Today it’s one of the hottest trends in eating, but Stein has done it throughout his career.

Speaking from Mollymook on the NSW South Coast, where he this month celebrates the 10th birthday of his famous Bannisters, he said: “Local has always been my thing. Not because I could see the popularity of it, but it was all I could get a hold of in the early ’70s and that stuck with me.”

It’s also what lured Stein to Mollymook and Port Stephens, where his second Bannisters is a year old. Both locales have an abundance of seafood.

His menus at both are some of the first in the country to acknowledge the contributions of our hardworking fishermen.

“We’ve put a very big emphasis on highlighting the seafood from either the South Coast or the Port Stephens area specifically,” he said.

Briny bivalves are not just ‘oysters’ but specifically Jase Finlay oysters from the Clyde River or Glenn Jones oysters from Tuross Lake. They may be just a few miles apart but you can definitely taste the difference, one salty-sweet the other fruity and creamy.

“Aside from the pronunciation of these places, which I just love, they do all taste quite different,” Stein said.

“I’ve done some oyster judging before and I do love trying — not always succeeding, mind you — in guessing where they come from.”

With the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards coming up August 19, delicious. contributor Stein says it’s the quality of the produce that really sets a restaurant apart.

“Sure, it can sometimes be a bit more expensive, but the level of quality that a small producer can obtain is just incredible.

“We’ve just been filming in France and we were astonished to find that the Poulet de Bresse, a special kind of chicken that they have there, costs you 30 euros (around $50) in the supermarket. The thought of paying that much for a supermarket chicken … but then you taste it and realise it’s worth every penny because it’s just a completely different experience.”

Stein believes we are very fortunate in Australia to have access to such a remarkable range of fruit and veg.

“It’s brilliant. You’ve got the produce coming from cold climates like Tasmania all the way up to Tropical North Queensland, all in the one country.

“Every time I come here, I’m quite overwhelmed by the quality of the produce and its abundance.”

Get to #knowyourproducer with the delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards at delicious.com.au/produceawards.