Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/111460
regionalstopover Gone are the days when dining choices on the NSW Sapphire Coast were limited to simple pub meals or takeaway fish 'n' chips. Although well known for its beautiful, unspoilt beaches, the area has, until recently, been overlooked as a regional gourmet food destination. Yet a cluster of new cafes, restaurants and artisan food producers is quietly drawing much-deserved attention to the emerging food and dining scene on this strip of coastline. Anthony Osborne, marketing manager for Sapphire Coast Tourism, is optimistic about the changing nature of food-focused tourism in the area. Osborne suggests it may be the area's "rich dairy industry heritage" and its household names Bega and Tilba cheese that have laid the foundations for the up-and-coming food industry. He believes change can be attributed to modest growth in food quality from local producers and increased expectations from residents. "We have specific seasonal produce markets now, which is a positive sign," he says. "This is how the best movements begin: with change from within." An ideal way to taste-test the Sapphire Coast's evolving food culture is to start the day with a coffee in the sun on the pavement outside Mister Jones Espresso Bar and Open Studio in Bermagui, the northernmost town on this stretch of coastline. Owner Matt Jones, a multi-talented artist, illustrator and barista, moved to Bermagui five years ago, bringing with him 10 years of coffee-making experience and a cool manner that befits this unassuming fishing village. Jones' cafe is a popular spot for Bermagui residents, who call it their 'local', and for tourists who have read one of its glowing reviews in magazines and food guides or stumbled upon this bolthole by chance. For a town with roughly 1,700 residents, four mentions in the 2013 Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide are evidence of a thriving food culture here. In the one-man space where Jones creates "the two things he loves" – coffee and art – there's no counter or a sense of formality, so you feel as though you've walked into someone's cosy, art-filled lounge room, with a fancy espresso machine in the corner producing excellent coffee. Later, call in to the Bermagui Gelati Clinic, where Alberto and Francesca delight locals and visitors with up to 70 flavours of homemade gelati. Head south on the gently winding drive from Bermagui, via the coast road with its uncrowded beaches, lush green XXVII