The Good Life
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Looking to travel in 2019?
Zeb Gilbert at Wasabi – photo supplied
Zeb Samples the region By Vivienne Pearson Longtime regular and colourful Byron local Kool, often seen shaking his pineapple and hooping his hulas at the Northern, just across the road from In the Pink.
Italian artisan-style gelato By S Haslam In the Pink Gelato in Jonson St opened on 1 September 1988 (30 years ago)* and is an incredibly popular place, serving around 200,000 gelatos a year. Surprisingly, their customer base has moved from being families in the 80s and 90s (most popular flavour then: chocolate) and is now almost 90 per cent adults (most popular now: Ferrero Rocher and salted caramel Nutella) I suspect it’s the quality – they have always made their gelato from scratch in the old-school Italian artisan style, sourcing fresh blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and bananas from the farmers market, and macadamias, passionfruit, limes and mangoes locally, along with Norco milk of course. ‘The rule for the most outstanding flavour in all foods holds good for gelato with the in-season fruits being the best by far’, says owner Glen Lawrence, who takes his craft seriously, travelling regularly to Italy to keep up with the latest ideas. ‘Most gelato these days is industrial, heavy on stabilisers, emulsifiers’, he says. ‘Artisan to me means old school slow style. Maximum freshness with minimal stabilisers. If you drop our gelato on the ground it will melt; scarily much of the gelato in Australia and Italy would not. While many might resent having to travel to Italy to try gelato, Glen somehow manages to make it fun. ‘In Sicily I tried my favourite gelato’, he says, ‘at a small hole-in-the-wall shop. You couldn’t see the gelato but they only used seasonal ingredients and it was outstanding.’ He also loves the cultural aspect to gelato. ‘The Italian Sunday afternoon promenade is a huge ritual that nearly always includes gelato,’ he says. ‘It is a firm part of their way of life that looks pretty nice from a gelato shop-owner perspective.’ The newest flavours at In the Pink over winter have been the very rich chocolate sorbet (dairy free) and Espresso Martini or Lemon Cheesecake gelato. The shop manufactures all its product in Byron Shire, suppling not only Baylato and Brunswick Milkbar but also local restaurants. ‘The best chefs understand that the best gelato flavours are seasonal’, says Glen, ‘and some of the more interesting flavours we’ve been putting on menus have included dragon fruit, or cocktails sorbets like mojito or cosmo.’ The difference between gelato and ice-cream is the fat content and freshness. Gelato has less than eight per cent fat and is meant to be consumed fresh, with the flavour being at its peak for a few days without all the stabilisers and artificial products that commercial icecream has to use to last for months. In the Pink has been a proud, long time sponsor of many sporting groups and schools in the local area for 30 years. There have been hundreds of local junior employees working their way through school and uni at In the Pink but maybe the most famous is now an Oscar winner living in London with his own animation company. *Right now to celebrate the 30th year there’s a big promotion going on. You can win a year’s supply of gelato (52 take home packs, value $900+), drawn at the end of October. Plus, there are happy hour(s) $1 gelato from 12 till 2pm on Saturday and Sunday September the 1st and 2nd. More info: In the Pink 20A Jonson St, Byron Bay Open: 9am–10pm 7 days.
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If you are looking to travel in 2019, then look no farther than Wendy Wu Tours Earlybird Specials, as you can save up to a huge $1,800 per person on your choice of 55 tours across China, Southeast Asia, India and Japan. The Earlybird Specials are perfect for those looking to mark a date in the calendar to count down to, and with Wendy Wu Tours you can save on your next dream holiday with serious discounts. By booking these Earlybird Specials, you’ll take away many benefits: 1. Lock in a great price now. 2. Deposits are a mere $300 per person. 3. Secure your spot on a 2019 tour now. 4. Get your choice of best dates. 5. Choose from a wide range of popular tours. See the team at Ballina Cruise & Travel to find out more about these amazing Earlybird Specials today! 71 River St, Ballina. Ph 6686 3155. Hurry sale ends 21 Sept 18. *Conditions apply.
