The Good Life
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Families a focus for local tourism
Life after yachting By Vivienne Pearson Spending months on a yacht sailing around the Mediterranean Sea sounds like bliss. For the guests, sun, sea, sailing are definitely the life. What about for the staff though? There are definite perks – like beautiful places and rubbing shoulders with celebrities – but most of the time, life is somewhat less glamorous. ‘It’s hard work,’ says Aymie Challinor, who worked as a stewardess and cook on yachts for nearly a decade. ‘You spend lots of time in a windowless kitchen or laundry.’ There’s also the question of what to do next. ‘You have so many skills but you don’t have a piece of paper, so it can be a struggle to work out how to fit in to life on land,’ says Lauren McKenzie, friend and business partner of Aymie, who spent four years on yachts before being offered a ‘job on land’. ‘I became the house manager for Nigella Lawson,’ she says. ‘I did everything from shopping and cooking for the kids, to arranging flowers, contractors and dinner parties.’ This type of on-land role is very similar to the service roles aboard yachts. Aymie and Lauren, who met while working on yachts sailing out of Palma in Spain, have decided to put all their yacht-related (and Nigella-household-related) skills into practice in Byron Bay. They have gone into business together to offer people a hasslefree way of managing their homes. This can take the form of local homeowners knowing that their home and garden are looked after and maintained. It can also be for those with holiday homes in the area. ‘Pre-arrival is our passion,’ says Lauren of this service, which can include stocking the fridge with your favourite foods, arranging any
appointments or bookings you might need and ensuring fresh flowers await you. Airbnb hosts can outsource the management of their accommodation – from ‘changeovers’ to the work of bookings and arrivals. Aymie and Lauren’s standards, developed from years of housekeeping on yachts, where supervisors would literally run a white-gloved finger over surfaces, are high. The two also love organising an event – and let’s face it, anyone who has organised dinner parties for Nigella Lawson doesn’t need a piece of paper to confirm their expertise! ‘We love arranging picnics, special occasions and surprise packages,’ says Aymie. In this, Aymie and Lauren use their local connections – Aymie grew up here and Lauren’s father was from here (though she has ‘inherited’ her mother’s UK accent). It seems like they’ve found the perfect follow-up to their yachting lives – using their hard-earned skills in a beautiful place by the sea. BLM Concierge: www.blmconcierge.com
A pearl in any quarter By Vivienne Pearson A Steely Dan song of the same name gives the first clues about the inspiration for the Pearl of the Quarter food truck and catering business. ‘On the water down in New Orleans, my baby’s the pearl of the Lorne, Shoshannah and the Pearl. quarter…’ start the Soft-shell-crab slider – Photos Amy lyrics. Carter The French Quarter of New Orleans – the food and the music – is one region that Pearl of the Quarter food truck and catering is inspired by. But that’s not all – not wanting to be restricted to just one region, inspiration is also drawn from other quarters: the Latin Quarter in Paris and the Ipanema Quarter in Rio. ‘And, though it’s not an official “quarter”,’ says Shoshannah Orenstein, one of the co-owners of the Pearl, ‘we’ve added Brixton in London as the fourth quarter, for the strong Caribbean influences there.’ So, though Pearl reaches widely for inspiration, a fair summary would be that she (for this is a food truck that seems worthy of a personal pronoun) is about tastes from the Caribbean, New Orleans, Brazil, Cuba, Southern US states and beyond. To get specific, here are three signature dishes. A Florida-style soft-shell crab slider, served with a mango salsa, aioli and a hot mango sauce on an organic brioche slider bun. Jamaican Jerk Chicken (‘jerk’ means spice), a coconut-cream-braised free-range chicken served with gravy, coconut ice, peas and ’slaw. And a Cuban sandwich filled with orange and lime roasted free-range pork, swiss cheese, dill pickle and mustard. ‘The unifying theme is flavour – we don’t hold back on flavours,’ says Lorne. And, though these three examples are meat based, the Pearl has plenty of seafood and vegetarian options too. Though some of these dishes are new to me, Lorne Rawlings says that they are like coming home to others. ‘It is thrilling for us to introduce food that people haven’t had before, but also to serve food to people who find it reminds them of home,’ he says. Shoshannah and Lorne hail from the UK. Lorne was a DJ who got into food via catering for bands, including the Buena Vista Social Club and the Afro-Cuban All Stars. ‘It was a great way to learn different cuisines,’ says Lorne. Both were involved with the Spiegeltent in the UK and this
