Perfect Plate Produce Grown in Organic Farm on Club Premises
Culburra Beach Bowling Club in the state’s Illawarra & Shoalhaven region has seen dramatic growth over the last 18 months following the introduction of in-house food and the creation of a micro-organic farm on the premises.
The popularity of the Club’s two food outlets — Lemon Tree Bistro and Prince Eddies Pizza & Gelato Bar — has seen the number of staff more than double in just 18 months, with further growth on the horizon as a third food outlet prepares to open in late 2024.
With 10 veggie patches, over 35 citrus trees and eight chickens, The Harvest Garden at the Club helps supply both food outlets with weekly specials, salads and garnishes — including their 2024 Perfect Plate competition dishes — with waste from the chickens used as organic garden fertiliser.
Opened to the public in July 2023, the area is run and managed by an in-house horticulturist and is also used for tours for kids during the school holidays to learn more about gardening and growing their own produce.
Club CEO Luke Richards was a landscaper for six years before entering the club industry and says his own passion for biodynamics and horticulture was a big influence on the endeavour.
“We came up with the idea of The Harvest which is an organic micro-farm which we all agreed had to be done under organic principles using a lot of biodiversity practices to complement the Club’s other sustainable practices,” Luke said, adding that it was a “wasted space” prior.
The qualified horticulturist who looks after the garden has experience in organic gardens and farm-to-plate projects. On a weekly basis, she also liaises with the chefs and supervisors on what is ready for harvest to be used for specials, also supplying general herbs, rocket and other produce.
As for the Club’s Perfect Plate competition dishes, they have one from each eatery — Chicken Scallopini Marsala and Gamberi Pizza – both of which use produce from The Harvest.
“The Gamberi is an Italian prawn pizza, we do our twist on that. It's got feta, it doesn't have a tomato base, but it has cherry tomatoes instead and then it's got prawns and the rocket that comes out of the garden,” Luke said.
“We then have a twist on an Italian classic dish with the Chicken Scallopini Marsala, which is a 70s, 80s retro dish that's a fan favourite.”
Luke said he is thrilled to see The Harvest become a popular tourist attraction for kids.
“It's become an outdoor play area on top of the play area — the kids just want to sit and play with the chickens and look at them.
“We do farm tours in school holidays and then we do pizza making using produce from the farm. The kids really love it.”
The popularity of the garden and the subsequent success of the eateries filters through to boost the local job market, with the Club more than doubling its staff in 18 months while offering a place where people can learn new skills and foster a career in the industry.
“We're a small town there's only 2500 to 3000 people that live here, it's a tourist town, so I'm proud to say that until recently we had only about 25 to 30 staff and I've now got over 75 and they are all local,” Luke said.
“I think that's really important for a small town to create those sorts of options for young people. Having a business and a career opportunity locally has created a real career path through our frontline staff and we're giving these kids some amazing tools for when they leave school or go to university or even stay on.”
A new food outlet will be opening at the Club later this year called Babas, serving Middle Eastern-style cuisine from a retrofitted shipping container with a bar. The outlet will be aimed at servicing outdoor areas and creating more much-needed options for the community and visitors, as well as more jobs for locals.
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