Farm to Fork at Maravista Farm
There’s something special about eating food with a real sense of place. Rebecca Jamieson Dwyer discovers the biodynamic farm quietly powering some of Noosa’s top restaurants with its standout seasonal harvests and heirloom produce.
Lots of restaurants embrace the paddock-to-plate philosophy these days, but how many of them can claim that they’re supplied by their very own biodynamic farm?
Much-loved Noosa institutions Rickys, Locale and Aromas Noosa are three that can – thanks to Maravista Farm, a 250-hectare hinterland property that’s become an essential part of The Ogilvie Group’s food story.
Once a bean and beef farm, Maravista has been steadily transformed into a thriving hub of organic vegetables, micro herbs, citrus, bees and more than 20,000 macadamia trees. It’s a big operation with a simple purpose: grow exceptional produce for the Group’s restaurants Rickys, Locale, and Aromas Noosa.
Rickys General Manager, David Jouy, says they’re responding to what diners have been asking for.
“We want to offer the best, freshest produce,” he says. “Everything we use from seafood to herbs is locally sourced. We now have about 70% of our vegetables from Maravista farm and 100% of our herbs. People visit Noosa and they want to taste the local flavours.”
For Rickys Head Chef Enrique Mansilla, it’s about letting the flavours combine naturally, highlighting what’s at its peak.
“I want people to taste the region in every bite,” he says.
With Noosa’s summer in full swing, the farm is at its busiest. The warmer months bring a bumper line-up of heat-loving favourites: glossy zucchinis, crunchy cucumbers, vibrant capsicums, nuts that bring the crunch, fragrant herbs and leafy greens that deliver pops of flavour, colour and nutrition.
It’s the kind of produce that chefs love – fresh, seasonal, and divinely delicious.
Locale’s Head Chef, Chris Hagan, said it was a privilege to work with such beautiful ingredients.
“We’re so fortunate to have seasonal produce from The Ogilvie Group’s very own Maravista Farm,” he says. “The freshness and quality really helps our dishes zing, and I love that sourcing ingredients locally in this way also helps to minimise our carbon footprint.”
Take the Fiori di Zucca from Locale as an example: Scallop & prawn mousse-filled zucchini flowers, tomato and bonito sugo, salted zucchini, Yarra Valley salmon roe.
For Locale owner Rio Capurso this dish highlights how the best ingredients bring flavours to life.
“The soft crunchiness of flash fried zucchini flower with the cut-through of beautiful acidity from the sugo, combined with salted zucchini and richness from the salmon roe, burst onto your palate and plate,” he enthuses.
“The soft, velvety flavours of the mousse will linger in your heart long after the final bite.”
Rio said Maravista Farm flavours featured strongly in Locale’s lunch special of $75 for 3-courses with a glass of wine or beer.
Maravista isn’t your typical commercial farm. Organic and biodynamic methods guide the way here, which means no machinery in the garden beds, no synthetic fertilisers, and – perhaps most impressively – no watering.
The chefs work closely with the farm team to plan their menus, understanding the seasons, incorporating what is in abundance and occasionally requesting and trialling specific ingredients for a hero dish they’re inspired to create.
So the next time you’re enjoying a long lunch on the river at Rickys or twirling forkfuls of housemade pasta at Locale, keep an eye out for those little hints of Maravista: the herbs that smell like sunshine, the freshest zucchini with real character, the capsicums that capture the colours of nature on the plate.
Because somewhere in the Hinterland, just beyond the macadamias and citrus trees, a small team has worked hard to grow flavours to savour.
