#1 for the love of food

For as long as I can remember, I have been surrounded by delicious, home-cooked meals, fresh produce, social gatherings centered around sweet and savoury feasts, celebrations where the food came first and the birthday second and grumbling tummys always asking, hoping, praying that it was my mum or my nan providing the food. I grew up in a family where good food was not a question, rather, it was a given. Among the many career paths and adventures my Nanny and Jay have achieved throughout their lives, owning a café in the quintessential town of Flaxton in the Sunshine Coast’s hinterland 40 or so years ago was one of them. They knew exactly what it took to make people happy – a warm smile, a friendly greeting and a hot plate of home-cooked, mouthwatering food. As my mum, her sister and two brothers grew up, with them grew the understanding that food had the power to lift people up, make people well and bring them joy.

My mum instilled this same ideology into me and from there, my passion grew. It has been an adventure, that’s for sure. There have been many a desperate phone call over the years as I tried to understand the difference between soft peaks and stiff peaks when beating the egg whites for my salted caramel macrons, or to help me understand why my slow cooked pulled pork didn’t really pull apart, or there was even the time my banana bread didn’t rise or behave in any way remotely like a banana bread should when baked in the oven…(it helps to read a recipe properly). While I have always “cooked”, it has been over recent years that I have truly come to genuinely appreciate, respect and LOVE food. I believe that when you know where the food you’re eating has come from, whether it be your own garden or a local farmer, and understand its story, you are more inclined to treat it with care and experience gratitude, satisfaction and nourishment.

I am excited to begin this adventure. May I learn to appreciate food, cooking, people and their stories even more.