Cook & Mason

“The relationships that we have developed with producers are the essence of who we are as a restaurant. This is what drives and dictates our choices.”

Delicata heirloom pumpkin with pepita seed whip and coriander; eggplant with barley and salt fish; and pickled Albany sardines on toast with 'nduja.

“Everything we do is based around supporting and utilizing small-scale producers”, says Cook & Mason’s Canadian-born Chef Gord Kahle. It’s not just lip-service, either, as he name-drops Jindong Pork, Warren Grange vegetables, CharCol Springs eggs, and Blackwood Valley Beef and Lamb.

The contents of Kahle’s larder in this historic East Freo building are a roll-call of Western Australia’s small producer heroes – not that you can tell from the terse, telegram-style menu listings. Meat is bought directly​ from the farm and as whole as possible, offering the opportunity to show off lesser-seen cuts with a turn on the wood-fired grill, which is fuelled by “road-waste” jarrah and olive wood. This focus on good farming extends to the cellar, where minimal-intervention wines are the stars.

A can-do attitude to socially aware projects (Kahle has been heavily involved in WA Food and Drink Symposium and Food by Women events)– is matched by a can’t-do attitude to food waste.

“Kahle is a chef’s chef. His cooking is easy, so easy it belies the solid technique and top-level skills he brings to the party.”

–Rob Broadfield, The West Australian