A passion for food and a love of the community have led business partners Sharad Patel and Vipul Patel to Crust Pizza in Patterson Lakes.

Vipul had risen through the ranks from pizza maker to store manager in Melbourne when he approached Sharad to join the Crust Pizza franchise, and the pair opened their Harbour Plaza store in November 2011.

“I have a background in food engineering, and when Vipul approached me I was looking to get into a food business,” Sharad says.  “We wanted a brand that was community-based, astute with a long-term business plan and that offered value for money, so Crust Pizza was an easy choice.”

With Vipul already living in Carrum, the choice of Patterson Lakes was also an easy one.  “We like to give back to the community,” Sharad says.

It’s an exciting time for both the franchisees and the company as a whole.  The Patterson Lakes store will soon hopefully add its name to the list of stores now licensed to deliver alcohol with your home-delivered pizza.  Adding to this exciting news, Crust is introducing three new pizza options to its gourmet offer in the coming weeks, including a delicious vegan pizza!  Look out for the new menu in your letterbox soon.

The company recently smashed the Guinness Book of World Records, for the World’s Longest Dessert Pizza with a 46.6m whopper, during the Crust Pizza conference on the Gold Coast.
Don’t forget to sign up as a Crust VIPP (Very Important Pizza Person) – if you live within the store’s delivery area, you’ll receive free delivery every time you order online as well as exclusive offers.

CRUST PIZZA
A: Shop 26, Harbour Plaza, 21 Thompsons Rd, Patterson Lakes
T: 9773 1111
W: crust.com.au

Every month, dozens of keen gardeners gather at a Frankston café to share their bounty with others.

The Frankston Food Swap grew out of the annual Frankston Community Food Festival, a month-long series of workshops dedicated to helping residents grow, produce and cook their own food.  Last year’s festival included a food swap, and the interest it generated helped sow the seed for the Frankston Food Swap.

The food swap is held on the second Saturday of every month (except January) at Coffee on Kareela, a not-for-profit café run by St Luke’s Anglican Church and staffed by volunteers.  It draws 15-20 people on average, and group member Sally Taylor says anyone is welcome to bring along any excess produce they have and swap it for something they need; any leftover produce is taken to Food Is Free.

“At the first swap we had someone bring along a collection of macadamia nuts from their tree; basically it’s whatever’s in season – lemons, rhubarb, herbs.  We have a small planning team that gets together to organise demonstrations at each swap, such as making mustard from mustard seeds, preserving, or making sourdough bread.

“There’s a garden at the back of the café so if someone doesn’t have anything to swap, but they might have ideas or experience they can pass on, they can take something from the garden.  We do encourage people to bring something along though.

“Some of the people who come along are regular swappers, and we do get some newcomers too.”

The next food swap is on Saturday, November 12, from 1-2pm at 53 Kareela Rd.

Celebrate Frankston’s 50 years as a city and everything that makes it great at next month’s Long Lunch On Wells.

Inspired by the much-celebrated and traditional community long lunches around the town square in many European provincial towns, Long Lunch On Wells is all about Frankston citizens feeling good about where they live.  For four hours, you’ll be wined, dined and entertained with the finest fare from selected Wells St restaurants, wines from Elgee Park and Baillieu wineries and Ritchies IGA, and a host of musicians.  You can also bring your own food to share with your table guests.
There will be heaps of fun for the children, and special shows at Hoyts.  Musicians including The Gaudion Brothers, The Fabulous Joe Roberto Trio with Fem Belling, the Frankston High School Band and Jazz Sextet, Blue Note College, Guitar Village Frankston and Oskar Proy will keep you entertained.

Presented by Proudly Frankston, Long Lunch On Wells is on Sunday, November 6, from noon-4pm.  Tickets are $10 a person, $100 for a table of 10 and $120 for a table of 12.  Book at Frankston Arts Centre, 9784 1060; tickets from thefac.com.au

Take your taste buds on a journey through faraway lands with The Spice Club’s intensely authentic Indian cuisine.  This popular food spot takes pride in offering a deliciously diverse menu including delectable selections of tandoori meats and breads plus curries that are cooked to perfection.  The secret is its clay oven, which omits an aroma that gets your mouth watering.

The Spice Club prides itself on offering fast and friendly service.  Takeaway is available every day except Mondays - or try the all-you-can-eat buffet on Friday and Saturday nights, which includes a wide range of entrees and main courses plus rice, naan bread, salad and raita.  Then finish up with one of The Spice Club’s delicious desserts.

