"I don't know whether to feel happy about it or stupid," Ania Sowter says of four-decade-long The Polish Place, which she owns with her husband Phil.
Ania, 73, who was born in Poznań in mid-west Poland, was on her honeymoon in 1983 on the Gold Coast with Australian-born Phil, 79, when they decided to buy a block of land on Tamborine Mountain.
"It was something we wanted to do, and we had a beautiful Polish gallery and coffee and cakes, and then someone wanted something warmer to eat so I had to think about traditional Polish cuisine," she says.
I don't know whether to feel happy about it or stupid.
"We were the first food outlet on the mountain when we started, now there are over 80. We are still surviving, and the Polish theme still works for us.
"Having such a beautiful view (the Polish Place offers 180-degree views to the west over Queensland's Great Dividing Range) people were then asking us for accommodation, so we decided to build cottages and were among the first accommodation on the mountain."
But it hasn't been all sauerkraut and sunshine for the Sowters, who suffered a major setback six years ago when a refrigerator fire destroyed the main house, gallery, restaurant and cottages.
Ania describes the 50 types of Polish vodka they had stored as "an atomic bomb" to fuel the fire.
"Whatever we'd done throughout all our lives and saved from our parents and grandparents had turned to ash. We also lost our dog in the fire, which we are still grieving," she says.
Three years later, they rose from the ashes.
"We just had to look forward. After the fire, 75,000 people looked at our website and thousands sent us condolences and were telling us stories of their lives and how they came to The Polish Place and that prompted us to rebuild," she says.
"We had the choice to leave or to rebuild and continue. Despite our age, we decided to rebuild because our customers wanted that."
A spread at The Polish Place in the Gold Coast Hinterland. Source: Destination Gold Coast
Ania's tenacity is hardly surprising given her journey from Poland to Australia. In 1993 she came to Australia on a migrant visa with qualifications in teaching and physical rehabilitation. With no English language skills and a dream to "go to the west", she left her home country behind.
"I was planning to come here for 1.5 years but as soon as I touched Australia I felt fresh air, I felt freedom, and everyone is smiling and relaxed and just doing their thing and I thought 'isn't this beautiful?'" she says.
"Because I didn't return for 1.5 years, the Polish authorities stopped me from visiting for 9 years and it was only when I got married they granted me a visa to visit my family.
"It really showed the difference between living in Australia and living in Poland."
You can learn anything in life. I tested all the food I had from Polish cookbooks and tested on Phil what Australians would like which turned out to be sauerkraut (biegos) and Polish dumplings (pierogi).
Ania casually shrugs off her journey to becoming a cook of traditional Polish cuisine by simply saying, "It is known by every Pole".
"You can learn anything in life. I tested all the food I had from Polish cookbooks and tested on Phil what Australians would like which turned out to be sauerkraut (biegos) and Polish dumplings (pierogi)," she says.
"But our signature dish is the duck. It is the whole bird which I stuff with apples, marjoram and salt and pepper and bake in the oven and I make a special sauce with apples and sour cherries."
The other popular dish is the pork hock, which is a large chunk that is slow-cooked in traditional broth and then baked with garlic butter and beer.
The Polish Place's signature dish is the stuffed duck with a sour cherry and apple sauce. Source: Destination Gold Coast
In true Polish style, you'll also find copious Polish beer and vodka on the menu.
"We are still looking forward and making sure everything goes right. As long as we have the ability to solve all our problems, we are happy," Ania says.
Monday-Thursday: 10am–5pm
Friday-Saturday: 10am–8pm
Sunday: 10am–5pm
