Page 68 - Port Douglas Magazine 47

CHEF Alison Kennedy

Alison Kennedy

SMOKEHOUSE DELI PORT DOUGLAS

Most locals know Alison Kennedy from the But their path shifted again in 2020 when marinated and dried. Some days I’m up at two

Port Douglas Sunday Markets, where her bushfires destroyed their property and most or three in the morning getting everything
stall with house-smoked meats and cheese of what they owned. “We were evacuated ready.”

is hard to miss. Always up for a chat, her seven times,” Alison says. “The last time, we While their smoked trout dip is a standout,
warm nature is just as much a part of the had about seven hours to get out. We grabbed Alison’s pride is her crocodile jerky. “I make
experience as the food itself. our animals, my mum, and what we could the best in Australia,” she says proudly. “It’s a
carry.”

During the week, you’ll find Alison at the Port bit salty, a bit sweet. People aren’t always sure

Douglas Smoke House & Deli on Grant Street. Looking for a fresh start, they headed north. at first, but once they try it, they come back
Alongside her partner, Tim, she has built the “Tim said, ‘If you could live anywhere, where for it.” She sells out regularly, with orders even
business into a local favourite, leading the would it be?’ I’d always loved Far North sent interstate.
day‑to‑day production of everything from Queensland, so we came up to Port Douglas.” Her St Louis‑style brownies are also a hit, a
smoked meats to artisanal jerky.

They arrived just before Covid, starting again recipe she picked up while living in the United
Alison’s story stretches back well before Port the only way they knew how, at the markets. States. Working at a summer camp for at‑risk
Douglas and is one shaped by resilience. She Selling at Mossman and later Port Douglas, youth, Alison spent time in a commercial
grew up in Buxton, a small town in New South they rebuilt their business from the ground kitchen teaching cooking skills.
Wales, where food was simple and practical, up.
while her mum, she says with a laugh, wasn’t “Food has always been about bringing
much of a cook. “We learned pretty quickly As demand grew, so did the need for space. people together,” Alison says. “Whether it’s

how to cook for ourselves,” Alison says. But The opportunity came to open a shop on a celebration, a simple moment, or even the
the kitchen was always busy with baking. Grant Street. “Tim came home one day and hard times, food is part of everything. People
“That was what we had instead of lollies or said, ‘I’ve got the keys, we’re opening a deli,’” take what we make and share it somewhere

chips. If you wanted something, you baked it.” Alison says. special and being a part of that is what I love
Much of what’s sold is made in‑house most.”

That early experience sparked her interest using traditional methods like hot and cold
in food, but it wasn’t until she met Tim that smoking, with a strong focus on quality and

it grew into something more. The two met supporting local producers. “There’s a lot portdouglasdelismokehouse

through work, with Tim supplying equipment that goes on behind the scenes,” Alison says.
to the hospitality industry and Alison working “Things like jerky are all done by hand; sliced,

in quality control.
Before they joined forces, Tim had built a
successful smokehouse business, even earning
a Delicious magazine cover for his artisanal
pâtés and trout. However, a severe drought
eventually forced him to close the doors

when the water supply became insufficient to
sustain the fish.

When the two came together, returning to

food production felt like a natural step. They
established a small farm near Braidwood,
NSW, selling eggs, vegetables, and smoked
goods through local markets and their own
shopfront.
It was here that Alison moved into full‑scale
production. Tasked with deciphering Tim’s
original recipes, many of which were just

rough notes, she refined the measurements
and eventually took over much of the making,
preserving and perfecting recipes years in the
making.