A Little Indulgence, A Lot Of Local Flavour

Business owner and pastry chef Fiona Davison with one of her delicious homemade creations at The Bowerbird's Pantry in South Mission Beach, Photo credit: Helen Cook

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For local pastry chef and cane farmer's daughter Fiona Davison, good food begins with exceptional ingredients, a passion for baking and a determination to showcase Far North Queensland's wonderful produce.

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At The Bowerbird's Pantry in South Mission Beach, Fiona has created a boutique grocery store celebrating the region's exceptional food producers, with shelves filled with carefully selected local and gourmet products.  

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“Our food and drink offerings are a vehicle to further promote local ingredients and products,” Fiona explained.

Fiona's passion for quality ingredients and baking goes back to the beginning of her career, when she swapped nursing studies in Brisbane for a pastry chef apprenticeship at the Hilton Hotel, training under a German master pastry chef.

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“He was a hard taskmaster, but he was very good. So it was great training,” she recalled.

Her career subsequently took her overseas, including London's prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel and a small Hilton hotel in Scotland, where she helped cater for royal family events.

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After years in demanding hotel kitchens, Fiona returned to Australia, studied holistic nutrition and established The Whole Food Co. while raising her four children. Specialising in gluten-free and dairy-free baked goods using quality local and organic ingredients, she supplied cafés across Cairns and health food shops as far away as Sydney and Melbourne.

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Today, those experiences influence everything she creates at The Bowerbird's Pantry.

From spectacular baked Alaska and indulgent chocolate mousse cakes to gluten-free, dairy-free coconut almond cake, Fiona's baking celebrates flavour and quality ingredients.

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Her pantry shelves are equally impressive, showcasing regional producers alongside carefully selected gourmet products.

“We have such incredible produce up here,” Fiona said.  

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“For me, it really is about shining a light on the amazing produce we have.”

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And there's a wonderful opportunity to discover local talent when The Bowerbird's Pantry hosts its Christmas Soirée next Sunday, 8th November, from 3pm to 5pm.

Local artists and artisans will showcase their creations, offering inspiration for Christmas gifts, while Fiona serves festive food and drinks, with live entertainment adding to the atmosphere.

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“This is our annual opportunity to celebrate local creativity, enjoy good food and support the talented people who make and create across our region,” Fiona said.

Shoppers will receive a lucky draw ticket for every $20 spent, with prizes donated by participating stallholders drawn at 5pm.

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The Bowerbird's Pantry

Address: Shop 3/2 Commodore St, South Mission Beach QLD 4852, Australia
Website: thebowerbirdspantry.com.au

Opening hours: Tuesday–Friday, 8am–2pm; Saturday, 8am–11am. Closed Sunday and Monday.

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