Page 17 - Port Douglas Magazine 26

ood is more than just restaurants and kitchens – it’s the marketplace,
Fthe producers, farmers and the teachers. Here in Tropical North
Queensland, women with a deep and diverse set of skills matched with
a hungry passion for business are making their mark on the region. The
future of food is here, and it’s decidedly female. Meet a few of the best here
in the north, treading their own delicious paths.

Women ANGE CONSTABLE JENNA RUMNEY

THE TREATMAKER
THE HORTICULTURALIST
DAINTREE ICE CREAM Co & TROPICAL FRUIT FARM
EATS SHOOTS & LEAVES
Food from the wintery wonder of Invercargill in New Zealand’s South Island, rainforest. In fact, being a marine biologist, having a business in the
Jenna Rumney never intended to make ice cream in the middle of the
The perpetual summer of the tropical north feels like a million miles away
rainforest wasn’t really on the cards at all. With her partner, Dave, being
where Ange Constable began her primary producer career.
a rainforest tour guide, there was always a lot of banter over reef and
“I grew adult vegetables for about five years, selling to markets and
rainforest in the household, until one day they saw an opportunity to take
restaurants. I’d pick my produce and just go walking down the street with
over the well-established Daintree Ice Cream Co & Tropical Fruit Farm.
baskets into restaurants – the chefs loved it! All organic produce, different
“Dave would stop past the Daintree Ice Cream farm as part of his daily
to what was found in bulk producer orders.”
Tired of the cold, Ange shortly moved to the tropical north, settling on
to sell. We went up to see the property and being there with the fresh air,
a property in the beautiful Mowbray Valley. “Here in the tropics, micro
the green-on-green-on-green and the roaming wildlife, we knew it was
greens are absolutely perfect. The warm climate means things grow fast tour, and then discovered it was for sale. Tracy, the original owner, decided
special.”
and there’s a quick harvest time for produce. Seed to plate takes a week.
I love growing interesting things that the chefs love and no one else has, There have been plenty of changes at the farm since Jenna and Dave took
like buckwheat and mungbean shoots. Local restaurants such as Salsa Bar over, whilst keeping within the original structure of the business - the
& Grill and The Junction in Mossman are big supporters of the grow local signature 4-cup taster of ice creams made from rare and exotic tropical
philosophy and have always embraced me. fruits. “We’re not about the same old chocolate and vanilla, even though
we will be doing that soon because we’re GROWING chocolate and
“In addition to growing for restaurants, I’ve started preparing seed kits,
vanilla. Our philosophy revolves around ‘tree to cup’ so you can follow the
available at the markets on a Saturday, as well as supplying our subscriber
journey of the fruit around the self guided orchard walk, seeing, smelling
list. I’ll let subscribers know what’s available via a text message menu in
and feeling the fruits while tasting them in homemade ice cream.”
conjunction with [other local producer] Wild About Spice. Initially, this
subscription order was just for friends in Mowbray, but then it leaked out The farm houses over twenty species of exotic fruit from South East Asia,
and now there’s about 60 people on the list each week.” South America and Pacific Islands. “Each varietal is fascinating in their
own right”, Jenna says. “I love experimenting with the fruit, in cooking,
“The future is to build a new state of the art greenhouse, so I go into more
and studying all the health properties that each have. Being a scientist, it’s
community-based projects, teaching people how to grow their own food
certainly very interesting.
and how to set up a small-grow operation like mine.
“Every recipe is also individual – the ice cream is built around the fruit
Watch this space!”
rather than the other way around. Ice cream ingredients and consistency
instagram.com/eatshootsanleaves are based on the fruit sugar content, texture and flavour, so that at any
time, it’s the fruit profile that remains the superstar.
“One of the best things is that we get to perpetuate happiness. People are
on holiday in one of the most beautiful places in the world, then they get
to taste ice cream that they’d never have tasted before.”
daintreeicecream.com.au
PORT DOUGLAS MAGAZINE 17