A morning with Annie Smithers

Macedon Ranges chef and Trentham restaurant du Fermier founder Annie Smithers at the Kyneton Mechanics Institute as part of a Kyneton Daffodil and Arts Festival event. (Damjan Janevski). 431030_02

Spring has sprung, and so have the daffodils in Kyneton, marked by the annual Kyneton Daffodil and Arts Festival.

As part of the festival, Macedon Ranges chef and du Fermier founder Annie Smithers hosted a talk at the Kyneton Mechanics Institute on Wednesday, September 11.

Ms Smithers discussed her long career and her approach to cooking.

Passionate about the paddock-to-plate philosophy, Ms Smithers said that the Macedon Ranges had greatly influenced her cooking.

“Having lived across the dual municipalities of Hepburn and Macedon for over 30 years, I find the region influences me and my cooking tremendously. From the wonderful small farmers, to the excellent vignerons – it is a perfect area to have a restaurant,” Ms Smithers said.

“The close proximity to Melbourne allows both local customers and visitors alike to come and enjoy my restaurant.”

The Kyneton Daffodil and Arts Festival president Peter Henderson said that the event was one of two educational events with artisans – the other being a drawing workshop with artist Sarah Gabriel.

“These are new events that showcase the wealth of knowledge from these two artisans, who were happy to share their skills and knowledge with participants this year. Both events were received with high praise, and we appreciated the time and effort provided by both Sarah and Annie,” Mr Henderson said.

Oscar Parry