Eat Street Northshore is unlike any other market in the world. The one of a kind experience is running year-round at 221D Macarthur Avenue in Hamilton every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The market’s picturesque city and river views surround 180 dining and entertainment vendors who are operating out of colorful shipping containers. Here, Modular Farms is supporting the market’s food scene with fresh, local and pesticide-free produce for guests to enjoy. We spoke with Pete Dressler from Poulet & Porc at Kiosk #20 – who we too supply with produce – to chat about his experience at Eat Street Northshore and sourcing quality ingredients for his customers.
Poulet & Porc has been a part of Eat Street Northshore for four years, carving up pork belly sandwiches and popcorn chicken bites. Grabbing attention as a top entertainment and dining destination, Pete visited the market during its first year, telling us he felt “instantly impressed and saw an opportunity to move in on the street food scene”.
Pete focuses on using seasonal produce for its affordability, but most importantly, for the taste. “I know that for my recipes, dishes begin at the farm and if the hard work and quality is not there before it arrives in our kitchen the end result will suffer,” says Pete. Items on Poulet & Porc’s menu are consistently matching Pete’s flavor palette, seeking balance, texture and perfection, “[as] opposed to sugar on sugar on sugar.” This is particularly important especially when Pete is crafting rich, melt-in-your-mouth, pork sandwiches day in and out.
Modular Farms is benefitting several vendors with its unique ability to grow out of season produce. Initially, Pete was sceptical over using Modular Farms to source produce but has grown to enjoy and see the benefit of vertical farming. “I like the opportunity to work directly with James,” says Pete “I tend to try and ask him to grow things I wouldn’t ordinarily find at my local markets.”
Poulet & Porc sources kale, house-hold herbs, rocket and sorrel from Modular Farms and uses these fresh greens in salads served alongside its signature crispy pork belly. “I’m most impressed in the red vein sorrel” says Pete, adding in “the flavour, look and consistency is on point.” This is thanks to Modular Farms’ ability to grow produce in any condition without using pesticides, insecticides or herbicides. The red vein sorrel, like all Modular Farms produce, was grown using tailored lighting, watering and air settings to create the perfect growing environment.
When it comes to wide-spread vertical farming accessibility, Pete agrees remote areas of Australia will benefit from this technology most. These are “certainly the more arid areas of the country” says Pete, “where transportation costs affect the produce.” Modular Farms removes issues of underripe, overpriced produce by offering a solution for producing fresh plants virtually anywhere in the world, in any climate.
Eat Street Northshore is a great opportunity for Modular Farms to supply this micro community of chefs with hyper-local ingredients.
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