Chef’s Corner: Five Minutes with Tim Foster, Bendigo and Ballarat’s biggest name in hospitality

Step into the kitchen with Tim Foster, Culinary Director of Goldfields Hospitality Group, owner and Executive Chef of Babae, Ballarat and Terrae, Bendigo.

With Ballarat and Bendigo brimming with excitement on the cultural front this season with Ballarat International Foto Biennale and Bloom taking over the respective centres, there’s no better time to dive into the culinary circle of both regions. A hybrid hospitality hero is Tim Foster, spearheading two of the most prestigious restaurants within the central Victoria.

Keep up to date with the latest in food and drinks across regional Victoria here.

 

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Five Minutes With Tim Foster, Culinary Director of Goldfields Hospitality Group, owner and Executive Chef of Babae, Ballarat and Terrae, Bendigo.

What are you cooking with at the moment?

Anything seasonal. Our garden is delivering the most beautiful Romanesco cauliflowers, kale, cime di rapa, blood oranges, Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, turnips, sprouting broccoli, brussels and sprouts. Our menus revolve around what is in the garden.  

The fennel velouté with smoked mussels is a standout dish at Babae at the moment.  Our pasta at Terrae is all handmade. I love the thought and effort that goes into the pasta dishes such as the mafaldine with blanquette of pork, turnips & leaves, cime di rapa, sprouting broccoli and lemon.  

Favourite culinary destination?

Hmmm…I love nothing more than a night or two trekking around Melbourne restaurants and bars, but I love exploring regional areas.  I am born and bred in SA (Coonawarra) and try to get back to Adelaide at least once a year. I think the dining opportunities in greater Adelaide (City, Hills, McLaren Vale) are exceptional. You might have to hunt a little harder for them than in some regions, but there is a pride and excitement from chefs there that is contagious.  

Favourite food memory?

A very difficult question! Probably my most important food memories relate to my grandmothers; Both exceptional cooks from whom I learnt many of the fundamental cookery skills of baking, braising, roasting, preserving, and so forth, and most importantly to use what you have at your fingertips. In those days it was what was bred and killed on the farm and what was growing in the veggie garden. Any excess was never wasted and turned into products for future use. This ethos shapes the way that I cook and think about food.  

In your opinion, what makes a dish great?

Great, seasonal produce to start with.  Attention to detail and care in preparation and cooking.  Tasting. Seasoning. It is important to know what flavours will work together but just as important to know when to stop!  

 

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Who’s currently killing it in the hospitality scene?

Anyone who is willing to give the industry a go will always get my admiration! Restaurateurs setting out to create a sense of place in regional areas are, in my opinion, setting the standard of dining in Australia. Enjoying an experience that can only be had in that place and environment is exceptional. Tedesca Osteria, Chauncy, Salopian Inn, Fino, Lakehouse, Brae, Hentley Farm, O.My; now I think of it, the list could go on a bit!

What dish is always on your dinner rotation at home?

I don’t currently cook a lot at home, but on the nights I do, it is usually a protein from the restaurant and a quick harvest from the gardens at home. I’m a big fan of salads, using the BBQ, quick pastas or a curry. For the rare occasions we have friends for dinner….it is often a slow roasted lamb shoulder with whatever side dishes can be created from the garden.  

 

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What are you doing when you are not cooking?

I spend as much time working FOH as I do in the kitchen these days. It’s great to connect with your guests and hopefully see the enjoyment that food, wine, and old school hospitality can bring. When not at work, reading, gardening (with 25 acres and an expansive kitchen garden and orchard, there is always something to do), researching food and wine, and dining out fill in the rare spare time.

To experience Tim Foster’s culinary creations yourself, check out Babae and Terrae now.