Nestled in the lush natural surroundings of Oak Beach in Far North Queensland you’ll find a foodie haven that has successfully blended the culinary delights of South East Asia with the abundance of natural produce grown in Australia’s tropical north. Ben Wallace and Rachel Boon are the owners and operators of Oaks Kitchen & Garden. This gastronomic power couple were kind enough to join us in the latest episode of the Creative Little Soul podcast to discuss their love of South East Asian cuisine, their passion for a quality organic produce and their interest in promoting a farm-to-table philosophy. We also discussed how they modified their business model during lock-down.
From hatted restaurants in Melbourne and Sydney, French dining in Europe to Southeast Asian cuisine in Far North Queensland.
Ben has enjoyed an esteemed career, working as a chef in several highly acclaimed Melbourne restaurants, including the hatted Thai restaurant Easy Tiger before he, along with wife Rachel, decided to pull up stumps and relocate to Rachel’s family home in Far North Queensland. Noting that Queensland’s tropical climate was almost identical to that of Thailand, Ben and Rachel saw an opportunity to celebrate the cuisine they loved by growing all their favourite ingredients in their own backyard.
Rachel is the gardener of the pair and through the creation of Oaks Kitchen & Garden she has been able to combine her love of horticulture with her passion for Thai food, all whilst living as sustainably as possible. “Ben and I made the decision to follow organic farming methods, so no sprays, no chemicals, just a focus on nurturing the land,” said Rachel.
The couple’s dream of creating their own little slice of paradise was realised. Today, Oaks Kitchen & Garden is an interactive cooking school and chef’s table experience. Guests can sample delicious locally grown produce and enjoy a tour of the garden to learn about all the edible wonders that thrive in Queensland’s tropical climate.
We asked Ben and Rachel what inspired their love of South East Asian cuisine
Rachel: “My father is Thai. He was born in Bangkok and moved over to Australia in the late 80s so I’ve always had Thai food in my life. I watched my father grow plants on the property we’re in now and I was always passionate about the flavours, the herbs and everything about South East Asian food.”
Ben: “We met in Sydney. I’d recently returned from Britain and France where I had been living and working for six years. I was working in Brighton, London and Lyon and cooking mainly European and French food. Then I returned to Australia, moved to Sydney, and as I started eating Asian food I realised I had forgotten that all these flavours existed. I wanted a change from the European food I had been cooking. There’s just so many flavours, layers and textures found in South East Asian cooking.”
The silver linings during and after the COVID-19 lockdown
We also asked Ben and Rachel how they adapted their business model during lockdown.
“We started offering takeaway curries to Port Douglas residents one night a week and that went really well. We reached a lot of new people. Many who had not considered eating with us or knew of our cooking school. And boom! once it was permitted for us to reopen, more locals booked with us, which was really good,” said Ben.
Rachel mentioned that if there was one positive to come out of the COVID-19 crisis, it was the opportunity to reconnect with their local market.
“Through our curry night, I delivered to a young family around the corner who own an organic farm. I connected with our community, so for me COVID-19 enabled me to meet people that are doing really cool stuff and growing sustainable food.”
Ben reiterated this, stating that “We definitely connected with more local suppliers that we didn’t know were there.”
How to thrive while living and working together 24/7
We also asked Ben and Rachel what it is like to live and work together. Does spending nearly every waking hour with your spouse put strain on a relationship? According to Rachel, trusting each other’s expertise and allowing one another autonomy within their respective part of the business is the secret to their wedded bliss.
“I’m in the garden I’m the grower, I don’t ever try and tell Ben what to do with his cooking and vice versa. Some days are certainly difficult, but if you have open communications and just talk through the solution, that’s what we do.”
Rachel said that making time for one another outside of work is also important.
“We have a calendar and we have times when we’re in a meeting about business and then we have times where we put work aside and just say right now, we’re having dinner or relaxing.”
The transition from city life to the tropics
Making the transition from the fast-paced restaurant scene of Sydney and Melbourne to the quiet country life of Far North Queensland is certainly something of an adjustment. We asked Ben and Rachel whether there was a degree of acclimation to country life?
It’s no surprise that this question elicited some serious head nodding. Ben admitted that he struggled with a sense of impatience shortly after moving. “I was used to getting things done quickly, but in Port Douglas, things are so much more chilled.”
Rachel agreed there was certainly an initial adjustment period but the desire to embrace a different approach to life was precisely why they had moved in the first place. “If you can’t relax and appreciate where you are then I think you miss the point. That’s why we moved to north Queensland, to try and figure out that hospitality/life balance that we just weren’t getting in Sydney or Melbourne.”
You can listen to our full interview with Ben and Rachel here If you’re planning a visit to Far North Queensland, make sure to check out the incredible Oaks kitchen & Garden and don’t forget to stay up to date with Ben and Rachel ( and their chooks) here