Having discovered the rich source of bush foods here, he returns often and collects native ingredients to incorporate in his menu.
Julian’s face might be familiar to long-time patrons of Paringa Estate in Red Hill, where he was executive chef for six years from 2011. Fast-forward to today and he’s the proud owner of Navi, his 2 Chef Hat restaurant in Yarraville.
When he moved to Merricks Beach, Julian immediately set about looking for what wild foods the Peninsula had to offer, but it’s an activity he has engaged in since childhood.
“Foraging was something I grew up doing. I didn’t realise its significance when I was younger, but as I become a better chef, I realise what an influence growing up in country Victoria has had on me. My family used to pick mushrooms and roadside fruits, which we then preserved: apples, apricots, blackberries and more.”
Perhaps surprisingly, our region represents a growing food bowl containing distinctive edible ingredients. “The offerings on the Mornington Peninsula are unique due to the landscape: beaches with rock pools, protected bays, rugged wind and salt-drenched beaches, and wetlands. The beaches have seaweeds, beach parsley, sea celery, rock samphire, karkalla, sea blite, different varieties of saltbush, bower spinach, heath berries, native juniper, beach rocket – the list continues. Then you have the hills, with native raspberries, introduced wild mushrooms, blackberries, native elderberries, ballart cherries, wild fruit orchids, and of course numerous edible weeds.
“Not everything is legal to pick,” he cautioned. “I’m lucky to have private properties and areas where I can get indigenous foliage, but you can’t just pick it anywhere.” There’s also the matter of safety; unless you’ve been taught to identify which wild plants and vegetables are safe to eat, steer clear.
Julian credits his knowledge of our native foods to the generosity of wisdom shared by local Indigenous experts. He has forged a particularly strong connection with Lionel Lauch, co-founder and CEO of Living Culture, a Mornington Peninsula organisation educating people about the importance of keeping Aboriginal culture alive. “Lionel and I once did a dinner together for the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival focused on First Nations ingredients from the Peninsula. He taught me a lot about the traditional foods and ingredients we’re lucky enough to see in the wild in this region.”
Julian’s bond with the Peninsula is unlikely to end any time soon, thanks to the lasting connections he’s made. “I’ve been lucky enough to develop relationships with numerous growers and farmers that help supply nearly everything fresh produce-wise that we serve at Navi.”
The ever-changing diversity of native foods is an absolute drawcard when considering the creation of exciting new dishes. “When we regularly come down from the city, we see the seasons change. We know, when a certain flower pops up, that it may be time to start thinking about getting a spot ready in the menu for the fruit that will follow. We also get the opportunity to try things at different stages of ripeness that may turn that ingredient into something completely different for use on the menu.”
While you might see him here on his next foraging excursion, Julian is seldom far from the kitchen. He invites you to visit Navi to taste the incomparable freshness of his menu, including ingredients hand-picked from our own doorstep.
