Chef at Port Douglas Smoke House & Deli
Words by Jamie Jansen
For more info & the menu of Port Douglas Smokehouse & Deli, click here.
Most locals know Alison Kennedy from the Port Douglas Sunday Markets, where her stall with house-smoked meats and cheese is hard to miss. Always up for a chat, her warm nature is just as much a part of the experience as the food itself.
During the week, you’ll find Alison at the Port Douglas Smoke House & Deli on Grant Street. Alongside her partner, Tim, she has built the business into a local favourite, leading the day-to-day production of everything from smoked meats to artisanal jerky.
Alison’s story stretches back well before Port Douglas and is one shaped by resilience. She grew up in Buxton, a small town in New South Wales, where food was simple and practical, while her mum, she says with a laugh, wasn’t much of a cook.
“We learned pretty quickly how to cook for ourselves,” Alison says. But the kitchen was always busy with baking. “That was what we had instead of lollies or chips. If you wanted something, you baked it.”
That early experience sparked her interest in food, but it wasn’t until she met Tim that it grew into something more. The two met through work, with Tim supplying equipment to the hospitality industry and Alison working 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.
But their path shifted again in 2020 when bushfires destroyed their property and most of what they owned. “We were evacuated seven times,” Alison says. “The last time, we had about seven hours to get out. We grabbed our animals, my mum, and what we could carry.”
Looking for a fresh start, they headed north. “Tim said, ‘If you could live anywhere, where would it be?’ I’d always loved Far North Queensland, so we came up to Port Douglas.”
They arrived just before Covid, starting again the only way they knew how, at the markets. Selling at Mossman and later Port Douglas, they rebuilt their business from the ground up.
As demand grew, so did the need for space. The opportunity came to open a shop on Grant Street. “Tim came home one day and said, ‘I’ve got the keys, we’re opening a deli,’” Alison says.
Much of what’s sold is made in-house using traditional methods like hot and cold smoking, with a strong focus on quality and supporting local producers. “
There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes,” Alison says. “Things like jerky are all done by hand; sliced, marinated and dried. Some days I’m up at two or three in the morning getting everything ready.”
While their smoked trout dip is a standout, Alison’s pride is her crocodile jerky. “I make the best in Australia,” she says proudly. “It’s a bit salty, a bit sweet. People aren’t always sure at first, but once they try it, they come back for it.” She sells out regularly, with orders even sent interstate.
Her St Louis-style brownies are also a hit, a recipe she picked up while living in the United States. Working at a summer camp for at-risk youth, Alison spent time in a commercial kitchen teaching cooking skills.
“Food has always been about bringing people together,” Alison says. “Whether it’s a celebration, a simple moment, or even the hard times, food is part of everything. People take what we make and share it somewhere special and being a part of that is what I love most.”