The tiny central west town is fast becoming one of the food and wine hubs of New South Wales, with Gerry’s at the Commercial Hotel winning the 2013 Good Pub Food Guide’s best steak schooner award on Monday night.

The tiny hotel, owned and operated by Gerry Faulkner and his family since January, also earned two schooners out of three after scoring 17 out of 20 in its review mid year.

The two-schooner winners were described in the Good Pub Food Guide’s list as having “plenty of wow factor.”

Mr Faulkner was stoked his pub was recognised in a hot field of over 350 hotels across the state.

“All the individual awards, they’re major awards because they’re up against all pubs in NSW ... city pubs, country pubs, all pubs,” Mr Faulkner said, commending the work of Blayney-based chef Tammy Mobbs in the kitchen.

“She is one of the hardest working chefs I’ve seen,” he said.

“It’s not hard to [run a good pub], it’s just a matter of getting out of bed and doing it.”

Mr Faulkner’s philosophy on running a pub is old school.

But that same philosophy more than likely had a hand in the hotel, commonly known as the top pub in Millthorpe, earning the gong.

“The review was in winter and we had an open fire place and it was nice and warm,” said Mr Faulkner, who runs the hotel along side wife Cynthia and son Jeremy.

“We’re a family-run pub, we’ve got no pokies, no televisions and no TAB ... and never will.

“We wouldn’t have been able to achieve anything like this if it weren’t for the people of Bathurst, the people of Orange, the people of Blayney and the people of Millthorpe. 

“We’re delighted. We’ve only been open since January.”

Other pubs in the region to be recognised by the Good Pub Food Guide were the Hotel Canobolas and the Gladstone Hotel in Newbridge, both receiving one schooner.

It’s the third year running the Hotel Canobolas has been given a schooner award.

Canobolas head chef Heath Kelly was humbled by the award presented at the Beresford Hotel in Surry Hills.