A culinary homecoming

On a gastronomic journey through Victoria's fertile Gippsland region, Epicure joins Chef Michael Wilson as he reconnects with old friends and rediscovers the beauty of provenance — from regenerative farms and olive groves to small batch distilleries.

- BY AMY VAN

For Chef Michael Wilson, returning to Gippsland wasn't just a homecoming, it was a reconnection with the roots of his culinary journey.

The chef patron of one-Michelin-starred Marguerite tucked away in Singapore's Flower Dome, grew up in this fertile pocket of Victoria. Here, rolling hills and generous skies cradle a region celebrated for its produce — in particular dairy.

At Marguerite, he champions provenance and crafts through thoughtful, produce-driven cuisine. Back in his hometown of Beaconsfield, that ethos comes full circle. As part of this year's Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Michael returned to collaborate with O.MY, the two-hatted restaurant owned by his childhood friends Blayne and Chayse Bertoncello. Just 400m from his family's old home, the restaurant sources nearly all its ingredients from the Bertoncellos' nearby farm. "It felt surreal," Michael recalls. "Even though the suburb has changed a lot since I lived there, it still felt like home. It was especially moving to see some familiar faces - people I hadn't seen in over 20 years - come in to dine."

At O.MY, constraint breeds creativity. The farm dictates what ends up on the plate. “You just have to trust the produce and let it shine,” says Michael. That faith pays off. He was particularly struck by the “tiny diamond tomatoes and strawberries which were bursting with flavour". With hundreds of growing beds, a fruit orchard, berry patch and beehive, the two-acre farm is a self-sustaining marvel.