AS a chef working in the heart of Melbourne, Leonie Sharma would often escape to the Ovens Valley to breathe in the fresh alpine air.
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Then seven years ago Leonie and her husband Vivek decided to settle in the valley.
“We came up here thinking we might stay three years and it’s already been seven,” Leonie said.
Having met while working at Melbourne CBD restaurant Longrain, the couple opened Coffee Chakra at Myrtleford almost three years ago.
Leonie’s Indian fusion-style breakfast and lunch dishes and Vivek’s coffee from his house-roasted beans have found favour among residents and tourists in the valley.
“Our food is fresh and seasonal and I try to avoid preservatives,” Leonie said.
“It’s not unusual for people to drop in quinces or plums to us when they have an abundance of produce in their gardens.”
Together with their daughter Tanishka, 4, Leonie said she enjoyed foraging for pine mushrooms in the region.
“I used to cook with them a lot in Melbourne before we moved up here,” she said.
Coffee Chakra coffee is served in Dudson ceramic cups, a nod to their sustainability mantra.
What's your favourite dish?
As long as food has got culture and is made with passion, I cannot choose one.
What are the staples in your pantry?
Himalayan pink salt, fresh chillies, organic coconut oil and spicy lime pickles.
What's the biggest product discovery you have made in cooking?
Pine mushrooms around Myrtleford. We forage for them from now until about June.
What's your secret vice?
Pana Chocolate
What is your recipe standby?
We have curries three to four times a week. Viv cooks meat curries and I do vegetables, dahl and chickpeas.
What is your most unforgettable meal and where?
Paella on the east coast of Spain on the beach.
What's your favourite cooking utensil?
Three different mortar and pestles for making curry pastes.
What's in your kitchen toolkit?
Knives, piping bags and cutters.
What did you have for dinner last night?
Baingan Bharta (mashed eggplant dish with origins in the Punjab) with homegrown eggplants and homemade roti.
What are you drinking?
Turmeric lattes and homemade green tea kombucha
Details:
Coffee Chakra
105 Myrtle Street, Myrtleford
Phone: (03) 5752 1133
Closed Tuesdays