Now that’s sweet, and a little bit spicy!  Join the club today – it’s open Tuesday through to Sunday.

THE SPICE CLUB
A: 506 Nepean Highway, Frankston
T: 9770 5011
W: spiceclubfrankston.com.au

With Christmas only weeks away, it’s time to book your end-of-year function - and The Boathouse is just the venue for you.

Set on the banks of the meandering Kananook Creek among lovely gardens, you could celebrate in style with your work colleagues and friends.  The perfect combination of location, ambience and an enticing new menu sees The Boathouse as an ideal venue for your Christmas break-up.

“You can choose from a cocktail-style function for up to 140 guests, or you may opt for a sit-down event for up to 80 guests,” says The Boathouse owner Cameron.  “Our new Summer ’17 Function Packages are set to tantalise the taste buds and we will work with you to ensure your event is memorable and enjoyable - we can even organise music and entertainment.”

During spring The Boathouse chefs have taken advantage of the local produce and have developed a delicious new menu of mouthwatering dishes featuring such delights as confit duck, grilled sardines, and Mt Martha mussels with Queensland tiger prawns tossed with tagliatelle.  There’s even kangaroo saltimbocca with marsala sauce.

For those with a discerning palate, The Boathouse has a fully stocked bar with local and imported wines, cider and craft beers.  The new cocktail list has been a hit with the ladies while the rolling beers on tap offer something different every week.

For more details, visit www.theboathouserestaurant.com.au or phone 9770 5330 to make a booking.

THE BOATHOUSE RESTAURANT
A: 366 Nepean Highway, Frankston
T: 9770 5330

If you’re in the mood for a party or a special celebration, Temptation Corner is your one-stop shop for all your supplies.

From delicious gourmet pies and finger food to scrumptious confectionery and famous Carousel ice cream cakes, your guests’ appetites will be well catered for, and there’s a great range of novelty cake tins available for hire if you prefer baking your own.  You can also hire all the party equipment you’ll need, from laser lights, disco balls and smoke machines to cocktail/slushie machines and karaoke machines.

There are costumes, hats, masks and accessories for hire, as well as balloons, banners, candles, streamers, tableware – in fact, everything you need to make your special occasion a roaring success.   

TEMPTATION CORNER
A: 2/700 Frankston-Dandenong Rd, Carrum Downs
T: 9782 8491
W: temptationcorner.com.au

If it’s pizza you crave, you’ll find dozens of options at Seaford Pizza Lodge.  From meat-lover’s to vegetarian to gluten-free, every appetite is catered for.  And if you’re not in the mood for pizza, why not try a delicious risotto, pasta, chicken parma or schnitzel, salad or dessert.

SEAFORD PIZZA LODGE
A: 112 Railway Pde, Seaford
T: 9782 4699
W: pizzalodge.com.au

Just a short walk towards Seaford Pier, and housed in the famous, award-winning Seaford Surf Life Saving Club building, is Beach Cafe Seaford.

Perched among the dunes overlooking the beautiful, ever-changing Seaford beach, this little cafe is just the place to meet friends and family, be it for breakfast or lunch, with weekly specials, scrumptious cakes and cookies, hot chocolates, or your daily coffee with friendly, attentive service.  You can't go wrong, so why not grab a coffee on the deck or take one away while you explore the beach and foreshore.  The dolphins are free.

BEACH CAFÉ SEAFORD
A: 1/10N Nepean Highway, Pier Foreshore Reserve, Seaford
T: 8774 0470
W: http://www.beachcafeseaford.com.au/

Poppyseeds is much more than a 7am-3pm super fresh sandwich drop-in spot.  This Wells St lunchtime institution has just celebrated a quarter of a century of creating scrumptious European-inspired food that customers just can’t seem to get enough of.
The clue to Poppyseeds’ success is fresh is best - plus a whole lot of family devotion.

Sandra Salpietro named the eatery after her much-loved grandmother Caliope (Poppy) Mexis, who owned the iconic Athens Café in Frankston from the late 1930s through to the late ‘50s.  (You can still drink your coffee today from the original Athens Café crockery while sampling home-made Greek and Italian treats. What stories those coffee cups could tell if they could talk!)

