Humble BBQ bid to bring people back to the coast
“The whole concept is people, produce, place,” says Port Adelaide’s Phil Donnelly, who has launched a new series in a bid to get people back to public BBQs on the coast.
With local businesses decimated by the toxic algal bloom, Port Adelaide cooking duo Phil Donnelly and Denis Smith have launched a digital cooking series built around the humble public barbecue: Aussie Park Barbies.
Donnelly, who owns Port Adelaide business Mayfair Bakery and Patisserie, told InDaily that after seeing the devastating impact of the algal bloom, he decided the time was right to launch his cooking show concept.
“I live on the coast, and I drive past all these barbecues every day, and they’re in the most iconic places. They just aren’t utilised us much as they should be,” he said.
“With the algae bloom that’s been affecting South Australia, I thought, you know what? This is a perfect opportunity to kick it off now and try to showcase the coast and what amazing produce we have.”
A Tourism Industry Council of South Australia report released in August found that coastal businesses had suffered an average financial loss of $52,000 – a 40 per cent downturn in business.
In response, the state and federal governments launched their Coast is Calling travel voucher program and dining cash back schemes.
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However, Donnelly and Smith’s grassroots approach is based on rebuilding community.
“The whole concept is people, produce, place,” he said.
“We’ve done one at Hart’s Mill Point, which is probably one of the most iconic destinations in the port, and it’s sort of our backyard.”
“We teamed up, and we cooked some flathead fish tacos with the late mayor, Mayor Claire Boan.”
In the latest episode, the pair collaborated with Nick from Wildwater Jetski Tours to cook local seafood on a park barbecue.
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“They’ve been really affected by the algae bloom, so we cooked some local mussels and cockles, and we actually loaded those up, rode the jet skis around past the shipwrecks and the dolphins on Garden Island, and cooked at a barbecue down there, which is nestled between shipwrecks and just an iconic space on the coast,” he said.
Although he didn’t divulge any names, he added that in the works are collaborations with “some pretty well-known Adelaide chefs, we’re seeing what they could cook with me on a park barbie.”
Donnelly said that not only did the concept encourage people to get back to the coast, it has also helped him get out of the workplace and into nature – something that everyone could benefit from.
“It’s getting people outdoors and back in the community and out of their house,” he said.
“I started my baking journey when I was 14, so I’ve grown up in kitchens.
“So this was just a really good opportunity for me to explore the other side of cooking, and get out of the kitchen.
“I spend most of my days in four walls and an oven, I think being an Aussie, growing up in South Australia, where we’ve got this absolute plethora of incredible produce, it’s a great opportunity for me to show off some of my skills outside of the bakery.
“People can be creative and cook and just actually showcase that you can cook some pretty remarkable things on these barbecues.”
The duo currently has three episodes online, which are available on YouTube and on their website.
