Gastronomy and good food in Daylesford

A standalone Institute of Gastronomy and Good Food in Daylesford, Victoria is one step closer to reality thanks to the completion of a business case co-funded by the Regional Development Australia (RDA) Grampians, the Victorian Government and the William Angliss Institute of TAFE and with support from the Hepburn Shire Council.

The proposed $25.1 million project to establish the Institute of Gastronomy and Good Food would bring together agriculture, culinary, hospitality, educators and tourism experts under the one roof – consolidating Daylesford as one of Victoria’s most popular food destinations.

RDA Grampians Chair, Stuart Benjamin was in Daylesford last month for the launch of the business case with the William Angliss Institute of TAFE and food icon and Lake House Daylesford Culinary Director Alla Wolf-Tasker AM, who has played a key role in getting the study off the ground.

“At first the vision for the business case was to look at ways to address the hospitality skills shortage in our region and to attract more people to the industry with innovative training courses and curriculum. That vision then grew when we found that one of the biggest issues was the isolated nature of the food industry,” said Mr Benjamin.

The Institute would open possibilities for culinary professionals to engage in farming and food manufacturing and acquire knowledge in areas where there are skills shortages like sourdough making, fermentation, cheese making and butchery.
If established, the Institute of Gastronomy and Good Food will create a world-class tourism destination built around food knowledge, skills and education bringing together producers, processors and hospitality providers - driving collaboration and knowledge sharing across several sectors.

“This project has the potential to put Daylesford and Victoria on the map as the gastronomic capital of Australia and ‘the’ foodie destination for budding culinary professionals, regenerative agribusiness practitioners and best-practice artisan food producers,” said Mr Benjamin.

Chair Stuart Benjamin said a fully funded Institute of Gastronomy and Good Food would also support economic development across the Grampians region.

“RDA Grampians is proud to have contributed $20,000 towards the development of the Institute of Gastronomy and Good Food business case and will continue to champion the burgeoning gastronomic sector in our region to find real solutions to skills shortages and create jobs and education opportunities,” noted Mr Benjamin.

“Now that the study is complete we are one step closer to making the Institute a reality and RDA Grampians is working hard to help secure government investment in the project.”

The business case forecasts that the project will create over 200 direct jobs during construction, provide a further 476 employment opportunities and generate $22 million per year in economic benefits from education, agriculture and tourism.