Articles
Publication:The West Australian; Date:Dec 13, 2007; Section:Fresh;
Food lovers take note
Kath Ryding discovers a tour exploring Perth food
Word of Mouth Food Tours is a new company operating in Perth that showcases some of the city’s best restaurants, cafes, drinking establishments and retail outlets.
Director Otto Kamenzin promises “an indulgent culinary journey visiting some of Perth’s newest and finest eating establishments”.
Patrons will get to meet the owners, learn about the venue and the food industry and sample some of the food. “Our tours provide a means to discover, or rediscover Perth’s diverse food culture,” Mr Kamenzin said.
The tour takes in a variety of venues including specialists in coffee, pastries, chocolate, ice-cream, craft beer, fresh markets, retail and fine dining.
“Perth people are becoming more discerning with food and this is shown in our restaurants. Gone are the days of meat and two veg dishes on the menu, now we have choices ranging from Wagyu beef, capretto, truffles, duck and delicacies from around the world.”
Mr Kamenzin brings a wealth of experience to his role as tour director. He has worked as a senior logistical manager at the Olympic and Commonwealth Games since 2000 as well as master of ceremonies at the Rugby World Cup in 2003.
He has also worked as Captain Starlight for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, as a Gymbus entertainer and a tour guide and wine promoter for the Swan Valley.
“I thought why can’t we do the same thing as a wine tour but instead of tasting different wines, taste different foods from a variety of restaurants and cafes? I have always had a love of food as my father is a chef, so I drafted a business plan,” he said. Currently Mr Kamenzin is offering full-day tours on Wednesdays and Saturdays, as well as 3- and 4-course progressive dinners and a 2-course progressive lunch from Tuesdays to Saturdays.
“These are perfect for Christmas parties, hens’ nights, special occasions or just for a fun-filled day or evening,” he said. Eventually, he would like to add half-day tours, evening tours, chocolate tours, kids’ food tours, walking tours and national/international food tours. For this he is establishing a repertoire of companies that meet an exacting standard.
“I choose companies to participate if they offer something different, interesting or unique. This can include venues that are well established along with some that are off the beaten track,” he said.
The current full-day tour certainly meets these criteria.
It begins at the Barrack Street Jetty for coffee and a run-down of the itinerary for the day. In the tour van, each passenger has a WOM goodies bag on their seat full of information on the venues to be visited, food samples, discount vouchers and copies of Menu magazine.
The first stop is a personal tour of European Foods by sales manager Catherine Ferrari, who also takes the group into the coffee roasting room and makes a freshly brewed cup of coffee for each person.
The managers of Lawley’s Bakery Cafe provide an interesting talk on everything from how certain products are made to staff working hours and finish by giving each person a box of bread and pastry samples.
From here it is off to The Mezz in Mt Hawthorn to sample delicacies like marinated octopus, chilli hummus and Parma ham at gourmet food store Fig Jam.
Managing director Didier Toubeau of Riche Fine Belgian Chocolates introduces the group to a range of quality chocolates, and concludes with each person receiving a ‘chocolate shot’ of warm liquid chocolate to drink.
The next stop is Epicurious in Subiaco Village which is a shop full of quality kitchenware and homewares for the serious cook and food lover.
This is followed by a lunch platter at the Ess Bar just a short walk away. A stretch of the legs at Cottesloe Beach and an Il Gelato refreshment set the group up for the afternoon session.
On to the Fremantle Markets for an informative and lively discussion with Jeremy McSevich from Scotty’s Fruit and Vege and to taste the latest produce in season.
Here the Freo Turkish Gozleme and The Honey Pot are also visited before walking down to the newly opened Mad Monk for a refreshing brew, which is presented by head brewer Richard Maroney and a dozen oysters freshly shucked at the table.
“One of the highlights of the tour is the next stop at Lamont’s in East Perth, where the group is rewarded with a 4-course degustation presented by head chef Nathan Le. This includes grilled prawns, Italian prosciutto, lamb cutlets with potato gnocchi and a gin and lime tart. Absolutely superb,” Mr Kamenzin said.
Finally, the tour finishes back at the Barrack Street Jetty, at The Lucky Shag Waterfront Bar where the group can enjoy a quiet drink and go over the day’s highlights.
