Tell us about the new restaurant – The Line Label… The Line & Label is a stunning new venue built on the site of the previous Delacolline Winery in Port Lincoln. The restaurant sits on a 35 acre block which is also home to 120rows of vines, 40 fruit and veg beds for kitchen use, an orchid with some 400 fruit trees, and chickens. It truly is a chefs dream to work here. Local businessman Peter Teakle, a successful wine label printer, had a dream to be build an exquisite restaurant and function centre for the local community to enjoy. Consisting of some 19,403 individual South African blue stones, two and half kilometers of American Oak in the ceiling and outstanding acoustic walls, this building is a work of art, not just a restaurant.How has the Eyre Peninsula impacted or inspired what you cook? The cold and pristine waters of the Eyre Peninsula is home to some of the best seafood in the world in my opinion. Not only that, we also have some exceptional pork and beef in the region. I’m very fortunate to be able to work directly with the farmers, fishers and growers here, and this inspiration results in the development of new creations every week. However, with all this inspiration it can be difficult at times choosing which dishes make it onto the menu, so we’ve decided to change the menu every month. Our ethos with the food is simple; If it doesn’t come from the Eyre Peninsula, then it doesn’t go on a plate. The ultimate “Fresh Local” concept in full effect.Describe your favourite dish on the menu… Talk about a tough question...There’s a couple that stand out for me but I think our Ocean Jacket snout is not only the crowd favourite, but has also become somewhat of a signature dish for us. Its natural flavour and texture is remarkable and the fact that we are currently the only restaurant in Australia, (and from what we’ve been told, possibly the world), using this particular product, adds to the uniqueness of the dish.When you’re not in the kitchen, you can often be found creating street art – Tell us about your work… I started painting graffiti in 1998 but it’s only been in the last 5 years or so that I’ve really tried to dedicate as much time to it as possible. For me it’s a fantastic form of relaxation, even the commission jobs. Whilst I love fishing and 4X4 with my family and friends, as well as collaborating with other artists, the solitude and tranquility of painting by myself is awesome. The friendships you make through the scene are important to me as well. Alot of my closest mates are graffiti writers and they keep pushing me to do bigger and better things. My main focus at the moment is using my raw graffiti style to create food related pieces….keep your eyes peeled.As a child – were you found with a paintbrush or spatula in your hands? I wasn’t overly inquisitive about food as a child to be honest. It wasn’t until my early teens when I had my first experience in a commercial kitchen that I got the bug. However, from the age of 12 it was rather difficult to get a spray can out of my hand!!How would you compare the process of developing an art piece to the development of a new dish? I would say there are some very similar processes involved. I start with a simple idea or ingredient and experiment with different flavours/colours/textures until I have a winning combo. I’m very fortunate in the way that I have a creative mind that never switches off, which helps me more so in the kitchen than in front of a wall to be honest. I have struggled a little bit with writers block lately when painting, probably because my mind has been focused so much on coming up with new and exciting dishes.In 5 years’ time, what will you be doing… Apart from spending as much time as possible with my beautiful family, I’ll hopefully still be cooking scrumptious nosh and rocking out cool graffiti right here on the EP!!Follow Chef Josh Harris on social media:@chefjoshharris@chefjoshharris
