Cat Claringbold is a restaurateur, chef, food writer and business woman – and in a perfect vocational union she’s also married to pastry-chef Darren Purchese. Cat's got a vision for island food, a complete sequence from paddock (or wallaby-proof greenhouse) to plate, and she wants to involve the island’s young people in all of it.

Cat has spent her life helping people feel more at ease around food.

As an award-winning food writer, restaurateur and hospitality operator, Cat brings warmth, clarity and generosity to the guest experience. Alongside her husband, she has spent decades creating food businesses and places built around the idea that hospitality should feel instinctive rather than imposed. Her approach is thoughtful rather than showy, grounded in the belief that good food should open a conversation rather than close one down.

On Flinders Island, Cat’s gift for making people comfortable finds the perfect setting. At Outscape, that extends beyond the table into the whole rhythm of a guest’s stay: the welcome, the language, the food, the small details and the connections to the people and produce of the island. Around the table, she helps guests notice the small things: who grew the produce, how it was prepared, and why food tastes different when you understand where it came from. Her presence is gentle but quietly memorable. Her presence is gentle but quietly memorable. A meal with Cat is less about performance than participation: passing plates, asking questions and leaving with a little more confidence than when you sat down.