As the ‘paddock to plate’ movement continues to gain momentum across the nation, independent ventures are emerging and changing the way we engage with food. Steam & Cedar is a good example, nestled on the bank of the Macleay River in the small town of Gladstone NSW.
It’s a paddock-to-plate cafe garden focused on delivering fresh, local food, and showcasing the quality and diversity of local Macleay Valley producers.
Having spent his childhood on a lime orchard in Mooneba, 30 kilometres up river, owner Dan MacDonald returned to the region after 20 years away to reconnect with his roots, and to take a tree-change from Canberra where he worked developing large scale renewable energy projects.
He moved to Gladstone in January this year, realising his dream of having a coffee shop a few months later opening Steam & Cedar in April.
But his vision isn’t merely to sell coffee. It’s centred around sustainability. It’s a platform to engage people at a grass-roots level both consumers and producers. Through the menu, Dan’s initiating a dialogue about sustainable agriculture, hoping to showcase the Macleay Valley as a rich and diverse food bowl.
“Our customers love hearing about our suppliers and their properties. It’s really rewarding to see that people care about not only the food they buy, but also the growers and farmers, and I love being a part of the conversation,” says Dan.
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“My goal is to champion the Valley as a fresh-food destination by putting its best produce together to create a delicious experience for customers.
“The region’s abundance of high-quality produce is something I proudly celebrate in every menu item; Painted Blue Coffee roasted in Grassy Head, Norco milk from local dairy farms, Davidson Plum products from Pipers Creek Grove in Dondingalong, Bananas from family on Belmore River, I even harvest pumpkins and silverbeet grown on the riverbank down the road which I use in my take-away lunchboxes.”
With a local procurement policy in place, the weekly menu is sourced within a 50km radius from commercial producers and small scale growers, farm-gate direct where possible, to celebrate what’s in season, and what is abundant.
Pumpkin soup has recently been replaced with green papaya salad, Marmalade biscuits retired to make way for passionfruit and pear amaretti jam drops, and banana smoothies will soon transition to strawberry frappes.
Spinach Pie Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 x brown onions
- 1 bunch fresh English Spinach (or rainbow chard)
- 1/2 cup fresh mint
- 4 cloves of Australian un-unbleached garlic
- 200g Fetta
- 1/2 cup of shredded tasty cheese
- 5 eggs
- 1/2 cup of thickened cream
- 4 sheets pastry
- salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Separate your pastry sheets and leave on the bench to defrost while you prepare the filling of your pie. Finely dice your onion and garlic, and saute until golden. While your onion and garlic are browning, destalk, wash and roughly chop your spinach -dy by wringing it out in a tea-towel. Grease your pie dish and line with pastry, then layer with: tasty cheese, onion mix, spinach, diced fetta, finely sliced mint, salt and pepper – repeat until your pie dish is full.
Combine 5 eggs, lightly beaten, with thickened cream and pour evenly over the fillings – this mix will only cover approx 2/3 of the ingredients, but it will rise beautifully once cooked. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then cover the top of your pie with pastry.
Whisk the leftover egg and glaze the top of your pastry to achieve a golden crust. Back for 20-30 minutes, testing the centre with a skewer to ensure the egg has cooked through the centre. Serving suggestions: delicious dusted with paprika, a wedge of lime and fresh greens with a simple balsamic dressing.
