meet THE FAMIGLIA
saratoga quality meats
Tony, Jason & the team
Saratoga Quality Meats has been serving the finest quality meats on the Central Coast for over 25 years. In March 2020, Tony Palmer bought the butcher from founding brothers Rob & Bruce Kay, and teamed up with Head Butcher Jason Bowden to continue and grow the legacy.
Tony started his career in restaurants and was an early pioneer in the inner Sydney cafe scene with food service always being very close to his heart. Jason, a master trained butcher from the UK with over thirty years experience in high quality boutique butchery has been with Saratoga for over 18 years and is responsible for the consistency and quality we are renowned for.
In 2023, Saratoga Quality Meats started supplying Osteria il Coccia with a range of hand selected quality proteins, and this quickly blossomed into a relationship bonded by our obsessive passion for quality and a deep love for the craft of growing, harvesting, preparing and cooking fine food.
Our first collaboration started with a long lunch where we showcased a range of beef producers and cuts matched with fine international wines. From that day we started talking about what we could possibly do if we joined forces. The opportunity to take over the site of Bamvino came up and the idea for Carne & Cucina was born!
Nico & Alex Coccia
osteria il coccia
Nicola and Alexandra Coccia have built an impressive culinary legacy through their previous restaurants and experiences. Nico, who grew up in Naples, discovered his passion for cooking in his grandmother’s kitchen and has since trained in Italy, gaining international experience at renowned establishments such as El Bulli, Otto, Quay, Fratelli, and Ormeggio. Alexandra, who grew up in the Rhône Valley in the South of France, has always been destined for a career in hospitality and wine, quite literally living amongst the vineyards.
Five years ago they brought their talents to the Central Coast, opening Osteria il Coccia in Ettalong Beach, and earning a number of prestigious accolades along the way, including One Hat in the Good Food Guide Awards (2022 & 2023) and One Glass in the Australian Wine List Awards (2023). Nico’s philosophy is that food needs little intervention, just a little love and a little heat (fire). Together, Nico and Alexandra’s combined talents, along with their partnership with Tony Palmer and the Saratoga Quality Meats team, ensure that Carne & Cucina will be a destination for culinary excellence.