“We always source the best and freshest ingredients. We always like to use fresh produce to make sure our ingredients are of quality. We always make sure our eggs are free range, which I will go and source; the yolk, the colour, knowing they’re cage free – all the small details make a huge difference in the end product, and that’s just in making the pasta. Then you’ve got the fillings and all the different ingredients we use there: mixed

Although of country stock, Hugh McPherson is a Sydney boy born and bred. “My mum’s from Orange and my dad’s from Wagga Wagga, and while I did spend a great deal of my childhood in the country, I grew up in the Flemington-Ryde area. I moved to Kings Cross on my own when I was 16, and I think that’s where I did a lot of my learning. When I was 18 I managed a couple of bars, a couple

“Our food is what keeps us motivated. We try and use the best, freshest ingredients available. You don’t need a lot to put into a dish; if you just use the best ingredients it’ll taste great! Fresh, good quality produce does make all the difference in any cuisine — it’s not rocket science. We’re definitely a seasonal kitchen, basically winter and summer, but a lot of our menu we can’t change because the customers come back for that particular item

“You’ve just got to keep adapting in this world. Hospitality is a tough gig, but we’ve been here a long time now and after 17 years we’ve got a fantastic clientele, a great diversity of products – wine, produce and great food going on – and we’re also doing lots more with gemstones and jewellery, local stuff. We have one particular great supplier in town who provides a lot of our organic produce every day for lunches, and that’s been

“Recently we’ve introduced a smoky delicious dinner service of BBQ and Baja-style tacos on Friday and Saturday nights. Fully licensed and boasting a small but mighty list of local and imported beer, wine, gin and whisky, we have your relaxed, boozy arvo sorted. Don’t worry though, we haven’t abandoned our roots, and still make a mean flat white plus some of Brisbane’s best breakfast. We were awarded the major gong of Casual Dining Venue of the Year (South East Queensland)

“I’ve been involved with Mountain Side Meats for just under five years now. My dad’s an ex butcher, so there’s family history. I love the creativity of it, the art of it; not many people see behind the scenes of it, and they think it’s just cutting a piece of meat. But there’s a lot of creativity to it, and you either like it or you don’t. I like to cook all types of things. I’ve got a Weber smoker