King of the mountains is just warming up

The snow season has well and truly started, with restaurants opening last Friday in ski fields around the state. At the ripe old age of 29, Hamish Nugent, chef and co-owner of Tsubo in Dinner Plain, says: ''I am the longest operator up here now.'' Nugent opened the restaurant with the chef and owner of Provenance in Beechworth, Michael Ryan, in 2007, eventually buying Ryan out in 2009. This is his seventh snow season. Other restaurants to look out for on the slopes are Dinner Plain newcomer Sola Copa (most recently called Cilantro) and, in Falls Creek, the Three Blue Ducks cafe, which is waddling along well along with dining venues Bazaar and Stingray. The season winds up on October 1.

Hilary McNevin