Former MG Garage chef opens retail outlet in Picton

Lucky old Picton, to the south-west of Sydney, has snared the ex-head chef from one of the city's golden-era fine dining restaurants and her providore husband.

Lee Hokianga, who ran the kitchen at the star-studded but now closed MG Garage, in Surry Hills, and her husband Jamie McDonald, who helped launch Fratelli Fresh, own a small farm in the Picton area and have been wholesaling local produce. Now the public can get its hands on the same local leeks and eggplant used at Biota restaurant.

Their retail outlet, Pheasants Nest Produce, stocks sauces and food products made by Hokianga.

Unfortunately planning doesn't allow a cafe on the site, so Picton misses out on the food of a great chef right under its nose. "It's something we'd love to do," McDonald says.

Open Tuesday-Friday 9.30am-6pm; Saturday 8am-4pm.

17/15 Henry Street, Picton, pheasantsnestproduce.com