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The Courier Mail Good Life section, Tuesday 4 January 2006:

'Dip in and Enjoy' - David Costello

IT SEEMED like a good idea at the time. Back in the '70s, we would empty a packet of french onion soup powder into cream cheese to make dips. It tasted fine for those long-ago parties fuelled by flagons of moselle and riesling.
These days, mass-produced dips are a little better than that but a quick read of the ingredients shows you are eating a cocktail of food acid, vegetable gums, thickeners and preservatives.  It was interesting, then, to visit the Hemmant kitchen of D'lish Food2Go, where organic vegetables are cooked and pureed into some of the best-tasting dips on the market.

Shane Edl and wife Leisa are chefs who worked at Simon's Gourmet Gallery at Chapel Hill before setting up their own business in 2004. They identified organics and gluten-free products as a growth market and this is the backbone of their range. Leisa says natural food is appealing for its fresh flavours and health benefits.

Most of the D'lish dips start as organic vegetables supplied by United Organics and Eco-Farms. Our favourite so far has been the wonderfully creamy butternut pumpkin and rosemary mix. The Edls also have interesting versions of classic Mediterranean purees. Their baba ganoush has smoked eggplant and the hummus has hints of orange and fresh coriander to go with the traditional base of chickpeas and tahini.

 The organic Mediterranean salsa has eggplant as well as capsicum and can be used as a dip or a sauce. We also liked the non-organic dips, particularly the sharp blue cheese and walnut mix laced with sherry. The guacamole is good with a touch of chilli and spirulina. It took a quick search on the Internet to find out that this last ingredient is a protein-rich algae product.

The Edls also make fresh pestos and tapenades. This includes standard basil and sundried tomato pestos and dairy-free mixes without parmesan cheese. The D'lish kitchen has an impressive array of ovens which are used to make crisp Lebanese bread dippers.  If you want a Swiss-style breakfast, try the date and macadamia bircher muesli which comes pre-mixed with milk, natural yoghurt and fresh shredded apple.

 In the cooler months. D'lish makes a range of organic soups. Another seasonal product is brandy anglaise, available only at Christmas.

 

Wynnum Herald 22 March 2006:

Taste of business success

Next time diners bite into a sun-dried tomato dip or a thai green chicken curry from two Bayside companies, they know they are getting the very best in the state. D'lish Food2Go at Hemmant and FunFood2Go at Wynnum have received 2006 Les Toques Blanches endorsements for their high-quality foods.


D'lish food2Go received nine endorsements for dishes including its organic pumpkin and rosemary dip, basil pesto, sun-dried tomato dip, creamy field mushroom and cracked pepper soup and parmesan, garlic and cracked pepper dippers.


FunFood2Go received the endorsement for its thai green chicken curry.FunFood2Go owner Jackie Isles said she was excited about the product and was happy to receive the endorsement.“We knew it was an incredible product and it's favourite on the menu,” Mrs Isles said. The thai green chicken curry was low in fat but boasted a high gourmet taste, she said Member for Lytton Paul Lucas said it was an exciting honour for local businesses to receive the endorsements. “This is extremely high honour for any food manufacturer,” Mr Lucas said. The prestigious Les Toques Blanches endorsements are valid for two years.