Celebrity chef Rick Stein visited bakers John Bertoldo and his daughter Kandice Bertoldo and was impressed with their cannoli. Photo: Supplied.
Three Riverina towns will feature in a television special airing next week chronicling one of the world’s most famous chefs exploring the unique cuisine and stories of the region.
Rick Stein’s Australia is a new SBS series in which the veteran British restaurateur travels across NSW meeting farmers, winemakers and food producers who share the history, culture and traditions behind the dishes they prepare.
The Riverina-focused episode, featuring Griffith, Gundagai and The Rock, airs on SBS at 7:30 pm on Thursday 28 May.
The six-part series follows the 74-year-old on a 5000-kilometre journey through regional NSW as he revisits places that helped shape his connection with Australia, a country he has often described as his “second home”.
Griffith Mayor Doug Curran said it was exciting he chose to make this town part of his journey.
“Seeing Griffith featured in a series of this calibre helps showcase what locals already know, that we are a place rich in produce, culture and experiences,” the mayor said.
“It is the kind of publicity that strengthens our reputation and encourages people to come and discover the region for themselves.”
During his Riverina visit, Mr Stein fried an emu egg omelette with Ian Marston at his emu farm near The Rock, sipped a red at De Bortoli Wines, tasted a ricotta cannoli with Kandi Bertoldo at her family bakery, dined with Luke and Peter Piccolo at their family farm and tried a burger with beetroot at Australia’s oldest milk bar in Gundagai.
Ian Marston invited Rick Stein to his emu farm. Photo: BBC still shot/Visit Lockhart Facebook.
The Griffith segment places a spotlight on the city’s distinctive blend of irrigation farming and Italian heritage, exploring how post-war migration helped shape the food culture that has made the region nationally recognised for wine, fresh produce and family-run eateries.
He even found time to stop by Hanwood Public School on the 2025 federal election day, where the P&C was selling democracy sausages sourced at the local butcher.
“It was very enjoyable spending time with Rick; he is a total gentleman and was not fazed with the fuss of filming at all,” P&C President Eleisha Collins said.
“Having Rick, his wife Sarah and the SBS film crew at Hanwood Public School was a real pleasure. The kids that came to help out that day thought it was super special he came to our school.”
Rick Stein (blue shirt) was impressed by the Hanwood P&C democracy sausages. Photo: Hanwood Public School.
The most unusual kitchen Mr Stein visited was in the cave of legendary Griffith hermit Valerio Ricetti, who spent two decades in solitude after a barmaid broke his heart.
The celebrity chef also spends time at Piccolo Family Farm with Luke and Peter Piccolo, learning about the family’s paddock-to-plate approach and the growing role agritourism is playing in the Riverina economy.
Beyond Griffith, the episode ventures to Gundagai’s historic Niagara Cafe, where he was surprised by the style of Australian hamburgers.
“I’ve ordered a classic hamburger with the lot which always includes canned beetroot,” he said.
“It’s a mystery as to why beetroot started appearing on burgers; it’s believed the opening of canneries led to a huge enthusiasm for canned food across Australia.”
You can tune in on Thursday 28 May at 7:30 pm on SBS to see familiar local faces and places celebrated.
