Ben Stehr has been inundated by emails, phone calls and booking enquiries since revealing his plans for TINTA Belmont on social media over the weekend.
The director of Stehr Hospitality & Gaming is opening a cafe, bar and restaurant at the former Squids Ink Motel on the shores of Lake Macquarie - and people are excited.
"Our name 'TINTA' translates to the word 'ink'; a nod to the renowned history of the site," he said.
"This is our first venue but we have a couple more opportunities on the horizon if we can do this one well, so fingers crossed."
First things first - what attracted him to the site?
"The owners came to us in 2017 to discuss taking it on," Stehr replied.
"We did some research and spoke with some people in the area who told us it was 'the place to go back in the day'. We fell in love with the site, the view and the area.
"We're not quite going back to the 'fine dining' days of Squids Ink Restaurant but hope to find a happy medium between that and casual dining.
"We see so much work going into the area and a progressive mindset of Lake Macquarie council around the usability of their sites, the accessibility and infrastructure upgrades.
"There's also the Lake Macquarie Ferry launch earlier this year, our neighbours at the Belmont Lakeside Holiday Park and the half-dozen or so nearby motels. There is so much activity in Belmont and Lake Macquarie, we feel the timing is perfect and have already been overwhelmed by the immense support of the community. It's blown us away."
A dog-friendly cafe will open on-site, trading "seven days per week for the community and in-house guests".
"For lunch and dinner you'll see a contemporary coastal menu - Port Stephens oysters, local sashimi and ceviche, fresh prawns and lobster rolls but we will also feature some Binnie Beef from the Upper Hunter," Stehr continued.
"We felt that it was imperative our wine list showed off some Hunter Valley wines, and we know it will be a cracking spot for a sundowner or spritzer."
James Orlowski (Three Blue Ducks, Bird & Bear Group, Neighbours on Market Street) has been appointed executive chef.
"It is clear to see his passion for - and experience in - preparing fresh seafood at his own restaurants is second to none and his vision leaves us salivating when we talk menus," Stehr said.
"We have the best, uninterrupted view on the eastern side of the lake but we don't want to rely on that. We want to feature local, fresh seafood and produce, pour delicious Hunter Valley wines and be known as the place for a long lunch and for friends and family to come together and celebrate.
"We've already received so many wedding and event enquiries, so we feel there will be a high demand on the celebration front.
"We've got some big plans for the coming 12 to 18 months but our priority now is to create a venue and experience that everyone can enjoy."
The "we" he refers to is his wife Laura and their two sons, Teddy and Gus (and golden retriever Vinnie). The family moved to Merewether from Sydney in 2018 to pursue the TINTA Belmont opportunity.
"After the fire [the Squids Ink conference room was destroyed by fire in 2017], the insurance process, the development application, the pandemic, and everything it brought with it, it's been a challenging four years to get to this point but we're super excited to get the doors open."
Save the date
Lovedale Long Lunch organisers have finalised the menus and music and are ready to let the good times roll on the weekend of May 14 and 15. Some of the Hunter's leading chefs are teaming up with seven Lovedale wineries for the progressive lunch to offer guests fabulous food, great wine and live music, alfresco among the vineyards. Tickets are expected to sell out so don't drag your feet. Read all about the event - including a sneak peek of the menus on offer - in Saturday's Weekender.
Winemakers Lunch
It's been 20 years since the first grapes were crushed at the De Iuliis winery in Pokolbin and countless trophies, awards and accolades have followed. To celebrate the milestone a Winemaker's Lunch with Mike De Iuliis is being held at Eremo restaurant at Spicer's Guesthouse on April 23 - and you're invited.
"As most people know, I enjoy a good long lunch, and our Winemaker's Lunches are always fun," De Iuliis said.
"We all have such a great time showcasing our limited release and exclusive wines at this annual event. This year is pretty special though as we celebrate 20 years by tasting the history of De Iuliis in your glass."
At the degustation lunch each course by Eremo executive chef Michael Elfwing will be matched with the latest premium wine releases. De Iuliis will take guests through a historical journey, wine by wine, including award-winners from the outstanding 2018 and 2019 vintages as well as museum wines from 2009 and 2004.
De Iuliis Wines have also been chosen as Spicer's Guesthouse "Producer of the Month". In addition to the signature Winemaker's Lunch event, Eremo will be pouring back-vintage De Iuliis wines all month and Mike De Iuliis will host a pop-up cellar door on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Tickets are available now at click.dewine.com.au/eremo.
Easter schnitzel 'golden ticket'
To celebrate Easter this year The Bavarian at Charlestown is giving away Willy Wonka-style Golden Tickets. The prize, though, is savoury rather than sweet. A year's supply of golden crumbed schnitzels. That's one schnitzel a week for 52 weeks. To be in the running to win a Golden Ticket diners much purchase a limited-edition Schnitzel Platter, which is available over the Easter long weekend April 15 to 18). The Schnitzel Platter features a range of veal, pork and chicken schnitzels with house-baked pretzels, traditional sauerkraut, red cabbage, potato salad, apple compote and creamy mashed potato ($59 per person, minimum of two diners). For an additional $20 guests can upgrade to a two-hour drinks package. Add on cinnamon sugared doughnut pretzels for $8 each.
Success story
Newcastle Food Month founders Louise and Gus Maher watched nervously as the rain fell and the wind howled last week.
Le Diner en Blanc was scheduled for the Saturday evening, you see, and it was an outdoors event.
But, as they say, it was all right on the night. Even the sun and the stars made a welcome appearance.
The location of the chic Parisian pop-up dinner was a secret until the last minute for the 1200 guests who, dressed all in white, swanned their way to Foreshore Park.
Ticket sales were up an impressive 50 per cent increase from the inaugural 2021 event.
"We are so proud to be able to stage this world wide event in Newcastle, and showcase to cities such as Paris, New York and London, that our great little city down under can match it with the biggest and the best," Louise said.
We see Le Diner en Blanc growing in Newcastle, particularly in drawing visitors to our City, staying overnight and enjoying other Newcastle Food Month events."
"Whilst the fun component is critical on the night, the bigger picture is the economic impact that we can continue to grow, including increased visitation.
"With food businesses such as Sprout Catering, Pork Ewe Deli and Cakeboi catering for the event, and the family owned Hunter Valley winery First Creek providing many of the wines, most income that the event generates is kept in our local economy."
Planning is already under way for next year's Le Diner en Blanc.
