SWAN Hill foodies will soon have another dining option to choose from with local chef Rebecca Hart set to launch a new venture on McCrae Street.
Slated to open at the end of the month, the seven-day-a-week restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and afternoons with Ms Hart planning to source all her goods from local producers.
Thanks to connections built during Ms Hart’s career as executive chef at Murray Downs Golf and Country Club over the last six years, and at the Swan Hill Club for nine years prior, a host of companies in the Mallee are already on board, including Robinvale Estate Oils, Simply Green Tomatoes (Boort) and Sait’s Butchers (Swan Hill).
There will be a strict emphasis on fresh — with a living herb garden and wheat grass supplied from Ms Hart’s Tyntynder farm, and local fruit and vegetables making up the majority of the menu.
Coffee will also be a strong draw card and an application for a liquor licence in the pipeline means wine connoisseurs are also in for a treat.
Ms Hart plans for ‘Boo’s Place’ (the name stems from her childhood nickname Boo) to act as a sort of cellar door by providing wine tasting planks from local wineries.
She said her passion for local produce meant she was looking forward to making her mark on the Swan Hill restaurant scence.
“In the early days when I first came to Swan Hill we set up a chefs group because we realised people didn’t appreciate the great produce we have in the Mallee,” Ms Hart said.
“No one has pulled it all together into one outlet — small goods and boutique produce.
“This is the last thing on the bucket list as far as chefing goes.”
