Head Chef John Churchill of 1830 Restaurant & Bar shares how the his­toric setting of the Port Arthur Historic Site shapes his seasonal, locally driven menu — and why the relationships he builds with Tasman Peninsula producers are at the heart of everything he puts on the plate.

How would you describe the menu and atmosphere at 1830 Restaurant & Bar? First, the view is spectacular. I pinch myself every day being able to look out at sweeping views of the pen­itentiary. My menu is always seasonal, showcasing ingredients that let the Turrakana/Tasman Peninsula ingredients shine.

You have a strong relationship with local suppliers. How does that help you foster a sense of place on the plate? The community on the Peninsula is close-knit. Everyone knows everyone. I see how our food is grown and raised, and how our wine, gin and whisky is produced – not just how they look when they arrive at the kitchen door. I’m always chatting to our makers as they drop off their produce. They’ve devoted their lives to their craft, so they’re always excited to share their produce.

What can guests expect at your upcoming Meet the Maker event on 5 June? Having makers in the room changes the experience – it turns a meal into a shared story. Our Meet the Maker in April with Sandra and Mark from Dunalley Bay Distillery was a sold-out event – they shared not only stories of their distilling journey, but also the regeneration of the Dunalley commu­nity after the 2013 bushfires. This June, diners will meet Dan and Ella from Premaydena Hill.

You’ve just opened for regular lunch service. What will this bring to the Port Arthur visitor experience? Travel and food go hand-in-hand. You can look at the view of a UNESCO world-heritage site and drink local wine paired with local seafood or beef. That’s a culinary dream come true. People who come to Tasmania want to sample the local produce. Food compliments a travel experience.

Port Arthur is one of Tasmania’s most visited destinations. Does history play out on the plate? Our experience-based dining offers an immersive connection to the past. We’ve reimagined the flavours of convict-era Tasmania, transforming them into refined, shareable dishes.

FROM THE PADDOCK, THE VINE AND THE SEA

Grass-fed beef, cool-climate wines and fresh abalone, Premaydena Hill is anything but your average farm — and owners Daniel and Ella wouldn’t have it any other way.

What’s Premaydena Hill’s philosophy when producing food and wine? We are bringing a real farm-to-plate experi­ence when you come to the Peninsula. Our cattle are 100 percent grass fed. Our vineyard is one of the largest non-irri­gated vineyards in southern Tasmania. We use lots of French clonal varieties, and we don’t irrigate, so we’re replicating conditions and growing techniques as they would in France. I’m a non-paid director of the Land and Sea Aborig­inal Corporation Tasmania (LSACT). Tasmanian Aboriginal people dive for the abalone and we run it in conjunction with the Wave to Plate program, which finds Tasmanian Aboriginal kids jobs in the seafood industry.

That’s quite a broad offering from one supplier. All three go perfectly well together. A cool climate Shiraz with a beautiful porterhouse steak. Abalone is a perfect showpiece to go with our Sparkling and Riesling, it’s an ideal match.

What can guests expect at the Meet the Maker event? We’re going to explain what the growing year was like and bring in different vintages to show true terroir and the difference between seasons. There’s no McDonald’s down here, there’s no Uber Eats. You’re coming to eat real food produced locally by people who are exceptionally proud of what they do. It’s a beautiful paddock-to-plate story – very few producers in Australia do this now.

What’s the process been like collabo­rating with John from 1830? John is a Tasmanian institution. Everybody in the culinary scene knows John Churchill. He does amazing things with food, especially steak and seafood. And at that beautiful historic site. If you can be drinking a local white wine paired with local seafood, that’s a culinary dream come true.