Sandra’s mother Aspasia is Greek and her father Angelo is Italian, and both of them work alongside Sandra and her husband Michael (Stuart).  All the food at Poppyseeds is made on-site from fresh Peninsula-procured produce and the sandwiches are prepared while you wait - you can even construct your own sandwich masterpiece!  All packaging is supplied by a Frankston business and there is also a wide range of deli and international food for purchase.
Pop in to Poppyseeds – 25 years on and still going strong.
 
POPPYSEEDS
A: 59 Wells St, Frankston
T: 9783 4917
FB: facebook.com/poppyseedsdeli

Spring has arrived and so has a delicious new menu at The Boathouse Restaurant. Set on the banks of Kananook Creek among lush gardens shaded by pseudo acacia trees, The Boathouse is the perfect place to celebrate all things spring - and the new menu is no exception.

Offering a vast array of seasonal options to tantalise the taste buds, the new menu includes mouthwatering dishes such as Mt Martha mussels and Queensland tiger prawns tossed with saffron butter and tagliatelle, confit duck with cannellini and spicy pork sausage ragout.  For something a little different, try a kangaroo saltimbocca on creamed parmesan polenta.

The Spring Fling mid-week special has also arrived and offers exceptional value, with two courses and a glass of wine for only $38 or three courses and a glass of wine for $48.  It’s a perfect opportunity to enjoy a gorgeous lunch as you sip a glass of wine and take in the view across the garden to the water’s edge.

And don’t forget The Boathouse does functions. With the perfect combination of location, ambience and enticing menu options, The Boathouse is the ideal location for your Christmas break-up, wedding or next special event. Did you know it caters for up to 80 seated guests or 140 for a cocktail-style event?  To find out more or discuss your function requirements in detail, contact The Boathouse’s functions co-ordinator on 9770 5330 or email [email protected]

THE BOATHOUSE RESTAURANT
A: 366-368 Nepean Highway, Frankston
T: 9770 5330

Chocolate Grove has opened a new chocolate shop in Carrum Downs that includes a history centre tracing Australian confectionery through the years.

“We are really proud of our new venture,” says owner and chocolate innovator Will Muddyman.  “We can now showcase our entire range of products in a pristine, perfect setting. While choosing their delicious treats, our customers can wander through our special section on the history of Australian confectionery and chocolate companies as illustrated through retro packaging and advertising memorabilia.”

To mark last month’s opening, Will and his team created a gourmet chocolate pizza topped with pepitas and dried inca berries, goji berries, blueberries and cranberries.  “We love creating new and innovative products. Our aim is to create unique, exotic and exciting combinations for a real taste bud sensation.”

Will says Chocolate Grove is the only Australian chocolate company with Coeliac Australia accreditation.  Many of its products are gluten and allergen-free, and no chocolate contains palm oil or vegetable fat.  

Chocolate Grove has been in operation since 1987, and the Muddyman family took over the business in 2002.

CHOCOLATE GROVE
A: 48 Aster Ave, Carrum Downs
T: 9775 1888
W: www.chocolategrove.com

The Grand Hotel is your ultimate destination in Frankston

The bistro features $15 business lunches Monday-Friday (including a drink), great value family meals seven days a week and the popular $15.90 meal deal offers every Monday-Thursday.  And in the Sports Bar you can enjoy a free pot with all meals.

Why not book your next function at the Grand, with a range of packages available.  Visit www.thegrandhotelfrankston.com.aufor details.

THE GRAND HOTEL FRANKSTON
A: 499 Nepean Highway, Frankston
T: 9783 7388
W: www.grandhotelfrankston.com.au

What could be better than sitting down with friends and family to watch the AFL Grand Final with a delicious selection of food from The Deli Stall.

The Deli Stall will be open on Grand Final Friday (September 30) from 9am-2pm, so if you place your order 48 hours earlier, it’ll be ready for you to pick up in plenty of time for the big game.

There’s an incredible range of hot and cold food to choose from, including homemade gnocchi and arancini, soups, pasta, roasts, gourmet pies, artisan, organic, gluten-free and celiac breads, Polish smallgoods, ham, Mediterranean lamb, Australian and European cheese, free-range eggs, kombucha, coffee, Maggie Beer vinegars and chutneys, jams, mustards and pickles, traditional French baguettes, and spanakopita, baklava and galaktoboureko.

Find it all at The Deli Stall.

