Food “Made in Orange”
How’s this for a great initiative?
It has been an extraordinary few weeks for hospitality businesses here in Orange — and all over Australia — as they reinvent themselves to keep trading despite strict restrictions to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
And not all have survived. Pubs, clubs and restaurants have been forced to close their doors, while others are hanging on thanks to takeaway sales and even home delivery.
Byng Street Café owner Jeremy Norris has come up with an innovative approach to support local ‘foodie’ businesses through this tough time, and one that could well be here to stay.
‘Made in Orange by local foodies’ is a brand he has created to celebrate all things foodie here in Orange. The bright orange stickers adorn products created by local cafes, restaurants and caterers which are now available for sale through Ashcroft’s IGA in the Summer Centre.
“We were just trying to think about how we get through worse case scenarios, how we get through the other side if we had to shut the business,” said Jeremy, who also operates the Bloom Café at the Bloomfield Medical Centre and coffee cart at the hospital.
“I've always thought of the idea of a label like this in Orange would be something good. The idea is that local foodies, anyone that has a restaurant or food business, they can make something, say a beef bourguignon or coq-a-vin or lasagne, we put a Made in Orange sticker on it and IGA have given us free shelf space to sell it all.
“Sugar Mill and have been doing chicken and tarragon pies, which is one of my old favourites Mum used to make... we're doing homemade pasta, hand rolled lasagnes, and we've done three different types of some sausages - really good sausages — and the products look great!”
Rochelle Ashcroft of Ashcroft’s IGA said that when Jeremy approached them with the idea, they jumped at the chance to support other local businesses.
“We said absolutely! We're more than happy to support Jeremy and anyone who gets involved in this idea and hopefully this helps get them through,” Rochelle said.
“We are just happy to help and try and sell them in our stores. And this is something that could potentially be a long-term thing anyway, after this disaster is over.”
Jeremy definitely sees potential for the ‘Made in Orange’ label once life returns to normal.
“Out the other side of this, once it is all over and the tourists start coming back and all the Air BnBs are full again then this will be a platform where people coming to Orange can order something and have a ‘Made in Orange by local foodies’ product in their fridge when they arrive,” he said.
“I think a lot of businesses will come out a lot stronger after this, because they will have another side to their business that will probably stay there. It will definitely change a few things.”
Look out for for @madeinorangebylocalfoodies on Facebook and Instagram