| True Blue Country - Country Style magazine |
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RAY URQUHART, owner and chef of Bellingen restaurant No 2 Oak Street, is a reluctant interview subject. And good luck getting him in front of the camera. It doesn’t take long before he steals back to the kitchen, leaving wife and business partner Toni behind to sing his praises.
Ray, who has worked in regional restaurants throughout his career, has been awarded a coveted chef’s hat in The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide for the past five years. “He’s up there with the best,” she says proudly. But so is Toni. Her front-of-house style has won plenty of plaudits, including the Silver Service Award from the same publication in 2007 for her “charming and genuine country hospitality”. Another family member whose star is on the ascendant is Michael, who works with his father. The 23-year-old was the only employee from a regional restaurant to participate in last year’s Young Chefs’ Dinner in Sydney, a SMH Good Food Month showcase for up-and-coming cooks. The Urquharts settled on the NSW mid North Coast when they returned to Australia, after a four-year stint running a country retreat and restaurant in New Zealand. They opened No 2 Oak Street in 1995 and right from the start they were clear about their focus. “It’s not that we do innovative food,” Ray says, “just good, fresh food cooked well. Simple food.” That said, the skill level of a successful, busy restaurant kitchen will always seem challenging to amateur cooks. Ray is well aware of this, and for this article has wisely chosen recipes he enjoys preparing at home. In fact, Toni asserts, “some of the dishes are so easy that even I can do them!”. Making a virtue of simplicity is what the best country cooking has always done. A commitment to fresh produce far from the big cities inevitably means some choices are limited. “There are things that I would love to put on the menu,” Ray confesses, “but to get them here fresh would be an amazing logistical effort.” Instead he looks for good suppliers close to home. Burrawong, an organic poultry and rabbit farm, is just down the road near Kempsey, and there’s an organic grower who supplies good garlic, finger limes and asparagus. “And there’s lots of good seafood coming out of Coffs Harbour,” Ray says. “The guys down there know to save squid for me — I’ve trained them!” No 2 Oak Street is at 2 Oak Street, Bellingen NSW. (02) 6655 9000; www.no2oakst.com.au |
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