Mr Fernando, 57, died at his home on Tuesday night following a long illness, surrounded by friends, family and his beloved dogs.

The renaissance of Ballarat as a destination for food and wine lovers can in no small part be credited to the work of Mr Fernando in championing the wines of the region over many years, and his years with Summerfield Winery soon blossomed into his own business, Regional Wine Sales Victoria.

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While the business of selling wine can be tough, Mr Fernando's reputation as a person who encouraged others and embraced opportunities to support people in their careers meant he was loved across the state, and especially in Ballarat and the Pyrenees.

His close and dear friend Kate Davis, of Plate Up Ballarat and Eat Drink West, said Mr Fernando was a uniquely kind and encouraging human being, even as he faced the cruel outcomes of cancer in his neck and jaw.

"He had this incredible talent to make the person he was with, at that moment, feel like the most important person alive," Ms Davis told The Courier.

"He gave them his time. His talent for that, for making everybody feel special, is why he is so incredibly loved. He just put himself right behind everything he was doing. He was always fair, his positivity was just always there. He never said a bad word about anyone. He was always so positive."

Brad Fernando was raised in North Carlton around the Italian groceries and wine bars of the 1970s and '80s, and in a way had the culture of food and conviviality instilled in his bloodstream.

His mother worked at Jimmy Watson's Wine Bar while a young Brad packed groceries at the Lygon Street institution King and Godfree under the tutelage of the Valmorbida family.

Six years in London began at the age of 17, where Mr Fernando learned the ropes of the hospitality trade, before he returned to Australia to work with now famous names like Iain Hewitson, Brenda Symons and Annie Smithers as Melbourne's food scene began to thrive.

Names like Memories of the Mediterranean and the Lord Newry were on his resume, but Mr Fernando set his sights on bringing food and wine culture to the regions.

After working at Cafe Bibo, Eclectic Tastes and then Summerfield, Mr Fernando saw the opportunity to match the best of the region's local wines with the finest food being created in the west of the state. His list of representative wines and his knowledge of their qualities was truly impressive, but it was a knowledge he shared readily and modestly.

Mr Fernando had more than his share of health struggles. Diagnosed with AIDS in 1992,he suffered conditions from other cancers, including lymphedema and renal failure, sarcomas and other secondary responses.

The discovery of an aggressive tumour in his jaw, and the subsequent surgeries, loss of taste and inability to eat or drink through his mouth, and speak, did not stop Mr Fernando from enjoying life or caring for his beloved mother Heather.

"That illness empowered him," Ms Davis says.

"It kept him going by giving and being so supportive. He'd have so much going on, but he'd want to know what was going on with you. He'd want to know how he could help somebody else. He's taught us so much, he really has, on so many different levels. He has taught us everything."

His friend Luke Dunne agrees, saying even as the inevitable outcome approached for Mr Fernando, he remained steadfast to the idea of living life.

"He had absolutely impeccable manners, and was also completely mischievous; his giggle would just be infectious."

Brad Fernando is remembered by everyone who knew and loved him.

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