Mansfield’s Bos Taurus specialises in locally raised, grass-fed, dry-aged beef.
Story Ged Bulmer
The north-east Victorian town of Mansfield is in the country, yet benefits from the food and wine culture emanating from both the Big Smoke and nearby gourmet regions like the King Valley. The population is around 8500 during the week, but often swells to more than double that over peak weekends and holiday periods. “That’s one of the key factors in making the town so vibrant,” local restaurateur Chelton Crow says. “Mansfield has two seasons – you’ve got snow season and you’ve got what I call camping season. If you look at other places, whether it be coastal or in the snow, they sort of only get one season, so we’re very fortunate.”
The Crow family first saw the town’s potential back in the late 1980s, when Chelton’s parents, Sue and Trevor, purchased the Mansfield Hotel, introducing courtyard dining and Melbourne-quality pub grub to the locals. A decade and a half after the revamped pub claimed multiple Best Country Pub awards, 43-year-old Chelton and his wife Jane returned to Mansfield to build on that legacy with their Bos Taurus bistro, bar and grill.
The Bos Taurus name offers a clue to its specialty: locally raised, grass-fed and dry-aged beef. The chic fit-out of the modern building would not look out of place in inner-city Melbourne, with two well-stocked bars, an upstairs deck, comfy couches, modern artworks and swish chandeliers.
This story excerpt is from Issue #132
Outback Magazine: Aug/Sep 2020
