In the foothills of the Blue Mountains, in the Hawkesbury region, Restaurant Amara at Spicers Sangoma Retreat with Head Chef Will Houia at the helm, offers an intimate degustation lunch and dinner menu that showcases the impeccable creativity and a signature emphasis on locally sourced produce.
Recognised for its outstanding quality and dedication to the inclusion of local produce, this month, the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide awarded Amara One Hat for the third successive year.
As the Zulu word for ‘grace,’ Amara puts diners at the centre of an ecosystem of local producers and sustainable on-site practices, which together serve up a dining experience in harmony with nature and the alluring bushland surrounds.
“We’ve built incredible relationships with our local suppliers,” says Houia, “we work together to deliver the finest produce the region can provide and bring out its best in the kitchen.”
The Amara team create five-course degustation menus for ultimate long lunch and seven-courses for dinner, all based on the freshest organic and seasonal meat, cheese and hero produce available within 100km (or one-hour drive) of Sangoma, among the historic and highly fertile Hawkesbury region.
Houia describes a guest’s favourite dish: beautiful organic Dutch carrots from Harvest Farm in Berambing, only 45 minutes from the restaurant.
“We steam and meticulously slice the carrot, almost noodle-like, with house-made ricotta, tomato and coal oil,” says Houia. “The skins are fried to ensure every part of the carrot is used, and the dish is served with our sourdough bread and butter.”
Heirloom carrot, house made ricotta, smoked oil
Preserving nature’s bounty
Amara sources as much of its produce as possible from Harvest Farms, a community supported agriculture (CSA) project that supplies local restaurants and fruit and vegetable boxes for the public. Its two organic farms in the Hawkesbury are the Bilpin farm, for delicious veggies, and Mt Tomah farm for berries, figs and nuts.
Amara’s meat includes ethically grown Melanda Park pork, and beef and poultry from Wilberforce Meat Co., and they support the GoodFish project to only serve seafood from sustainable fisheries.
Houia’s food philosophy embodies a simple, ultimately natural approach to cooking, preferring traditional cooking techniques with charcoal and fire over gas and electricity, and the use of controlled dehydration to prepare fruit and veggies. He uses seasonal humble ingredients and makes it shine, as well as indigenous ingredients to add subtle layers of flavour.
In a recent dish of ‘ceviche of kingfish with coconut cream,’ inspired by a Polynesian dish with its ‘raw fish,’ paying homage to his upbringing in New Zealand, Houia included the Geraldton wax native flower, to acknowledge the meshing of the two countries’ cuisines.
Ceviche of kingfish with coconut cream
Connections across cultures
Will Houia has honed a fierce respect for local, organic and sustainable produce through a career that has led him into some of the best kitchens in Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
Houia was classically trained in Auckland, where he met his partner, Ivy Houia – today Spicers Sangoma Retreat’s General Manager – and together in 2014 they moved to Australia to join Executive Chef Ash Martin at Spicers Hidden Vale near the village of Grandchester, an hour’s drive south-west of Brisbane.
It was there at Homage Restaurant, where most of the menu is locally sourced or grown on the property, that Houia’s passion for farm-to-table fine dining was realised, and in 2017 he was named as a finalist in the prestigious Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year Awards.
After three years at Homage, Will and Ivy took time off to travel around Europe and were inspired. Houia joined Christian Puglisi’s acclaimed Relæ in Copenhagen, under Head Chef Jonathan Tam, a Michelin-starred restaurant with a global reputation. Houia says, “Their focus is on vegetables, especially produce from their organic farm, perfect technique and simple yet complex menus. A trend setter without a doubt!”
For a year Ivy managed Baest, one of the city’s best-known restaurants. “Living and working in Copenhagen had a huge influence on us,” she said. “Being such a hospitality-driven city, it’s seen as a well-respected career and the work-life balanced they created was inspiring.”
Will says the comradery he’s found within hospitality is extraordinary, “We form deep connections with all and are blessed to be influenced by a plethora of different cultures and cuisines.”
From Denmark, Will and Ivy ventured back to New Zealand and worked at the progressive and plant-centric three-hatted Roots Restaurant in Lyttleton under Giulio Sturla, and also with Ed Verner at Auckland’s tiny and inventive Pasture, another of New Zealand’s three-hat set.
When they returned to Australia in 2019, Will Houia journeyed westward of Sydney to begin as head chef at Spicers Sangoma Retreat’s now Amara restaurant where he said “Fire and smoke features in our dishes in different ways, but it’s never overwhelming. Woodfired cooking is an amazing, natural way to cook and add flavour.”
Under Will’s leadership, Amara has received the prestigious Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide One Hat award for the past three year – 2023, 2024 and recently, 2025.
Being a dedicated family man, Will took time out from the kitchen to be a stay at home dad to his and Ivy’s baby and toddler, which also allowed Ivy to immerse herself in her career as General Manager at Spicers Sangoma Retreat. In early 2024, Will seized and opportunity to work at the famed Firedoor Surry Hills, under Lennox Hastie, to further his knowledge on fire-cooking techniques. In mid-2024 he returned to Amara as head chef.
Ivy and Will Houia
Ready for your arrival
Spicers Sangoma Retreat lives up to its name – a Zulu word for ‘healer.’ Whether you’re a guest or visitor, the tranquil location nestled in the Blue Mountains with views over Sydney makes a visit to Amara the centrepiece of an unforgettable journey.
Just over an hour’s drive from Sydney, this all-inclusive retreat emits a sultry atmosphere, while the soft lighting, deep black walls and silky, earthen textures gently stir the depths of your soul.
The main lodge sports solar panels and rainwater tanks, and an in-house compost machine supplies a local farm with high-grade, ready to use compost in exchange for fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables.
Discrete, private entry to the gated Sangoma Retreat and intimate Amara Restaurant is by appointment only to guarantee a spacious, relaxed atmosphere that’s in tune with your needs. Each reservation of visitors is greeted by their host then ushered to the top lounge for welcome drinks. When ready, guests are then seated at their table in Amara for a unique culinary experience looking out over Sydney framed by the Blue Mountains.
Spicers Sangoma Retreat
