Lahouse Daylesford
Executive Chef and Team
“When Alla Wolf-Tasker built her house of dreams in the Daylesford dirt in 1984, she was either completely bonkers or a true visionary. A quarter of a century later, with regionality the most fashionable word in the foodie firmament – closely followed by seasonality – the jury is in. When all around us restaurants are clamouring to promote their ties with small, caring, artisanal producers, it’s good to remember; Alla did it first.” The Weekend Australian Magazine
"Whatever your taste whatever your budget, you will find much to savour... And for that we have to thank the redoubtable Alla Wolf Tasker who, through her multi award winning hotel Lake House, redefined the notion of country hospitality by proving that fine dining had a place in the regions." The Age, Epicure
The driving force behind Lake House in Daylesford Victoria, one of Australia's most highly acclaimed and awarded gourmet retreats, Alla Wolf Tasker has seen her role evolve from Chef to restaurateur, hotelier and even food activist.
She continues to drive the philosophy and vision behind the menus at Lake House where Head Chef David Green and a dedicated kitchen team impresses even the most savvy and worldly travellers with the Lake House culinary style. Alla pursues her passion for the hospitality industry through mentoring and stewardship of young hospitality professionals and her support and engagement with small artisan producers pursuing sustainable agricultural models. After almost three decades of this work in her immediate surrounding region, the area is now acknowledged for its outstanding produce including rare breed meats and a plethora of organic and biodynamic concern.
Alla participates in guest chef programs and speaking engagements all around the world, cooking recently in France, NYC and New Zealand and spreading the word about the need to reconnect with the source of our food and the people who supply and grow it.
Alla is a founding convener of and currently chairs the Daylesford and Macedon Produce Group. She is also Patron of the region's Daylesford Primary School Kitchen Garden.
She serves as a Director on the board of Tourism Victoria and is a member of the Victorian Food and Wine Tourism Counci.
In 2003, 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 and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Restaurant & Caterers Association.
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 recipes, in it she shares the story of the development of Lake House 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.