Appetite for Excellence young restauranteur finalist

Dan Moss, innovative chef and owner of Terroir restaurant in Auburn, is one of five finalists in the ‘appetite for excellence’ Australian Young Restaurateur 2015 awards, and the only finalist from South Australia.

The honour is recognition of Dan’s food philosophy, which involves imparting a little bit of knowledge to diners about what they are eating, getting youth of the region excited about food production, and only using produce sourced within 100 miles of the restaurant (with a few exceptions).

Terroir hosts a quarterly “Long table of the season” dinner to raise money for the Children’s Tumour Foundation and will hold a larger Christmas in July fundraising event at Annie’s Lane.

A Locals’ Appreciation Night is held every Wednesday, giving people in the region the chance to try the menu and talk to Dan about his dishes.

Dan has built strong relationships with the producers of the food that goes onto his menu and the wines sold in his restaurant, and his passion and hard work has made Terroir one of the most respected restaurants in the region.

As a finalist, Dan will have the opportunity to participate in skills workshops and to network with some of the country’s top restaurateurs, and be taken on a produce tour of regional Victoria to meet and learn from some of Australia’s renowned dairy, seafood, meat, horticulture and wine producers. If he wins Australian Young Restaurateur of the Year, he will receive $8000 to invest in Terroir, a professional photo shoot of the restaurant and food, and attend an international awards night in either London or Singapore.

 ‘appetite for excellence’ is Australia’s only national hospitality awards program that recognises and awards talented chefs, waiters and restaurateurs who are the next generation of industry leaders, and assists young hospitality professionals through mentoring, educational experiences and career opportunities. 

The application process commenced in January and involved completion of a lengthy written application covering the business, philosophy, community involvement and future direction.

Dan must now answer further written questions and attend a three hour interview with judges in August. The national winner will be announced at an awards night in Sydney in August.

Source : The Northern Argus   Keira James   June 2nd 2015