Ash Forbes, owner of Panini Fine Foods. Bev Lacey
FOODIES and coffee aficionados are spoilt for choice with Toowoomba quickly becoming a culinary capital.
Specialty cafes, delis and restaurants are emerging across the Garden City with demand on the rise.
Panini Fine Foods owner Ash Forbes is one of the new breed taking over the Toowoomba food scene.
Returning to Toowoomba after 18 months cooking for the who's who of the London social scene, Mr Forbes took a gamble and opened his one-of- a-kind deli.
"In London there are so many small boutique fromagers and patisseries which specialise in one thing and that is exactly what I wanted to do when I came back to Toowoomba," Mr Forbes said.
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"My time overseas was a big influence on how I wanted Panini to be."
The Panini owner said he felt Toowoomba lacked a true cafe and food culture because local business played it safe.
"There is a lot of money and a lot of style here and I think because no one took the risk in offering something a little bit different there had never been the option for locals," he said.
"For years people travelled to Brisbane to find the foods they couldn't get their hands on in Toowoomba and now they have access to pretty much anything in their own backyard."
Mr Forbes said people knew more about food about ever before.
Findo's Cafe owner Tim Burstow. Chris Calcino
"I think with all those food shows on TV people are becoming more aware of new foods and are becoming more adventurous.
"If someone wants say lobster- infused olive oil, I can get it for them.
"We do heaps of specialty meats and get a variety of biscuits from Melbourne. I am trying to make a point of difference."
Giving customers something different is also the focus for Toowoomba coffee house Findo's.
Coffee drinkers in Toowoomba are more aware of quality than ever before
Opened five years ago by owner Tim Burstow, Findo's has become well known across Toowoomba for its unique coffee blends.
Manager of Findos' Margaret Street Cafe Cain McKechnie said he has seen a drastic change in Toowoomba's coffee appreciation.
"Coffee drinkers in Toowoomba are more aware of quality than ever before," he said.
"It puts the pressure on cafes and espresso bars like us to always deliver the best to our customers."
The Findos manager believed it is those unique extras which can make a business stand out. Something Findos does very well.
"You are always going to have espresso, which is the majority of our business, but there is so many other ways to serve coffee which can give a completely different experience," he said.
"There are only a handful of places even in Brisbane which offers the unique filter methods we do.
"It is a really unique way to drink coffee and we are really proud of being able to offer that in Toowoomba."
Some of Panini's fine foods. Bev Lacey
However the passion for good food and coffee in Toowoomba is not limited to the cafe scene.
Kate Vanderplas from Sauce Kitchen said cooking and coffee classes were busier than ever.
"Now the public is more knowledgeable and passionate about specialty foods and coffees; they want to be able to bring it into the home," Ms Vanderplas said.
"Sauce Kitchen holds a variety of different lessons including our Saturday barista course.
"Our cafe class shows how you don't need the best in equipment to achieve great results at home."
Ms Vanderplas said she has been excited by the growing local passion for food.
"People are really interested in food and coffee these days," she said.
"It is a really great foodie and coffee culture developing in town and I hope it continues."
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