Michelle Daw, Yorke Peninsula Country Times
Moonta’s Taste the Yorke cafe is in the running to win a national hospitality award following its recent win in the Best Breakfast at the state catering industry awards.
The cafe received top brekkie honours at the 2025 Restaurant & Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence for South Australia, announced at a gala event held at SkyCity in mid-August.
Taste the Yorke competed against seven other finalists in the breakfast category, including well-known metropolitan venues such as Big Shots at Brighton, the Boatshed Hallett Cove Cafe, My Kingdom for a Horse in Adelaide, and iTL at SkyCity.
Proprietor Jo Gibbons said she was thrilled to have won the state award and excited to represent South Australia at the national awards ceremony in Sydney on October 27.
“The win is a tribute to the dedication and commitment of our team,” she said.
“Being a finalist was very exciting; however, to take out the category of Best Breakfast was a real achievement.
“It was just humbling to be part of an amazing group of businesses.
“To be recognised as a regional cafe on Yorke Peninsula has given our team and the community a real sense of excitement and it reflects on the success and hard work our staff all contribute to the cafe.”
Ms Gibbons said a secret diner had sampled breakfast at the cafe as part of the assessment for the awards and judging was based on six criteria, including food, customer service and local knowledge of staff.
She has been committed to promoting other local tourism businesses and regional food producers since she opened the cafe in 2016.
“We emphasise regional, seasonal and local — it’s about supporting local businesses that have other products within the region, within Yorke Peninsula,” Ms Gibbons said.
“It’s about working cohesively with and collaborating with other businesses so we can become a platform for them to showcase their produce as well as us looking at how we can expand our offering.”
New staff complete a tourism ambassador program, developed at Taste the Yorke, as part of their induction, so they can inform customers about local tourist attractions and services and promote other hospitality businesses on the Copper Coast.
Ms Gibbons said one of the most popular breakfast items on the menu was the big breakfast, comprising local bacon with free range eggs, spinach, roasted tomato, sausages, smoky house beans and mushrooms.
“It’s followed very closely by our smashed avocado, served with a local dukkha and two poached eggs and roast tomato,” she said.
“The kids can’t go past the waffles or pancakes, and we have a large assortment of cafe-style brunch options that are served all day.
This article appeared in Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 2 September 2025.