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Since mid-year Elements of Byron resort has refocused its substantial marketing investment and effort toward families. With the opening of the final 99 villas last month, the capacity to host family groups has quadrupled. Sixty-eight of the new villas are two-bedroom two-bathroom ‘homes away from home’, bringing the total number of two-bedroom villas on the property to 88. ‘It’s a significant shift for us,’ said sales and marketing manager David Jones. ‘Luckily we have some experience under our belt. We learned a lot last summer during peak season and this year we created a fair amount of new product to better meet the needs of families.’ A new timber children’s adventure playground, bocce rink, giant chess set and expanded timber decking around the lagoon infinity pool are some of the new additions. The range of guided nature walks will also expand, with a new walk set to capture the interests of inquisitive children. At the same time, a new adult-only pool with swim-up bar acknowledges the child-free traveller. Delivering a wholesome experience for families cannot be done in isolation however, according to Jones. ‘The co-operation required is monumental,’ he said. ‘We are working with dozens of local businesses. There are so many experienced, professional yet edgy operators here. Our guests are the winners from this collaboration.’ Zephyr Horses, Go Sea Kayaks, Sunshine Cycles, Byron Bay KidsKlub and Let’s Go Surfing are some of the businesses working with Elements of Byron. ‘I love being able to showcase how I grew up in this area,’ said Kate Noller, who runs Zephyr Horses from onsite stables at Elements of Byron. ‘On horseback on the beach and in the forest, sharing the incredible land with visiting families as well as locals is really special.’ Unlike almost every other region in NSW the Byron Shire does not receive funding for the visitor economy from state or local government, which places considerable responsibility on individual operators. ‘It’s a delicate balance,’ according to Destination Byron president Peter Wotton. ‘Businesses are free to market themselves how they choose; all we can do is encourage and support appropriate messaging. Families are of course a key target. They are a slowermoving visitor who tends to stay longer. They give a higher overall yield and are, on the whole, respectful of this beautiful place we call Byron.’
connection led them to this area, with Lorne project managing the renovation of the Brunswick Picture House. The magic of the Spiegeltent also flows into the Pearl of the Quarter, with Shoshanna bringing a perfect combination of theatrical ‘hostessing’ to the window while Lorne creates food magic in Kate Noller from Zephyr Horses at the stables on the Elements the back. of Byron property. She likes sharing the incredible land with visiting families. Photo by soulsofbyronbay.com.au. And there is always music. Whether in full-service mode or simply while cassava is CRUISING FOR 7 NIGHTS DEPARTING being chopped or dishes FROM SYDNEY ABOARD RADIANCE OF THE SEAS. are being done, music is an PORTS INCLUDE NOUMEA (NEW CALEDONIA) integral part of the Pearl – so much so that Lorne has AND ISLE OF PINES (NEW CALEDONIA) created a Pearl-specific playlist on Spotify. • JOHN WILLIAMSON • TROY CASSAR-DALEY If your mouth is watering • GRAEME CONNORS • GINA JEFFREYS as much as mine, check out • SARA STORER • TANIA KERNAGHAN the Pearl’s next public local OVER 40 COUNTRY ARTISTS gigs: Nudge Nudge Wink Wink at the Billinudgel 9 - 16 OCTOBER 2018 Hotel on Sat 5 November, then Mullum Music Festival Interior from $2,645pp* Oceanview from $3,295pp* Balcony from $3,895pp* Junior Suite from $4,535pp* (Market Place behind Civic Prices are per person, cruise only, in AUD, based on lowest available twin share accommodation, inclusive of all savings/discounts, port & government charges, correct as at 10 October 2017. Prices are subject to change and can be withdrawn at any time without notice. Some oceanview cabins may have an obstructed view. Single Hall, Sat 18/Sun 19 Nov) travelers must pay a single supplement. Agents may charge service fees and/or fees for card payments which vary. Cancellation penalties and conditions apply. Cruisin Country is a brand name of Choose Your Cruise Ltd and is operated for Cruising Country Pty Ltd by Discovery Travel Centre Pty Ltd trading as Cruiseco. Information: Pearl of the Quarter food truck and BYRON BAY CRUISE & TRAVEL catering. Ph: 0412 535 376, 4/52 Jonson St • (02) 6685 6733 Facebook / Instagram, ATAS: A10923 Spotify: search for Pearl of the Quarter *
The Byron Shire Echo November 1, 2017 33