Western Australia needs food and wine talent

Self-styled bespoke caterer and Margaret River identity Camilla Nelson says the south west region of Western Australia needs well trained chefs to keep those tourists coming.

Ms Nelson said Margaret River had established as a tourist hub but more would come if it was prepared for the boom and had the right hospitality infrastructure.

"We are an expensive place to visit and I think when you have international visitors through, we have to be on par with that expectation," Ms Nelson told the ABC.

She said giving people right training was "absolutely critical" for if the region was to go to the next level.

"Margaret River has established itself as a region to come to and as the infrastructure improves, more people will come and that's the intention," she said.

"We have to be on par with the best and that means the best knowledge.”

Vicky Mayell, who is on the state council of the Catering Institute in Western Australia, concurs but says the training should not only be for chefs but for front of house staff.

"If you don't have good people serving, the best food in the world won't go down well," Ms Mayall told the ABC.

A sessional tutor at the South West Institute of Technology. Ms Mayall said the region produced exceptional chefs and "brilliant" fresh produce.

Margaret River also attracts many backpackers and they could fit in perfectly.

Ms Mayall said first class food professionals learned their skills from travelling.

"A lot of apprentices travel to learn different skills, and food infusions from different countries," Ms Mayell said.

"That's what good apprentices want to do, if they're passionate. It's a lifestyle."

She said that while the region attracted lots of visitors when it was winter in the eastern states, the region needed government incentives to help small business with training costs.

by Leon Gettler, July 25^th 2016