FOR the past three weeks, Masons has closed its kitchen every Tuesday night to focus on making chef Sonia Anthony\u2019s heritage gnocchi.<\/p>\n
A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the potato pasta are being collected for Bendigo Foodshare and will be presented to the group in three weeks at the Good Loaf farmer\u2019s market.<\/p>\n
Anthony said Foodshare had seen an increase in people needing help to access nutritious food since COVID and the cost-of-living-crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me knowing that there are people who don\u2019t have the financial ability to have access to healthy food really hurts my heart,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to contribute in a positive way to them and also to our growers is kind of a win-win I reckon, and everyone ends up with delicious gnocchi.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anthony began making the dish earlier this year to process the passing of her mother, who had taught her the recipe.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery gnocchi that I pick up to put on the steamer tray I pinch, and it\u2019s like I\u2019m giving it a little pinch on cheek like Nona would do to the grandkids,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s part of how I cook and how my mum taught me for many years, and it\u2019s nice to be able to do that for the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
As interest in her gnocchi grew, Anthony said she saw an opportunity to turn the endeavour into a means of giving back to the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe decided to go bigger and take that opportunity to fundraise for Foodshare and give people a way to contribute,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a lot of the time people want to help but they\u2019re not sure how, so it\u2019s as much about the people buying the gnocchi as it is for our team who are helping make the gnocchi.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ingredients are sourced locally with the star of the recipe, the potato, coming from organic grower\u2019s Sandor and Linc Istrella of Sandor\u2019s Harvest.<\/p>\n
One gnocchi variety available to try is the City of Gastronomy Gnocchi which Anthony said contains all regional ingredients including Long Patty Cheese butter, salt from Pyramid Hill, and Laucke flour.<\/p>\n
Orders for the gnocchi can be placed via the Masons Good Food Project link on the Masons website.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FOR the past three weeks, Masons has closed its kitchen every Tuesday night to focus on making chef Sonia Anthony\u2019s heritage gnocchi. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the potato pasta are being collected for Bendigo Foodshare and will be presented to the group in three weeks at the Good Loaf farmer\u2019s […]<\/p>\n