“At the end of the day, I hope patrons on the tour discover something new and learn something about the people behind the scenes.
“I hope those patrons also return to those venues they liked and become a new customer. I believe this is a buoyant and exciting time to be involved in the Perth food scene but room for improvement lies with the customer.
“We must support the industry and allow restaurants to take food to new levels,” Mr Kamenzin said.
Word of Mouth Food Tours Full-day tours $120 pp Progressive Dinners
“3-some” $79 pp “4-some” $90 pp
Email:
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
FOODIES HIT THE ROAD
I recently participated in a Word Of Mouth food tour and must admit I was a little apprehensive at going alone. It was quite a mixed group, with some professional food industry people as well as a group of friends just out for an enjoyable day. But I was surprised at how easily everyone got along, especially when there was food to talk about.
Our tour guide, Otto Kamenzin, was friendly and organised. He had cold water in the van to drink, storage space for any purchases and even an esky to keep food cold. He also pointed out a lot of interesting places along the way, without being intrusive.
I would highly recommend taking your cash or credit card on the tour as there are lots of delicious and interesting things to buy along the way that are especially discounted for WOM tour groups.
This makes a great gift idea for Christmas, and as the venues do change, it is something you can do more than once.
Publication:The West Australian; Date: Mar 13, 2008; Section:Fresh;
Chocs around the city block
Get on board a tour into chocolate heaven this Easter
At Easter, most of us can resist everything apart from temptation. When you’re talking chocolate, rich, dark and velvety smooth that melts in the mouth and satisfies the senses, no excuses are needed to overindulge — at least at this time of year.
Tour operator Otto Kamenzin, of Word of Mouth Food Tours, will do his bit to feed the obsession with a Chocoholics Tour next Thursday as part of City Food and Wine Month which showcases the best venues and producers in Perth.
“It’s an extension of what I normally do and a tour I would like to continue,” Mr Kamenzin said. “A good range of chocolate outlets in Perth are represented and it should appeal to people, because we certainly do eat a lot of chocolate.”
Australians are some of the biggest consumers of Easter eggs in the world, with sales totalling $230 million across Australia and New Zealand. The first chocolate Easter egg was made in Europe in the early 19th century using dark chocolate filled with sweets but it was not until the rise in popularity of milk chocolate in the 1900s that confectionary eggs became seasonal bestsellers.
Recently there has been a shift back to the dark side, with 38 per cent of people preferring a cocoa-rich chocolate over milk varieties, something that is appreciated at Riche Fine Belgian Chocolates at The Mezze in Mt Hawthorn, one of the tour stops where people will get to meet chocolatier Didier Toubeau, learn about the process of making chocolate, taste pure cocoa mass and sample varieties with different percentages of cocoa.
“The difference is discernable and one that people will appreciate, even with beans from different regions, such as Costa Rica and Peru,” Mr Kamenzin said. “There is an analogy here with wine because the point is to get an appreciation of the different cocoa-producing regions in the world.”
Mr Kamenzin, a former car mechanic, is a natural with tours, having worked as senior logistical manager with the torch relay teams at the Sydney and Athens Olympics, Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games in 2002 and Commonwealth Games in Manchester the same year. He was master of ceremonies at the Rugby World Cup in 2003, did a stint as Captain Starlight for the Starlight Children’s Foundation and has worked as a Gymbus entertainer and wine promoter for the Swan Valley. “I was packing my bags for Beijing, then decided I didn’t want to continue because I wanted to stay here,” he said. Word of Mouth Food Tours started last year, feeding on his family background — his father was a chef — and love of food.
First stop for chocoholics is European Foods, where sales manager Catherine Ferrari will offer the group a sample of Italian chocolate, followed by a visit to the coffee roasting operation and coffee school with freshly made moccacino or choccacino on offer.
Myer, Chokeby Road, John Walker Chocolatier in London Court and Leonidas Fine Chocolates in Trinity Arcade will be tackled on a walking tour through the city, with a lunch stop at Leonidas before visiting Moorish Nuts in East Perth, Whistlers in Belmont and the Fremantle Chocolate Factory.
“Moorish Nuts and Whistlers will give people a bit of a look behind the scenes so they get an appreciation of a factory line,” Mr Kamenzin said.
The Chocoholics Tour runs from 10am-4pm and costs $105. Book on 0429 829 289.