THE DELI STALL FINE FOODS
A: 503 Station St, Carrum
T: 9773 3131

We’ve hit September and the summer months are fast approaching. The sunsets over Olivers Hill, the Frankston foreshore and Port Phillip Bay have been spectacular, and what better way to enjoy the view than with a cocktail in hand on the rooftop bar at The Deck.

Bring on balmy nights spent with friends, great tunes, fabulously fresh food and an all-new drinks list celebrating local wines and the Peninsula’s finest cocktails.

Speaking of celebrating, the silly season will be here before you blink and The Deck calendar is already filling fast with Christmas functions.  The Deck offers a truly unique function venue with a fun and funky nautical ambience.  The décor alone will guarantee that your event has the “wow” factor.

Spacious and versatile, The Deck offers several unique spaces for functions and parties - from small and intimate to fantastically gigantic.  The delicious array of canapé options and thoughtfully developed drink packages are flexible and can be easily customised to suit your requirements.

Don't let your colleagues book you in for another “ho ho ho-hum” dud Christmas party. Call The Deck now on 9783 1003 to get your party started right and let The Deck crew make your night.

THE DECK BAR
A: 2-4 Davey St, Frankston
T: 9783 1003
W: thedeckbar.net.au

It’s that time of year again, with things winding down and all eyes on work break-ups and end-of-year celebrations along with fun with family and friends.

So why trouble yourselves with all the planning and catering hassles when you can let the crew at Daveys do the work for you.  Daveys has an abundance of space and areas in which to hold your next private or corporate function.  In addition there is ample onsite and offsite parking, making your visit easy and stress-free.

The food options on offer are more than substantial with a flexible approach to suit your catering needs.   Daveys is justifiably proud of its dedicated and professional functions team who will manage your event from the very first moment until the very last detail.

So come and enjoy the seaside ambience at Daveys.

DAVEYS HOTEL
A: 510 Nepean Highway, Frankston
T: 9783 7255
W: daveys.com.au

There is always something happening in and around Charlwood’s Café.  As well as a continuous stream of patrons seeking out a wholesome sandwich or roll, a sweet treat, a refreshing gelato or a delicious coffee, musicians and artists gravitate to Charlwood’s to catch up and chill out – and there’s a free concert on the last Saturday of each month put on by owner Yvens De Camargo’s Fresh [email protected] Sounds.

Now, every Friday from 6.30-9.30pm Charlwood’s will host a musicians’ circle/networking session in the forecourt just outside the café at Frankston Library.  As Yvens says, “Happiness is a cup of coffee and a really good book!”

CHARLWOOD’S CAFÉ
A: 60 Playne St, Frankston
T: 0437 480 253
FB: facebook.com/freshstartorganicafe/

For Carrum Station Charcoal Chicken owners George and Kosta Gerakis, food is all about tradition, passion and love.

Carrum Station Charcoal Chicken is a second-generation family-run business, and they have been operating charcoal chicken shops for more than 25 years.

“Our aim is to provide excellent customer service and food that is not only delicious but great value,” George says. “We have taken the time to create an exciting menu which is prepared daily using only the best ingredients.

“Our chickens are free-range and our lamb is 100 per cent Australian.  Both are marinated with our unique herbs and spices, and cooked to perfection over a natural wood charcoal fire.  So whether you have a serving of our tender and juicy chicken with a side of crispy chips and fresh cut salad, a mouth-watering flame-grilled breast fillet burger, a delicious Greek-style lamb souvlaki or a homemade rice pudding, we are sure that your taste buds will thank you.”

The Carrum Station Charcoal Chicken team is also happy to assist you with your catering needs.  “With years of experience in helping our customers organise their special occasion, no event is too big or too small. We provide gluten-free options across our menu, and we are more than happy to assist you with your needs.”

CARRUM STATION CHARCOAL CHICKEN
A: 1A McLeod Rd, Carrum
T: 9776 2688
FB: www.facebook.com/carrumcharcoalchicken
Open: Tuesday-Sunday 10.30am-8pm; Monday closed

‘If we could live happy, healthy lives without harming others, why wouldn’t we?’ – Edgar’s Mission.

Celebrities are doing it. Athletes are thriving on it. Switched on restaurateurs and café owners are catering for it. Chances are someone you know is into it. It’s the vegan diet and judging by the number of restaurants and cafes on the Mornington Peninsula now offering vegan options and menus, this plant-based diet is growing in popularity here. There’s a ‘Mornington Peninsula Vegans’ Facebook group (more than 540 members) and word is a full vegan café and store is opening soon in Dromana. Frankly Frankston Magazine spoke with three inspiring peninsula locals and a vineyard about all things vegan.

