About Us...
- Jill Dyson,
- Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia
- Jill has been running FoodPath in the Southern Highlands of NSW with her partner Nick since April 2010. They have grown the business to a level where they now include a range of activities including tours, workshops and collaboration with others (cooking schools, wineries, etc). Jill grew up in a large family on a sheep station near Crookwell but for the past 13 years has lived in the beautiful Southern Highlands of NSW. During the past 8 years Jill and Nick have got to know the local producers and continue to promote and support these local small businesses. They have organised and run many food related activities including taste education workshops and producer visits. It was after they organised a successful tour for a group of chefs from some of the best restaurants in Sydney that they realised they could turn their interest into a business - and this led to the setting up of FoodPath - Culinary Tours with a Difference. Now Jill and Nick are working closely with Southern Highlands Tourism and Wingecarribee Council to help raise the profile of their area as a food destination where everyone will benefit - tourists, local consumers and the producers themselves.
About Us...
Nick Padol, Southern Highlands, NSW, Australia.
Nick with his partner Jill have been running their business FoodPath in the Southern Highlands since April 2010. His motivation was to share his knowledge about food by taking others on a journey to discover local and regional food.
At the age of 4 when Nick had his first taste of coffee with his father at Andronicus’ Coffee Shop in Sydney he developed an extraordinary interest in all things gastronomic. At the age of 24 his father gave him his 1st copy of Larousse Gastronomique and he hasn’t looked back.
Early on he developed a love for cheese, going out of his way to visit cheese factories including the long-lost Robertson Cheese Factory in the Southern Highlands. When he lived in Sydney Nick belonged to a Wine and Dine Society where they had a blind tasting of cheeses at the end of the meal. Nick was always left until last to give his opinion because he was always right.
Not only is Nick an excellent cook and host with an interest in the cuisine of many cultures but he is also a food writer and cheese and coffee judge. He has been involved in regional food and wine related projects over the years and was an active member of Slow Food for 9 years.
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We had a lovely day....
Delicious morning tea at The General Store thanks to Gisanne and Louise, then on to visit Laird and Jenny at Glenfion vineyard. How interesting to find out about their wine business, their son Andrew's beer making business - and also Jenny's art and about the Canyonleigh community as well. Several of the locals are trained up in emergency response so they can look after each other until emergency services arrive, in the case of an accident. What a great idea!
Our visit to the Birrong Suri Alpacas was great. Fiona gave us an insight into the alpaca industry in Australia and Suri alpacas in particular. We met several babies or cria (good trivial pursuit question?) and went for a tour around the farm. After shearing all of the fleece is sent to Victoria where it is made into yarn or garments that can be purchased. The yarn is often blended with a small percentage of wool and the end result is soft and silky.
After a yummy two course lunch we drove to Pygmy Hill with Louise who showed us the Farmhouse Country Retreat and walked us through the vineyard.