The St. Hugo difference
A grand avenue of cork-trees welcomes those seeking the casual yet refined dining experience that is St. Hugo.
It is here where wine is the star and food is its stage in a tantalising show of harmony.
Elegant, marble top dining tables and classic Barossa vineyard views set the scene at the Rowland Flat restaurant which was officially opened in September, 2016.
Executive Chef, Mark McNamara moved to the Barossa 25 years ago, lured by its reputation as a fine food and wine destination.
Today he leads a team who work alongside wine makers to create menus that both surprise and delight.
“ Collaboration is the cornerstone of the food experience at St Hugo,” Mark says.
“ It’ s always about the wine selection, we don’ t set out to tell a particular food story, rather dishes evolve around individual wines, with seasonality and regionality always at the heart of every dish.”
After forty years honing his skills as a chef and gathering knowledge, Mark now finds himself as a mentor; not in a formal, structured way, but rather as someone who inspires the next generation.
“ I love to share my learning with the people I interact with, customers and colleagues alike,” he says.
A chef’ s table looking into the St. Hugo kitchen allows diners to witness that knowledge in action an opportunity to speak with the chefs to gain an insight into the personalities behind the plate.
Characters like Sunny Chawla, of Tanunda, who recently stepped into the role of sous chef.
A former civil engineer in his home country of India, the 32 year old father of two moved to the Barossa back in 2008 to study commercial cookery at Nuriootpa TAFE.
Sunny has fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a chef and says he loves the way St Hugo challenges him to be creative with its focus on wine.
“ It’ s what makes us unique. The making of a dish for us is a totally different concept, we bring the wine out first.”