The Rock on TV Show: How Rick Stein’s Australia Puts Riverina Food, Farms and Local Stories in the Spotlight

When a small regional town appears on national television, the story is rarely just about the screen time. For The Rock, Griffith and Gundagai, the Riverina episode of Rick Stein’s Australia is a chance to show viewers how food, farming, migration, family businesses and local identity come together in one of New South Wales’ most distinctive regions.

The SBS series follows veteran British restaurateur and television presenter Rick Stein on a six-part journey across regional New South Wales. The Riverina-focused episode, featuring Griffith, Gundagai and The Rock, airs on SBS at 7:30 pm on Thursday 28 May. The broader series follows the 74-year-old chef across a 5000-kilometre journey through NSW, revisiting places connected to his long-standing affection for Australia, a country he has often described as his “second home”.

Why The Rock’s TV Moment Matters

The Rock’s appearance in the episode is not a generic travel-show stop. It reflects a broader shift in food television, where audiences increasingly want more than polished restaurant scenes. They want the paddock, the producer, the family story and the cultural explanation behind what appears on the plate.

In The Rock, Stein visits Ian Marston’s emu farm, where he fries an emu egg omelette. It is the kind of segment that immediately gives the episode regional character: unusual, local, practical and deeply tied to the land.

For a national audience, the moment introduces The Rock not simply as a place on a map, but as part of a working food landscape. It places a farmer, a local ingredient and a rural story at the centre of the television frame.

A Riverina Episode Built Around Place, Produce and People

The Riverina episode moves across several local food stories. Stein sips red wine at De Bortoli Wines, tastes a ricotta cannoli with Kandi Bertoldo at her family bakery, dines with Luke and Peter Piccolo at Piccolo Family Farm, and tries a burger with beetroot at Australia’s oldest milk bar in Gundagai.

Together, these stops form a portrait of the Riverina as a region shaped by agriculture, migration and family-run enterprise. Griffith’s segment focuses on its blend of irrigation farming and Italian heritage, highlighting how post-war migration helped shape the area’s food culture and its national reputation for wine, fresh produce and family eateries.

That mix is central to why the episode feels broader than a food tour. It is also about how communities build identity around what they grow, cook, sell and share.

Griffith’s Food Culture Gets a National Platform

Griffith’s inclusion gives the episode a strong cultural and economic foundation. The city’s food identity is closely linked to irrigation farming and Italian migration, both of which transformed the local landscape and helped create one of Australia’s most recognisable regional food communities.

Griffith Mayor Doug Curran welcomed the exposure, saying:

“Seeing Griffith featured in a series of this calibre helps showcase what locals already know, that we are a place rich in produce, culture and experiences,” the mayor said.

He added:

“It is the kind of publicity that strengthens our reputation and encourages people to come and discover the region for themselves.”

For regional towns, that kind of television attention can be valuable. It can boost tourism interest, reinforce local pride and give small businesses a wider audience without reducing them to tourist clichés.

Hanwood, Democracy Sausages and a Schoolyard Scene

One of the more distinctly Australian moments in the episode comes from Hanwood Public School, where Stein stopped by on the 2025 federal election day. The school’s P&C was selling democracy sausages sourced from the local butcher.

P&C President Eleisha Collins described the visit warmly:

“It was very enjoyable spending time with Rick; he is a total gentleman and was not fazed with the fuss of filming at all,” P&C President Eleisha Collins said.

She continued:

“Having Rick, his wife Sarah and the SBS film crew at Hanwood Public School was a real pleasure. The kids that came to help out that day thought it was super special he came to our school.”

The scene matters because it connects food television with ordinary civic life. A democracy sausage is not fine dining, but it is culturally specific, communal and instantly recognisable to Australian viewers.

The Cave Kitchen of Valerio Ricetti

The most unusual kitchen in Stein’s Riverina journey is linked to the cave of legendary Griffith hermit Valerio Ricetti, who spent two decades in solitude after a barmaid broke his heart.

That stop brings a different kind of storytelling into the episode. It places food and place alongside folklore, memory and local legend. In a region known for agricultural abundance, the Ricetti story adds a layer of mystery and human drama.

Gundagai and the Mystery of Beetroot on Burgers

The episode also travels to Gundagai’s historic Niagara Cafe, where Stein encounters a classic Australian hamburger with beetroot.

He says:

“I’ve ordered a classic hamburger with the lot which always includes canned beetroot,” he said.

Then comes the cultural question:

“It’s a mystery as to why beetroot started appearing on burgers; it’s believed the opening of canneries led to a huge enthusiasm for canned food across Australia.”

This is where the episode taps into the strength of Rick Stein’s television style. He treats everyday food seriously, not because it is expensive or refined, but because it reveals history. A burger with beetroot becomes a clue to Australian food habits, canning culture and regional taste.

Agritourism and the Piccolo Family Farm Story

At Piccolo Family Farm, Stein spends time with Luke and Peter Piccolo, learning about the family’s paddock-to-plate approach. This part of the episode speaks to a growing trend in regional economies: agritourism.

Agritourism allows farms to become more than production sites. They become destinations where visitors can learn, taste, stay, buy and connect directly with producers. For the Riverina, which already has strong agricultural credentials, this kind of exposure can help translate local produce into visitor experiences.

The segment shows how food television can support regional branding. A viewer may come for Rick Stein, but leave remembering a farm, a family name, a town or a dish.

The Rock, Riverina and the Power of Food Television

The Rock’s presence in Rick Stein’s Australia fits into a wider television trend: local food stories are now cultural stories. The appeal is not only in watching a chef cook, but in seeing how a dish belongs to a landscape and a community.

That is also why the phrase “the rock on TV show” can carry more than one meaning. In another context, rock music has shaped unforgettable television scenes, from Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” in The Sopranos to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)” in Stranger Things. Music can make a TV scene emotionally iconic. In the Riverina episode, the “rock” is different: it is a town, a farm, an emu egg and a regional food identity being given national visibility.

Both examples point to the same truth about television. What stays with viewers is often not just the plot or the presenter. It is the emotional connection created by place, sound, memory and culture.

What Viewers Can Expect

Viewers tuning in to the Riverina episode can expect familiar faces and locations, including Griffith, Gundagai and The Rock. They will see local food producers, family businesses, school community life, farming traditions and regional hospitality presented through Stein’s travel-and-food storytelling.

The episode is also likely to serve as a promotional moment for the region. For locals, it is a celebration of what they already know. For outsiders, it is an invitation to see the Riverina as more than a food bowl — as a place where produce, migration, history and community meet.

Conclusion: A Small Town Moment With Bigger Regional Meaning

The Rock’s appearance on Rick Stein’s Australia is more than a television listing. It is a national showcase for a regional community and its food culture. By placing Ian Marston’s emu farm alongside Griffith’s Italian-influenced food scene, Gundagai’s historic milk bar and Riverina family farms, the episode turns local stories into a broader portrait of Australian identity.

For The Rock, Griffith and Gundagai, the significance lies in visibility. A single episode can introduce viewers to the people behind the produce, the history behind the dishes and the regional character that often sits outside Australia’s major-city food conversation.

The Riverina episode airs on Thursday 28 May at 7:30 pm on SBS.