Food Wine Sleep

The driving force behind Lake House in Daylesford Victoria, one of Australia’s most highly regarded Gourmet retreats; Alla Wolf Tasker has seen her role evolve from Executive Chef to restaurateur and hotelier.

She continues to be dedicated and passionate about the development of contemporary cuisine in Australia and the training of young chefs.

At Lake House she remains at the helm of a team of creative and dedicated young chefs who under her guidance continue to impress even the worldliest travellers with the unique Lake House culinary style. Alla participates in guest chef programs all around the world including James Beard House in NYC.

In over two decade Lake House has collected virtually every significant national hospitality award and several international ones as well.

From its inauspicious beginnings as a forty five seater restaurant built on a badly eroded paddock in a down at heel country village, the boutique hotel and restaurant has grown to include 33 rooms and suites, a state of the art function and event centre and the ultra indulgent Salus Spa. Around it 6 acres of manicured grounds extend towards the shores of a picturesque lake. Daylesford, now a pretty village, is much in demand as a getaway for discerning travellers from all over the world. The surrounding naturally beautiful region is clothed in forest and rich farm lands with a plethora of excellent local growers and vignerons. The region has the largest concentration of mineral springs in Australia.

Always committed to the development of excellence in regional food and wine product in Australia, Alla has served on many regional marketing and economic development committees. She is a director of the board of Tourism Victoria and a member of the Victorian Food & Wine Tourism Council. A proud proponent of regional produce Alla is a founding convenor of and currently chairs the Daylesford and Macedon Produce Group. She is also Patron of the regions Daylesford Primary School Kitchen Garden.

The Melbourne Food and Wine festival awarded Alla the title of ‘Living Legend’ .She is also the recipient of the Age Good Food Guide Award for Professional Excellence.

Alla’s book “Lake House – A culinary journey in country Australia”, published by Hardie Grant was released to excellent reviews. As well as offering many delicious recipes, in it she shares the story of the development of Lake House over two decades and provides much food for thought over issues of local food and the state of the hospitality industry.

In January 2007 Alla was honoured with an Order of Australia for her services to the Tourism and Hospitality industry.