By hannover-web.com Blayne Bertoncello, the chef and co-owner of O.My, a restaurant on the outskirts of Melbourne, offers an elegant twist on the classic eggs, bacon, and toast. He explains, “Growing my own food feels natural to me. My dad and grandfather both came from farming backgrounds in Clyde, where they operated vegetable farms.”
This deep-rooted connection to the land significantly influences the ethos of O.My, where the kitchen sources all its fruits, vegetables, eggs, and honey from a local farm just ten minutes away in Cardinia. “We exclusively use what we grow,” Bertoncello emphasizes.
His hyperlocal approach also reflects his Italian heritage—his family hails from the region around Bassano del Grappa in central Veneto, where eating locally is a cherished tradition. “They tend not to venture too far for their meals, and we’re trying to do the same here, ensuring our menu is relevant to our community and telling our story through the food,” he says.
Bertoncello’s culinary journey began at just 15 years old when he apprenticed at Nosh in Melbourne, inspired by his brother who worked there. After completing his apprenticeship, he moved on to become the head chef at Slippery Jacks before teaming up with his younger brother Chayse to open O.My in 2013. “When I started out, I didn’t have much experience. I just wanted my own place, free from restrictions,” he admits, noting that his culinary inspirations often came from cookbooks and his passion for gardening.
O.My has flourished, now boasting an orchard, a beehive, and nearly 400 garden beds, along with several notable restaurant awards. However, Bertoncello acknowledges that his cuisine is sometimes misunderstood. “People often label us as vegetarian or vegan, but many of our dishes incorporate meat or are prepared with chicken fat or offcuts,” he clarifies.
This commitment to sourcing locally extends to meat and seafood as well. For instance, local fishermen keep him updated on their daily catches. “They’ll call me directly from the boat to let me know what they’ve caught,” he shares.
The menu at O.My is dynamic, changing weekly based on available ingredients. Recent highlights include a starter of cured rock flathead paired with salted radish and miner’s lettuce, served skewered on a stem of seeded kale, and artichokes fried in a sourdough culture batter, garnished with thyme flowers and preserved lemon. Despite the variety, one staple remains: “We always have a pasta dish on the menu. Always. Plus, with our 50 chickens, we enjoy some of the best eggs around.”
Bertoncello’s take on the breakfast classic of bacon and eggs is refreshingly straightforward, yet exquisite. The key is cooking the eggs in the rendered bacon fat, creating a sweet softness that contrasts beautifully with fresh chives. A final luxurious touch comes from frying the sourdough in a mix of butter and lemon juice.
**Blayne Bertoncello’s Bacon and Eggs on Sourdough – Recipe**
**Prep Time:** 5 minutes
**Cook Time:** 10 minutes
**Serves:** 2
**Ingredients:**
– 200g good-quality bacon rashers with the fat on, diced
– 3 eggs, as fresh as possible
– 4 sprigs of chives, chopped, plus extra for garnish
– 20ml vegetable oil
– 30g butter
– 2 thick slices of sourdough
– 10ml lemon juice
**Instructions:**
1. In a frypan over medium heat, cook the diced bacon until it renders its fat, stirring occasionally for about five minutes, until it starts to brown.
2. While the bacon is cooking, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl.
3. Once most of the bacon fat has rendered, add the eggs and chopped chives to the pan. Gently fold the eggs, bacon, and chives together with a spatula.
4. In a separate frypan, heat the vegetable oil and butter over medium heat until the butter foams. Add the sourdough slices and cook for two minutes. Drizzle lemon juice over the bread, flip it, and fry for another two minutes.
5. To serve, place a slice of fried sourdough on each plate, top with the folded eggs, and finish with a sprinkle of chopped chives and salt.
Enjoy this elevated take on a breakfast classic, inspired by the simplicity and richness of local flavors!
