Ron Guascoine opened The Coach House Kitchen with his wife when they saw a demand for cafes in Tumut. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen.
Who is Ron Guascoine: I’m a retired Northern Territory police officer. I was born in Griffith, moved to the Northern Territory in 2003 and moved to Tumut in 2018 with my wife. We’ve got two kids. My son, his wife and our grandson still live in Alice Springs. My daughter is a nurse and lives in Tasmania, but she’s currently in the UAE, and she will be back home in a month.
We opened our cafe, The Coach House Kitchen, three years ago and bought the coffee van two years ago. I travel all over the place with the coffee van, and it’s great. We opened the cafe because we saw the demand for it.
Best recent dining experience: We were in Melbourne recently, and we were spoiled. We were at Docklands right on the water. We had Indian, Chinese and Turkish.
Favourite cuisine: I love French cuisine. I think it comes from [my] heritage.
What ingredient can I not live without: These days, I can’t live without coffee! I had to cut down because I was drinking around five or six cups daily. I can have a cup of coffee, lie down and go to sleep. It doesn’t keep me awake at all.
Most embarrassing pantry item: Probably something that’s out of date.
How many Weet-Bix do I do: I do four with full cream, and that’s why I’m riding a bike all the time, trying to lose weight. I even had four this morning.
Best coffee spot in Tumut: The Coach House Kitchen. We are located behind NAB bank in the middle of the town, and it’s the original coach house for the bank. It’s situated in a building from the 1830s, where my front counter is where the carriage was parked, and the kitchen is where the two stables were. We’ve got wine glasses hanging across the counter, and it’s the original ladder that used to go up into the roof to get the hay down.
Granola bowl with homemade granola, fresh seasonal fruits, yoghurt and berry coulis. Photo: The Coach House Kitchen.
Favourite coffee: Probably cappuccinos.
What’s your coffee blend: Six8 Coffee Roasters from Yass, and we use the bohemian blend. We looked at all different sorts, and we just got a real mild, smooth coffee.
What’s the weirdest coffee order you’ve received: Half-strength ristretto closely followed by what’s called magic. You only get magic in Melbourne, and it’s just very close to an espresso.
Next big thing in the Tumut food scene: As far as I know, there’s a fine dining restaurant opening soon in Tumut. I’m very excited about it because that’s one thing I do miss is a good restaurant.
Favourite place to lunch in Tumut: Coach House Kitchen.
The Coach House Kitchen trialled the pulled pork breakfast and it became a hit among its diners. Photo: The Coach House Kitchen.
A must-try on our menu: Our Reuben sandwich. It’s an old-fashioned one, and it comes with silverside, Russian dressing, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, and pickle, and it gets toasted.
Most used ingredient at The Coach House Kitchen: Eggs. I bake all the cakes. I’ve been baking for three years, and before I started baking, I had never baked a cake. We’ve got a high reputation for cakes now.
Our top pick from our desserts: The carrot cakes. They just walk out the door.
Ron bakes all the cakes and says the carrot cakes are a must-try out of all his cakes. Photo: The Coach House Kitchen.
My biggest culinary influence: My mum. I was taught to cook from the time I could see over the stove. I always loved cooking. My children are both brilliant cooks as well.
Favourite cookbook: I’ve got a Florence Bjelke-Petersen cookbook [Classic Country Collection] signed by Flo.
Who I admire in the Tumut food and wine scene: I admire my wife for the amount of cooking she does.
The Coach House Kitchen’s Eggs Roma comes with delicious crispy bacon, poached eggs and fresh cherry tomatoes with parmesan and ricotta. Photo: The Coach House Kitchen.
What are this week’s specials at The Coach House Kitchen: It’s a pulled pork breakfast on sourdough. It has spinach on the bottom, pulled pork, poached eggs, hollandaise sauce and some chillies on the top.
Death row meal: My black forest cake.
Where am I travelling to next: I’m going to Tasmania in February for two weeks. The whole family will be together.
Dream destination: France. I’ve seen Paris but his time I will be visiting the countryside. I’ve never seen the countryside before. Next July we’re also going to Spain for our 40th wedding anniversary.
My biggest fear: Bees. I’m anaphylactic to bees, and I carry an EpiPen all the time.
My least favourite food: Tofu is probably the lowest on the list.
My top three cooking tips: Take your time. Use lots of herbs and spices. And don’t be afraid to use chillies.
The Coach House Kitchen is located at 23/54 Russell Street, Tumut and is open Monday from 10 am to 3 pm, Thursday to Friday from 10 am to 5 pm and Saturday to Sunday from 9 am to 3 pm.
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