Food Producer

Food producer Legend – Alison Lansley 

It’s impossible to tell the story of Australia’s artisan cheese scene without Alison Lansley. The late co-founder of Long Paddock Cheese alongside celebrated French affineur Ivan Larcher, Lansley helped redefine what Australian cheese could be. In only five years of operation, they reset the benchmark for excellence as they successfully married European tradition with the diverse terroir of Australian milk. Their success can be measured not only in the international awards they collected, but also in their presence on the menus of top restaurants around the country. 

Accolades were never the whole story. Just as important to Lansley was The Cheese School. This was her way of providing amateur and professional cheesemakers the chance to hone their skills while delving into the science behind their craft. Under her enthusiastic guidance, it became a place that nurtured a new generation of cheesemakers who continue to shape the country’s dairy landscape.  

Beyond her Castlemaine HQ, Lansley was also an enthusiastic champion of artisan producers through the Australian Specialist Cheesemakers’ Association and president of Melbourne Farmers Markets for more than a decade. Tributes have flown since she passed away earlier this year.  

“Alison funded the school with a dream to educate a new generation of artisan cheese makers,” says Will Studd. “Her integrity and vision made a difference.” Food writer Richard Cornish credits Lansley for putting her energy into the industry for over 30 years. “Tireless in advocacy, encouragement and mentorship, she shared knowledge with both new and experienced cheesemakers.” 

Those closest to her have vowed that her legacy will live on. “She was an incredible person. She had so many different lives and approached each one with passion, kindness and generosity,” said her Long Paddock co-director Gaetan Chapon. “The reason why we will keep pushing is because Long Paddock was her dream. It was her passion project, and we feel like we owe it to her to carry on the flame.”

Food producer Trailblazer – Paul Miragliotta

Organic is a central theme of Paul Miragliotta‘s life and career. Most obviously, it’s core to Day’s Walk Farm, his certified organic property on the Maribyrnong River in Keilor. But how he came to establish an organic, regenerative farm supplying produce to around 50 restaurants across Melbourne’s inner-north and CBD also follows its own organic logic. 

While Miragliotta cites his interest in nature from an early age and the memories of his parents’ veggie garden as key influences, he began his working life as a radiologist. A stint in Italy as a “WWOOFer” set him on a different path. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms is an exchange program where volunteers work on organic farms across the globe in exchange for food and housing. The “enjoyment of food and cooking and care for the environment” he experienced in Italy struck a chord and so he left radiology to pursue organic farming. 

“Initially, supplying restaurants was just part of the mix,” says Miragliotta. “But then I made a conscious decision to become a restaurant farm. It informed what we would grow and the fact that we’re just 22km from the city meant we could do all the distribution ourselves and get produce to chefs the day it came out of the ground. I enjoyed having chefs as customers – they’re people who put their heart and soul into what they’re cooking and are very food literate and I wanted to be part of that. Having direct, personal communication with them is something I really enjoy.” 

The feeling is mutual. Chef Tom Sarafian uses Day’s Walk produce at his restaurant Zareh and lauds not just the “amazing quality of the beautiful organic produce” but how the variety of heirloom vegetables, from tomatoes and onions to beetroot and eggplants, “inspire many chefs and their menus across Melbourne”. The only way it could be fresher, says Sarafian, is if you grew it yourself.
An intern program at the farm, designed to educate and inspire a new generation of organic farmers has an organic, regenerative feel too. A trailblazer indeed.