Residents called on to pork up

COMMERCE Ballarat is serving up a new initiative aimed at getting the community to support hospitality venues and producers ahead of this year’s International Bacon Day.

Their latest in a string of food-related campaigns, #GetPorkyBallarat involves some 20 businesses, each with their own pork themed dish for locals to enjoy.

CEO of Commerce Ballarat Jodie Gillett said each campaign was about getting people to spend close to home.

“The idea is to stimulate some spending into our local businesses,” she said.

“It’s not just about the hospitality business though, it’s really important that people understand that when they purchase food from a hospitality venue, they’re supporting their suppliers, producers and farmers.

“It’s really important that it’s seen as a holistic way of supporting certain business industries.”

Participating venues include Table 48, Freight Bar and Restaurant and Brown Hill Hotel, amongst many others.

Drive Cafe in Golden Point is offering a special edition burger loaded with beef, bacon, cheese, pickles and kewpie mayo as part of the campaign.

“Obviously the bacon is the hero of the dish,” said owner Sam Fraser. “We have fantastic bacon supplied by Country Style Smallgoods who are a local provider of all our meat products.”

Ms Fraser said Drive had received “fantastic community support” throughout lockdowns, and campaigns like #GetPorkyBallarat allowed the venue to add something different to the menu.

“It’s nice in this time of lockdown to have a bit of a theme and to have a bit of a special so people have a reason to visit,” Ms Fraser said.

Ms Gillett said while the current campaign didn’t cater to every dietary preference, each one is about “finding that hook that can be interesting and a bit of fun.”

She also said people could make their dollar count locally this Father’s Day with a takeaway meal or gift from a Ballarat retailer, with Commerce Ballarat curating a gift guide on the organisation’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

To view a full list of venues participating in #GetPorkyBallarat, visit bit.ly/2Y6sD6l.