Our Team

My earliest memory of food is eating smoked oysters from the tin aged three as my mother prepared savouries for the dart players every second Tuesday evening in the family hotel.

I first fell in love with food when I was 5yrs old and I was taught to eat oyster's natural and snails straight from the shell by my grandfather, followed by trips to Flinders to pick up fresh local Crayfish and Mussels. Food moved from a necessity to experiences on these days.

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." Luciano Pavarotti

Daydreaming about all things food, cooking, wine and delicious meals with companions, takes up a significant part of my day. The enjoyment I gain from eating has been central to my life from an early age - thanks to generations of passionate cooks throughout the extended family.

I grew up on a dairy farm near Warragul - fresh milk (unpasteurised straight from the cow), fresh cream, fresh veal when an excess of calves and the market price too low, fresh rabbits from traps on a frosty morning. My mother taught me basic cooking at an early age so that I could take charge when she had an occasional trip away. This has come in handy ever since. As an accountant my work interests and responsibilities vary from those of the rest of the foodie team, but the best thing about this job is working amongst a team of young, vibrant and creative people, which helps to keep me feeling alive and young.

 

Good food and the temptation of a delicious cocktail are the best ways to rally the troops for a fun and social night out.  This social aspect associated with food and wine is pivotal to my love of the industry as I believe the best things in life are shared.  You will often find me out and about sharing brunch with friends and indulging in my ultimate meal of bocconcini, basil and tomato pizza.

Sharing food is about ritual. In my household, this means a gathering of family and friends around the kitchen bench rather than the dinner table. Even if the table has been set beautifully, most of the time nothing beats standing by the kitchen sink or leaning over the bench top, drink in hand, watching and helping to prepare a meal whilst engaging in noisy conversation and laughter.

My kitchen is a Cooks playpen where Kenny the Kitchen Aid, Sylvio the Salamander and Irene the Ice-Cream Maker stand proud amongst all the others! My daily chat revolves around what other toys can be added to the pen, what the week ahead’s meals are going to serve up and what menu we’re showcasing at our next dinner party!

I love food and working for Melbourne Food and Wine Festival is my dream job.  I have worked in the restaurant industry for many years both in Australia and abroad before starting at the Festival in mid 2008.  I look after Langham Melbourne MasterClass as well as the broader umbrella event program coordinating over 200 events for the Festival period.

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I embrace this theory with full gusto.  With a cookbook collection numbering into the 100’s and travel adventures centred around food hubs, I am a food devotee to say the least. We have recently welcomed a shiny KitchenAid mixer into our family and it has taken up prime real estate on our kitchen bench to extend and energise our foodie minds.  

A wise man once said 'a meal without wine is like a day without sunshine'. Food and wine play a starring role in my life and working for the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival is the perfect fit. The sounds from the table – chatting, slurping, clinking and bickering are like music to my ears. Feeding the clan is one of my greatest joys and reminds me what life is all about: love, laughter and food...glorious food!

Planning my day around my next delicious meal has always been a pleasure of mine.  Living only a stone’s throw away from a food market means I am always ready to host a cast of thousands with a warming meal, glass of red and indulgent dessert.

What is it? Where is it from? How do you make it? Can I try some?

These four questions have lead me to varying results over the years joy, shock, confusion, surprise, disgust, tears, wonder, illness and addiction.

Curiosity hasn’t killed me yet.  

Biggest piglet in our office? I reckon I come close.

The meals I’ve eaten, the glasses I’ve emptied. They’re defining, cherished, enriching and indelibly marked alongside my favourite memories.

What I’m drinking: my second large glass of ‘05 Bress Gold Chook Pinot Noir. Take my laptop away.

I have a fond appreciation of the art of the barista.  My morning is not complete without a carefully crafted coffee from the nearest cafe.  The personalities and unique blends that are found in the laneway cafes of Melbourne are truly fascinating.  My perfect weekend date involves sitting in a quirky cafe; latte in one hand, a spoonful of cookies and cream cheesecake in the other.

I was born into a family of food lovers, from Nonna’s polenta to Babcia’s pierogi, I’ve well and truly been spoiled from a young age!

My favorite foodie indulgences? Nothing beats an ice cold beer in summer and don’t even get me started on chocolate! 

I have been known to say that breakfast is only one of my favourite mealtimes. How could you possibly choose between breakfast, lunch and dinner? Three delicious opportunities to join with family and friends and take comfort in trusted favourites or try new taste combinations.

Fondest food memory? Family Sunday lunch enjoying my mum’s roast lamb (with home-made redcurrant jelly) followed by rhubarb crumble.