Happy Valentine’s Day!
I had the BEST treat this week. My wonderful friend and fellow food blogger, Liz Posmyk from Bizzy Lizzy’s Good Things is visiting the Sunshine Coast for a bit of a break and asked if John and I wanted to meet for dinner. I took me less than 30 seconds to say yes and where.
She asked where we like to go and I suggested that we go to Cala Luna in Maroochydore, our favorite Italian restaurant. Liz and her partner Peter arrived at our house a few minutes before 6 and I’m embarrassed to admit that John and I were at the liquor store getting chilled wine and nuts. I should have been better prepared but sometimes work just gets ahead of me or I get behind.
After Charlie did some tricks and was completely annoying, we left for the restaurant. John’s dad came along. He’s 93 and can eat like a horse but there’s a bigger reason why he likes to go to Cala Luna. He flirts with the owner. Yes, he does!
Cala Luna is owned by Rita and Osvaldo and they are the most hospitable people I know. Osvaldo is a bit shy, but he can cook the most wonderful food. Rita has the most effervescent personality so when Rob flirts, she’s right in there with him. When it was time to leave last night, Rita took Rob down in the elevator so they could “continue their conversation.” Rob is probably three times older than Rita.
All their desserts are house made and this Torta di gelato with flecks of almonds and toffee served with a coffee zabaione sauce is my favorite. Just saying that made us feel Italian. I plan to review Cala Luna soon.
Recently Liz did a recipe roundup for Valentine’s Day with some of the most enticing, dare I say sex food. If you’re looking for great recipe ideas for starters, mains or dessert, check this post out.
Liz and I pretended not to know the three men were with us and talked shop for ages. I apologize that the food photos are pretty crap. I need restaurant practice or eat really early. Not only were the photos here not the best, the first five photos on the card gave me that “unexpected end of file” thingo that means, “outta luck, babe.”
I met Liz for the first time in Adelaide for the Eat Drink Blog, food bloggers conference a couple of years ago and we became fast friends. Later, we were both invited to the Human Brochure project in Canberra where they invited some of the top social media folks to visit the city and talk about it. We ate a lot of food and drank a lot of wine together on that trip. Liz lives in Canberra and has done so all her life.
Her mother was Hungarian/Czech and many of Liz’s recipes come from memories of her mother — certainly her love of creating wonderful dishes from really fresh ingredients comes from her mother. From her father she gets a terrific sense of self as well as his credo, ‘Every day is a gift.’ He also told her to never forget who she was and where she came from. She definitely doesn’t.
This is her mother Iren’s recipe for Gerbeaud Slice — layers of sweet yeast pastry, ground walnuts, apricot jam, cocoa and a dark chocolate glaze.
Liz has always been involved with food even though she’s had some important jobs in the Australian Public Service and has even won an Australia Day Award for Leadership, Innovation and Service to the Australian Public Service. Several years ago she co-owned a cooking school and cookware store in Canberra and became acquainted with all the movers and shakers in the food business and often invited them to teach classes at her school. I would have loved to have been a student at Liz’s cooking school for Australian cooking stars like Maggie Beer, Stephanie Alexander, Ian Hemphill, Margaret Fulton, Ian Parmenter and many more.
She’s also a writer from way back in 1993 when she wrote a weekly column called, Stirring the Pot which she wrote for the next ten years. Her popularity from the column led to a weekly segment on the Canberra local ABC radio. She’s worn many hats and has truly earned the nickname Bizzy Lizzy.
For her blog and for pure enjoyment, Liz loves taking photographs. Lately she’s been on a bee kick and I’ve been gobsmacked at how she gets those little buggers to sit still for her.
The bee photos were perfect for her mother’s honey cake recipe. Doesn’t this look like it should be on your table tonight?
