If a 1960s food lover could fast-forward to sit at one of Australia’s top tables, what would they make of the way we dine today? How would they react to share plates, or to a 2022 shopping list-style menu and the informality and huge diversity of what’s now on offer?
How would they view our prevailing food ethos – a celebration of creativity, sustainability, seasonality and locally grown. It’s almost the opposite of the dining culture of half a century ago, when Gourmet Traveller first went to print, which exalted the classic, the out-of-season and the difficult to procure.
Online bookings could present hurdles too, navigating a system where they might be asked to pay in advance, or make a deposit by card. And what about the role of chefs? It’s hard to credit for anyone raised in a world flooded with food media but in the 1960s, chefs were rarely seen front-of-house, let alone on television. (Although Melbourne-based German expat Willi Koeppen is a notable exception, hosting Australia’s first television cooking show in 1957).
The silver service of decades past has given way to a more inclusive vibe.
