Tony Howell, 42, is executive chef at Cape Lodge, in the Margaret River area of southwest Australia. The boutique hotel ( www.capelodge.com.au) was voted one of the top 10 food world destinations by Condé Nast Traveller. Howell, originally from Perth, Australia, has lived in the Margaret River area for 14 years.
Q: What does the southwest corner of Australia look like?
Green pastures and a fairly rugged coastline with some amazing beaches. No big mountains – small hills only – and the cleanest air you ever had in your lungs. The stars are so bright at night. I have a friend from America who loves to come and gaze at them; he’s never seen anything like that.
Perth is a three-hour drive to the north; that’s our main airport, though you can take Skywest, a regional airline, from there to Busselton, about 45 minutes from here.
Q: Summer in America is winter in Australia. What’s that like?
When the wind turns right, it can be strong. This is the time of year when the big surfers come over. It’s rather extreme surfing.
I love surfing, but I don’t do it as much these days, what with two children.
And the waves get monster-size, Hawaiian-style like Waimea Bay on Oahu. It can be a very scary ordeal if you wipe out.
Winter isn’t as cold as you might expect. For us, really cold would be 3 or 4 Celsius (about 38 Fahrenheit). We crank up the fires at home. It does get quite damp but we need the water … The water level at dams is low after summer.
Q: Is diving big?
Absolutely. That and spear fishing: You can get crayfish, abalone and dhufish right out of the ocean. I like to spend my weekends going for a fish or a dive, then barbecuing with friends. It’s a pretty nice lifestyle.
You’ve got to pick your days for diving. Autumn and spring are ideal for surfing. In the middle of summer, you put away your board and out come the dive gear and the boats.
Q: This makes it a big tourist area?
Yes, plus there are amazing wines down here. We produce 3 percent of Australia’s wine, but of that, 20 percent are among the nation’s top. There are cabernets, merlots, sauvignon blancs, chardonnays. … Wine tourism is a big part of the area. There are also caves, super-friendly people and some really good restaurants.
Q: What’s the flavor of southwest Australia?
We have pristine waters, so there’s fantastic seafood, of course. A little farther up the coast are scallops and prawns. There’s great venison, beef and goat. We’re pretty damn spoiled, especially the chefs.
Q: No kangaroo?
We do use a little – it’s a nice meat – but it’s not a popular dish. We don’t put it on the menu because it really doesn’t sell well: A lot of tourists see kangaroos as cute little animals along the side of the road.
Q: How far inland do you have to go before hitting Australia’s enormous cental desert?
A long way – you need to drive a few hours before you ever start seeing that. If you drove straight east, which you can’t, it would be a good six or eight hours.
Q: Overall, what part of America is most like where you live?
It’s a bit like California’s Napa Valley was 20 years ago. About 80 percent of the people moved here for a lifestyle change, and you can drive out on country roads lined with beautiful trees. And like I said, there’s the surf.