Shani Vetter and Christian Marc

Shani is a personal trainer, a plant-built fitness competitor and owner of Smiling Assassin Fitness in Mornington. Her husband is well-known wedding and portrait photographer Christian Marc, of Christian Marc Photography. The Dromana couple became vegan three and a half years ago. They transitioned together and now share their knowledge and experience to help others transition and learn about sustainability, agriculture and nutrition (Shani even has an Instagram account dedicated to it - @veganfitnessassassin).

Shani was already a pescatorian (seafood but no other animal flesh) for health reasons, but after stumbling on a book about animal cruelty in the meat and dairy industry the pair went vegan and haven’t looked back. “We found the affirmation that we needed that other people were living this way and thriving,” Shani explains.

“When we closed the door to these animal products another opened to other products that we wouldn’t have considered before. Our mindset of our plate changed too. It was no longer about meat and sides, our plates became beautiful with colour.”

Shani has competed, with success, as a vegan in three different natural bodybuilding bikini competitions over the past few years - two in Australia with the International Natural Bodybuilding Association and one in Texas at the Naturally Fit Games where she placed second.  “I was competing alongside a team of 30 to 40-plus vegan athletes all there to show how we thrived on a plant-based diet,” she said.

Christian transitioned to a full vegan diet after years of what he describes as being a “conscious meat eater”. “No one wants to see animals suffer, but when you think you need to eat these things to be happy and healthy, you put it out of your mind. That’s where I was at,” he explains. He meticulously researched the vegan diet and the couple have now connected with many vegans across Melbourne. Both have found plenty of cafes and restaurants on the peninsula offering vegan options. Christian uses the Edgar’s Mission quote (at the top of this piece) to explain why he connects with vegan principles and recommends ‘101 Reasons to Go Vegan’ on YouTube. For vegan-friendly dining they recommend Store Fifteen, The Winey Cow and Thanks Albert Burger Company (chickpea burger) in Mornington; Merchant & Maker in McCrae and Dee’s Kitchen in Dromana, among many.

Yasmin Reldeahcs

Yasmin grew up on a commercial beef farm and has come full circle from watching cattle being trucked off to the abattoir as a child to running a shelter for ex-farm animals in Moorooduc as an adult. The 31-year-old follows a vegan diet but may deviate from it in the interest of waste minimisation and sustainability.

“Growing up for me was being outdoors and spending time with all sorts of animals on a commercial beef cattle farm. I’m so grateful for this upbringing as it helped teach me the importance of respecting life,” she says. Good food, for Yasmin, means organic, cruelty-free and local. “That way everyone is nourished and supported, including the planet, the farmers and the animals.  To be kind to others and the environment is to be kind to ourselves.”

Yasmin has worked with the RSPCA and with countless volunteer groups. She fully funds the rehabilitation of local wildlife and domesticated animals that are injured, orphaned or abandoned. She is also completing a law degree with the aim of being able to help animals and the environment in a greater capacity. Hers is a conscious awareness of food, where it comes from and what is involved in producing it – she is not exclusively vegan or freegan. 

“I just try and do the best I can to make more responsible decisions in my daily life and plan to do a lot more in future. To me this means reducing consumption and suffering, to make use of resources that are already available and would otherwise be rendered waste.”

Port Phillip Estate

This peninsula venue has just been named in The Age Good Food Guide’s ‘Top 10 Melbourne vegan fine dining menus 2016’. It’s a coup for Port Phillip Estate and an indication that this part of the world really is taking the vegan customer seriously. The Good Food Guide describes Port Phillip Estate as an architectural landmark on the Mornington Peninsula that “also puts out the welcome mat to vegans” (aka semolina-dusted soybean fillets with tomato-stuffed zucchini flowers and tapenade). Port Phillip Estate is in rather good company on this list, alongside Australia's most esteemed restaurant, Attica. Head chef Stuart Deller explains: "We take all our customers seriously. Therefore, we place the same amount of importance in sourcing and preparing fruit, vegetables, grains and nuts as we do with animal and seafood products. This allows the kitchen to offer a range of dishes to customers with dietary requirements and preferences."