Zeb Gilbert is co-head chef and co-owner of Wasabi Restaurant & Bar in Noosa. Zeb is his full first name, not just a sample of a longer name. ‘I think my parents were going to call me Zebakyah,’ he says. He describes his parents as alternative in their lifestyle, but for his dad this name was going a bit far. ‘He said, “That’s not going to happen,” so I became simply Zeb.’ His parents’ alternative views led to a childhood that Zeb now hugely appreciates. ‘My mum is a nurse and my dad a panel beater but they took a break and we went out to a friend’s sheep station,’ Zeb recalls. IN PURSUIT OF PANDAS ‘Mum became the shearer’s cook and Dad and I did rouseabout work.’ Highlights Visit iconic sites of Beijing & Xian including the Great Wall & Terracotta Warriors • Zoom through Zeb and his brother Jeff (any alternative name-giving stopped the countryside on a bullet train • Visit the Giant Panda after Zeb) were homeschooled and they spent their teen years conservation centre near Chengdu helping the family grow animals and vegetables for food and being Quote ‘LOCAL50’ when booking before 12 September and save an extra $50^pp! surrounded by baby kangaroos and sugar gliders thanks to his (Valid for travel 18 – 26 November 2019) parents’ dedication to wildlife rescue. ‘We weren’t totally off the 9-day fully-inclusive classic tour grid but it was a different life experience,’ Zeb says. from $2,980*pp SAVE $500^pp! Zeb is one of the guest chefs coming to Bangalow for this year’s Sample Food Festival. ‘I haven’t been to Sample before but I’ve Return economy flights • Quality accommodation • All meals • English-speaking guides heard from other chefs how good it is,’ he says, speaking by phone All sightseeing & entrance fees • Transport • Visas for Australian passports from Noosa. ‘I love the Byron area from holidays from when I lived BALLINA CRUISE & TRAVEL in Brisbane. We’d always stay at Brunswick in the motel looking over 71 River Street, Ballina • 02 6686 3155 the river and visit Bangalow from there.’ ballina@cruiseandtravel.net.au www.cruiseandtravel.net.au The connections between the Byron and Noosa areas is clear in Zeb’s mind, in terms of lifestyle and food. ‘Both have the ocean and the hinterland. Both love food that showcases the area, and that’s really important,’ he says. *Conditions apply. Advertised prices are twin share in AUD inclusive of flights and Early Bird Savings applicable. Price Local food sourcing is Zeb’s connection to the Japanese food that may vary depending on departure city. Single supplements apply. Prices & inclusions are correct as at 20 Aug 18 & are subject to change without notice. Restrictions may apply. Receive extra $50pp savings until 12 Sep 18, unless Wasabi is famous for. ‘Japanese food is very regional,’ says Zeb. sold out prior, must quote LOCAL50. Valid for new bookings on selected departures only & not combinable with any other offers except loyalty discount. Subject to availability of airline, special economy class fare & specific airfare class. At Sample, Zeb will team up with TAFE students for a mystery-box Surcharges apply once airfare is sold out. Advertised prices include applicable early bird savings to existing dates. Prefl ight seat allocation is not available. Blackout dates apply. Due to airline connections, extra nights’ accommodation cooking challenge. ‘It should be a bit of fun,’ says Zeb, who is looking may be required at additional expense. Further conditions apply, see agent for full details. ATAS No. A10923. forward to the event both as a chance to contribute to the nurturing of young chefs as well as to meet his rival (in this competition anyway), Shannon Bennet. ‘He’s one of Australia’s best chefs,’ says Zeb. Zeb will also be judging the food from great local chefs in his role on the panel selecting Sample’s coveted Golden Fork awards. Before I can ask him whether he has any favourite foods outside his beloved Asian cuisines, Zeb tells me that he celebrated his 39th birthday in style the night before our interview. ‘I had a fried chicken burger with coleslaw, chips and champagne out of a paper cup,’ he says of To help celebrate we have: his meal with his wife and two Happy Hour $1 gelato scoops (each $1 goes to drought relief) daughters, aged three and six. This weekend Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 September - 12 till 2pm With that down-to-earth style Fill up our regular customer card- (buy 4 get one free) and go into a combined with his cooking draw at the end of October for a years supply of Gelato* pedigree, I think Zeb will fit in to the Sample Food Festival Monthly social media vouchers for Fleet Restaurant and extremely well. Zephyr Horse Riding coming up Sample Food Festival, *52 takehome packs Saturday 1 September 8am– 4pm, Bangalow Showgrounds, $5 entry
Earlybird
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In The Pink Byron Bay Gelato is 30 years old!! 1st September 1988-2018
20a Jonson Street, Byron Bay, NSW
The Byron Shire Echo August 29, 2018 17