The best food brought to market

A desire to showcase the best food in the Great Southern and South West regions while maintaining the ingredients’ integrity is the ethos behind Market Eating House in Bunbury.

Owners Bec and Brenton Pyke focus on delivering fresh local produce reflecting the regions in a unique, share-style dining experience.

The couple has been operating the business for nine months and at this year’s South West Small Business Awards took home the Agriculture, Food and Produce Achievement Award.

The award reflects their dedication to support farmers and growers and to bring each customer a unique food experience.

“The growers we use share our passion for wanting to showcase food in the best possible way. We are cutting out the middle man and the fresh fruit and veg is delivered to our door the day or two after it is picked,” Mr Pyke said.

“You can’t buy some of the ingredients from the supermarket, they are direct from the grower and we choose dishes which will complement the ingredients.

“We usually use three main ingredients on the plate and don’t necessarily follow a seasonal trend but choose whatever food is in abundance.”

The couple’s passion to explore the relationship between food and fire in the custom wood-fired oven and grill is also at the forefront of the food creations.

Mr Pyke worked at celebrity chef George Calombaris’ restaurant in Melbourne where he was inspired by cooking on a wood-fired grill.

They also place importance on matching wine with food and Mrs Pyke said the Geographe Wine Region had high quality wines they wanted to showcase.

Now the business has found its feet and relationships have been established, Mrs Pyke said they would start hosting events.

In February they will host the Ferguson Valley Long Table Lunch, which would showcase the best of what the regions had to offer.

In September the restaurant will feature Bakkheia Wines from vigneron and winemaker Michael Edwards, who has won multiple awards for the wine produced in his Preston Valley estate.