta, claimed best Italian restaurant.
These results followed recent honours for other Border and North East restaurants in separate industry awards organised by the Australian Hotels Association and The Age Good Food Guide.
Taco Bill co-owner Gisella Henry joined about 750 guests at the Savour Australia award presentation in Sydney on Monday.
Mrs Henry, who bought her Dean Street business nearly three decades ago, said although the work always remained hard, experience did help.
“I don't think any retail is easy anymore,” she said.
“But your rostering gets easier, your staff get better, you train them differently.
"So there's a lot more comfortability, if you will, perhaps, the longer that you are there and you don't stress as much now."
Taco Bill has won or been a finalist in the awards 14 times and Mrs Henry praised the team for all their efforts and enthusiasm.
She said the business had grown over the years, with many visitors becoming regular patrons.
"Wonderful customers, good fun,” she said.
“You meet different people all the time, it's exciting.
"People will say to me, 'Oh, Mexican's very in' and I say, 'Well, that's good because it's taken us 29 years to be very in’."
Green Zebra owners Paul and Wendy Smith said this year the category area had expanded from southern NSW to be a regional award for the whole state.
“(That) made this a most unexpected and gratifying win,” Mr Smith said.
“Impressive competition; we’re still pinching ourselves.”
Mr Smith said the couple had been often told their passion for food and their business shone through.
“I guess that’s true; it’s just us doing what we love, the best we can,” he said.
“I’m so proud we can be an ongoing food ambassador for our region."
The awards aim to recognise exceptional service and culinary talent nationwide.
Source: Border Mail, Janet Howie, 25th September 2015
Originally published as: Savour Australia awards honour five Border and North East restaurants
