Nathan Tomkins - From the Shaker

PINA COLADA MARTINI

WITH NATHAN TOMKINS

INGREDIENTS

60 ml cold press ripe pineapple juice 30 ml organic coconut cream 20 ml pure cream 30 ml Bacardi Carta Blanco 30 ml Malibu white Carribbean rum

METHOD

1. Add ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice 2. Shake and shake and shake 3. Garnish martini glass with pineapple wedge 4. Strain mix into glass and top with fresh roasted coconut shavings 5. In joi (enjoy)

BURGER

REBELLION

e Home of Port Macquarie's Finest Burgers, the Burger Rebellion has been in operation now for 6 years and is one of Port Macquarie’s most popular restaurants.

Take us back to when it first opened, what was your vision for the restaurant and do you feel six years later you have achieved it?

I do feel I have definitely achieved what I set out to do. There have been plenty of challenges along the way, with adapting to changes locally and within the industry as well as the onset of bushfires, floods and a global pandemic. The vision was achieved early on, but it’s the ongoing consistency that is the challenge.

So many things have changed in six years but the restaurant has remained one of

Port Macquarie’s favourites, can you tell

us why that is?

It’s definitely consistency, and that’s across all aspects of the business. People know what they are going to get, and as the old saying goes “you get what you pay for” and they are happy to pay for a quality product and service. Because people know the difference, and they demand high quality.

Hospitality is notorious for a high staff turnover, how has the Burger Rebellion managed to combat this over the years?

It’s all about time, you must invest time in your staff. Time training and building relationships. In hospo at the moment people can walk through the door of anywhere they like and pretty much get a job, so it’s important to build a fun and enjoyable environment for your team. You know yourself if you are happy to get up everyday and go to work there is half the battle won. We have 18 staff at the moment

YOU KNOW YOURSELF IF YOU ARE HAPPY TO GET UP EVERYDAY AND GO TO WORK THERE IS HALF THE BATTLE WON. and that swells during holiday periods, five of those have been with us from the beginning six years ago. We treat them like family, and like family they always stick their head back in

and say hi. Occasionally work the odd celebrity shift here and there for fun.

What is important when producing quality burgers?

To produce quality burgers you must have the highest quality, fresh ingredients. We don’t use pre-packaged products, trucked here from interstate. Everything must be fresh and locally produced, and made by hand. Our beef comes from Wingham, our veg from Comboyne and Collombatti, all our pickles, relishes and chutneys are made in Port Macquarie. We pride ourselves on the ethos of “We support you, you support us” concept or locals supporting locals. Call it whatever you like, this community is fantastic at it.

Over the years you have produced the “Burger of the month” concept, can you tell us about the idea behind the collaboration with the local businesses and people?

The concept is simply to engage our wider community through collaborating with other business networking structures, in turn exposing both the participating parties to a larger audience. Whilst having a burger and a beer with my mates who also run local small businesses.

At the moment we are doing a collaboration with Fastplast building supplies, the Workx burger is a generous offering with all the goodies on there, bound to satisfy even the hungriest of patrons. All washed down with a Larry Local lager, especially hand crafted by Moorebeer brewery.

Most recently I have geared the special to raise money for a local legend suffering from MND, Matty Adkins. We donated all profit from the sales of the burger to support Matt and his family, which totalled over $7000. I’m so stoked to be able to use the business in such a way that it can benefit people in need. To have our community come together and get behind the idea absolutely blew me away, but then again, we have an amazing community that know how to help each other out in tough times.

We personally have experienced the community spirit when Covid hit. The Port Macquarie community really know how to band together to support one another.

Burgers have a “unhealthy” reputation but The Burger Rebellion produces superior healthy options along with vegetarian and burger bowls, can you tell us about those?

The burger bowls came about by providing a Gluten Free option for coeliacs, then we just started selling quite a lot of them. People just want a light alternative to a large filling burger so we offer any of our burgers in a bowl without the bun on a bed of salad. We also have a few vego options available as well. Traditional burgers might have a bad rep, but ours are a cut above. Using fresh, high quality produce means that we don’t need to use preservatives either.

Crowd favourites - what are the best selling burgers?

Over the years that has changed a bit, at the moment it would have to be the Southern Fried Chicken Deluxe. A couple of years ago it was the BBQ Beef & Bacon but my all time favourite and the one most of the regulars come for is the Hot Rubbed Chicken. Just recently the Matty Mac was a clear favourite outselling everything else on the menu for the June-July period. So much so that we are keeping it available as a little off the menu secret item for all those locals that still want to grab it.

WE DONATED

ALL PROFIT FROM THE SALES OF THE BURGER TO SUPPORT MATT AND HIS FAMILY, WHICH TOTALLED OVER $7000. I'M SO STOKED TO BE ABLE TO USE THE BUSINESS IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT CAN BENEFIT PEOPLE IN NEED.

Kenny LITTLE'S

All hands on deck.

Times have definitely changed and we are busier than ever. Home deliveries have picked up with the new lockdown rules in Port Macquarie. We are super lucky and proud of all our staff coming from wholesale into our retail side. The boys have changed from nightshift into normal day hours delivering to our local customers. We want to say 'Thank you' to each and everyone of you supporting us through these trying times. Remember to support our

Ken has over local businesses forty local over the next growers regularly few months supplying us with now more than fresh, locally ever. Buy a gift grown produce. voucher from one of our great cafes or restaurants. We are all in this together. Stay safe and remember to be kind.

WICKED ELF WELCOMES RYAN NILSSON-LINNE

Ryan where did you come from and what experience do you bring to Wicked Elf?

I’m from Margaret River, a little surf, wine and beer town in WA. I’ve been in the industry 15 years, and I love beer! I have a good knowledge of what works and how to do it, and a real passion for everything new and exciting this industry has to offer. I also love the satisfaction I get watching people really enjoy my products.

What do you have in store for the business?

We are releasing a new range ‘The Mischief’ which will be full of fun, challenging and different beers. Starting with a Sub-Tropical Sour loaded with Mango and Passionfruit and then quickly followed with a Juicy Pale Ale.

These beers are designed to challenge the drinker and take them on a new taste journey. Also, a great opportunity for me to try out new products and techniques!

I am all about community so you will see Wicked Elf start to really engage with local groups and businesses in Port Macquarie. Currently the local Surf Museum is showcasing several boards around the taproom.

We have also started a homebrew competition with Country Brewer, with the opportunity for the winner to brew their beer with me.

What would you say to the locals who are yet to visit Wicked Elf?

Come say G’day. It is a cracking little venue with great food and beverages. A fun experience, brewery on site and a beautiful tap room to relax in. Gary makes delicious food that complements our extensive drinks list that will keep anyone happy!

We are also making a nice little nook for kids to play so mums and dads can enjoy everything we have to offer.