Dream Chefs

deliciously prepared menu

Cooking up fresh, gourmet, farm-to-table three course meals in the comfort of your private nest. Simply add a Dream Chef experience to your stay when you book your accommodation.

Nick Sallese

a real “foodie”

Nick Sallese is a real “foodie” with a long association with a variety of foods. Nick trained locally as a qualified Pastry Chef and has worked at establishments such as the Myer Patisserie floor in Perth, Western Australia, the Golden Tulip Bakery and Patisserie in Sandy Bay, Tasmania and at Klaas Bakehouse in Devonport. Nick has a strong Italian heritage and his cooking reflect his Mediterranean roots.

He has travelled to his family’s province of Tuscany to learn traditional family recipes and authentic Italian cooking techniques. Nick is also very interested in wine, beers and liqueurs and produces his own Limoncello (Italian Lemon Based Liquor) to his father’s recipe (which has been reviewed in the Sydney Morning Herald).

A memorable night with great food and local knowledge will help you to enjoy all of what Eagles Nest Retreat has to offer.

Nick is also passionate about providing quality food for children and will happily prepare a children’s menu (designed with the help of his eldest son) upon request.

Nick uses ingredients not only from his garden but from around Tasmania to ensure a premium product is served to his clients. As a past Marketing Manager for 14 years in Hospitality and Catering, Nick also has a wide-ranging knowledge of Tasmania’s food and beverage and what it has to offer its visitors.

Choice of any 3 courses

Arancini Napolitano

2 x Italian-style risotto balls stuffed with delicious Herbed Mozzarella served with a traditional Tomato and Basil sauce.

Prosciutto e Pera con Insalata di Rucola (GF) (Prosciutto and Pear with Rocket Salad)

Italian anti-pasti of fresh pear, prosciutto, parmigiano reggiano, served with a sweet and tangy balsamic reduction and rocket salad.

Handmade Tagliatelle with Bolognaise Sauce

This recipe comes from my family in Tuscany. Made with fresh local vegetables and slow cooked to give maximum flavour. Served with handmade tagliatelle from my kitchen.

Pollo al limone, timo e prosciutto

Chicken Breast with thyme, lemon and prosciutto. Local free-range Chicken breast infused with lemon, thyme and wrapped in prosciutto. Served with a Tasmanian whole mustard and cream sauce.

Zia Chelle’s Crispy Skin Fish

From local icon fisheries Petuna Seafood, this Salmon fillet is served with a crispy skin and complemented with a lemon and burnt sage butter sauce.

Timo e parmigiano Cotolette

Thyme & Parmesan-Crumbed Lamb Cutlets. Local lamb cutlets coated in a thyme and parmesan crumb. Shallowed fried and accompanied with a balsamic reduction.

Decadent Chocolate Fondant

Rich couverture chocolate makes this a “to-die-for” dessert. Served with a rich Contreau ganache sauce

Specculas Apple Tart

What kind of a menu would it be if you didn’t have the classic Tasmanian Apple dessert (with a European twist)?

Panna Cotta con Frutti di Bosco Misti

Vanilla-infused panna cotta served with a mixed berry and maple glaze

Cynthia Osborne

The taste of Tasmania and the flavour of a garden

Cynthia enjoys showcasing the quality of local produce along with her own homegrown ingredients. She believes the less travel from paddock to plate the better, for freshness, flavour and the environment.

Passionate gardeners; Cynthia and her partner, along with their children, moved to the beautiful North West of Tasmania in 2001 in a quest to find the perfect conditions for cultivating cool climate fruits and nuts, growing vegies, keeping bees and living the simple life.

Check out my Instagram @chef.cynthia for more on me.

Family and friends are my inspiration for growing organically, taking food straight from the garden to the plate.

With over 20 years experience in restaurants and commercial kitchens, she has had the opportunity to learn so much from working with many fantastic, skilled chefs and cooking with unique ingredients. She has many years of experience baking, making bread, jams, syrups, sauces and preserving her produce. She has loads of experience with vegan, gluten-free and specialty diets.

As an Eagles Nest Dream Chef Cynthia finds it a thrill to provide unique and delicious meals and to create a memorable evening for her Eagles Nest guests.

