Our excitement for attending the Australian Food Awards comes from so many places. It is made up from going out with Jo (business partner) and Georgia (gelato chef extraordinaire) in a social setting and not just hooking up in our kitchen to discuss percentages of sugar and fat and production! It’s dressing up and heading into Melbourne and into the infamous Masterchef Kitchen, where the excitement from everyone is palpable. And it’s the anticipation of how we went, compared to all other entrants.

On arrival to the Masterchef Kitchen, we are greeted by wait staff with a selection of wonderful Australian drinks and canapes made from all the contenders of the big awards. Partaking in a glass of bubbles is only the right thing to do – to celebrate being short listed. We find our table and then make a beeline for the Melbourne Royal photo op signage to mark the occasion. We have a brief opportunity to chat to other guests and hear inspiring stories – black garlic made in Noosa, South African inspired pickles from recipes handed down, goat salami made with passion and friendly faces from our milk supplier – Troy from Inglenook Dairy. We’re instructed to take our seats quickly, as proceedings get underway.

It really feels a bit glam, with our MC, Kirrily Waldron, dressed in a frock fitting for the Oscars! Categories covered are preserves, smallgoods, dairy and meat. Whilst the shortlist of contenders and winners are announced, platters of corresponding food is brought to our table. We happily receive charcuterie and cheese platters with the most exceptional products. These are followed by beef sliders and samples from the grill. There is a separate table to choose condiments from all the chilli preserves, chutneys and  pickles. There is a reason we only have a light breakfast!

In the dairy section, we were thrilled to see Inglenook Dairy take out all the big Awards. We work very closely with them, as the supplier of our milk and cream – the cornerstone of our product. They won Champion Milk, Champion Victorian Dairy Producer and Champion Australian Large Dairy Producer. It feels like we are a tag team, as we won Champion Dairy Producer last year and we are so happy to pass the baton. We sadly didn’t win best gelato with a score of 19.7/20. The winner was Scoops and Smiles – congratulations.

We left the Masterchef Kitchen with mixed feelings. To take home 3 major awards last year and not get anything this year was disappointing. But chatting to guests who attended last year whom remembered our banana gelato that was served, is affirming of why we enter and attend these award ceremonies. One lady told me she drove to Geelong, just to buy banana gelato from our store. She spoke of the excitement of trying our other gelato flavours and loved our Maple Walnut flavour and the Jaffa. That is a win right there…. and the reality is we still won a Gold medal with a score of 19.7/20 for our newest flavour Apple Pie. It is available instore in Geelong, Anglesea and Lorne on the Surfcoast. I love making gelato. I hope you love eating it.

Stephanie