Choice of any 3 courses

Mushroom Soup

Creamy swiss brown mushroom soup topped with pan fried oyster mushrooms, served with warm herb bread

Roast Pumpkin and Red Onion Soup

A smooth caramelised pumpkin and onion soup, served with a dollop of sour cream and warm turkish bread

Smoked Salmon Rosti

A golden potato rosti topped with local smoked salmon served with fennel and chive aioli.

Wallaby Kofta Balls

Spiced kofta balls served on a bed of tomato salsa with refreshing mint yogurt

Moroccan Chicken Salad

Warm marinated chicken pieces on a bed of garden greens with sugar snap peas, roasted walnuts, and orange pieces topped with a Moroccan style orange and honey dressing

Free Range Roasted Pork Loin

Crispy skinned roast pork loin drizzled with a quince balsamic glaze served with spiced apple and quince chutney

Pumpkin and Macadamia Spicy Pearl Couscous

Fried haloumi cheese and roast pumpkin on a bed of spiced pearl couscous with roast capsicum, tomato, chickpeas and spinach. Topped with macadamia nuts and served with a spicy kasundi

Fresh Ocean Trout

Baked in a sesame and lemon marinade served with a rich lemon butter sauce

Scotch Fillet Steak

Cape Grim steak pan fried to your liking served with a rich pepper port gravy

Slow Roasted Lamb Shanks

Slowly roasted until meltingly tender in a rich tomato and oregano sauce with a hint of lovage and thyme

Creamy Mushroom Chicken

Free range chicken breast stuffed with fresh herbs, topped with a creamy mushroom sauce

Sides

All mains served with rustic roast vegetables and lemon butter broccolini or Roast beetroot salad and chips upon request.

Apple & Raspberry Crumble

Homegrown apples and raspberries topped with a buttery oat and walnut crumble served with vanilla bean custard.

Sweet Pumpkin Pie

Made with leatherwood honey, cinnamon, ginger, hazel nuts and whipped cream

Rich Chocolate Pudding

Smothered in chocolate ganache with a hint of orange, served with a dollop of whipped cream and roasted hazelnuts

Rhubarb Creme Brûlée

Honey roasted rhubarb topped with a creamy custard and a crunchy brulee top

Poached Pear

Citrus and cinnamon poached pear stuffed with dates and roast walnuts in an elderflower syrup, served with whipped cream

I am happy to cater for special diets including gluten free, vegan and allergies.

Naomi Parker

From Maggie Beer, to the Barossa Valley, and Kangaroo Island, we bring you flavours to delight you.

Having had many jobs over the years in different kitchens in Victoria to Kangaroo Island in South Australia, she had finalized her studies and thought food science was going to be of interest but before starting a uni degree Maggie Beer rang and asked if she would be interested in a job cooking at her farm shop and she worked for a few months there till the food science bug got to her and ended working as a Production Manager of her Quince kitchen for the next 3 years. 
On the weekend while not working for Maggie, Naomi would work for wineries around the Barossa when needed and in doing so see the best parts of Wolf Blass, Yalumba, and Kabmini in their kitchens.
After leaving Maggie’s to go back to Kangaroo island she had taken back working alongside a dear friend of her’s, Sue Person from 2 Birds and a Squid food co where they both did the Mauve OMeara food safari of Kangaroo island.

Cooking has always been a part of Naomi’s world from birth, having a mother and grandmother who made everything from scratch and living off the land.

In 2006 Naomi needing a rest from working and to recover from spinal surgery, moved to the central-highland of Tasmania up at Lake St Claire for 3 years and becoming intubed to Tasmanian fair.
Jump forward to 2009 she had bought the Old Scone Shoppe in Sheffield just before the the down turn in tourism to tasmania so she had turned the shop into a local produce eatery supporting the local farmers with such beautiful freshly picked things from Truffles to Saffron and well fed beef.
Naomi had the cafe for 5 yrs and had a son so food had taken a back seat for a while and only working on Kangaroo Island during cruise ship busy times for friends restaurants.
In the last 2 years, she has been helping small businesses find their feet by offering training in cooking food to working on wedding packages around her local Barrington.

As an Eagles Nest Dream Chef,  Naomi is our newest Chef and she has moonlighted in our kitchens delighting guests in the past but she's looking forward to meeting more of you as she joins our team.

Choice of any 3 courses

I am happy to cater for special diets including gluten free, vegan and allergies.

Special Services & Offers

available to all guests