Connect – Practical ways to grow and prepare sustainable food
From the introduction in my book:
Have you ever considered your life goal? Writing mine helped me formalise the context of this book. I always knew I wanted to share connected food growing and cooking practices with others in the hope that they too would experience the satisfaction, well-being and earthly gratitude that can emerge from being connected. It wasn’t until I put my goal in writing that it became framed, tangible and grew legs.
Fulfilling my life goal influences the paths I travel and the people I meet but it is big, way bigger than me and what I can achieve. That is where this book comes in; it is a tool free to travel where I have not. Through this book I hope to inspire you to learn about and analyse each aspect of the food system in which you participate. Then, equipped with new knowledge from this and other tools, overlaid with your analysis, findings and life experiences, you can design your own food system and not just accept one that has been culturally handed to you. I want to encourage you to think, to observe, to reconsider, to connect and to reconstruct so that you feel good about the design of your unique connected food system.
If you’re interested in buying my book please get in touch.
To equip individuals and communities with the required impetus, knowledge and tools to take a mindful and considered approach toward constructing their own food system.
Cooking Philosophy
I believe that food preparation should be a creative adventure!
It is much more than just preparing food to eat. It is a quest to match seasonal, available ingredients to people’s taste preferences, their situation, the weather; to arrive at nourishing, tasty food that brings people together strengthening their connection with each other and with nature.
Part of the creative adventure involves the use of seasonal ingredients. Sometimes this means that you have to have zucchini for entrée, mains and dessert and sometimes this means that you have to wait for the seasonal ingredients that you really enjoy. When you have done without garlic for a month or two, the new seasons expectation rivals that of a long awaited holiday!
Another part of the creative adventure is cooking food from its beginnings. Things like bread, mayonnaise and crispy potato chips are extra tasty when prepared with fresh ingredients. Yes, cooking from scratch can take a means planning and preparation time but weigh it up. Would you prefer a trip to the supermarket for food prepared by a factory of unknown origin or to stay at home and create food with friends and family, enjoying a spoon licking chase around the kitchen while you do?
And when your tasty food is sampled there is no greater reward than seeing the satisfaction, the glow of appreciation, the gusto of those digging into your foodie creation as every last morsel is devoured and laughed over so that there is nothing left to do but join in, smile and… delegate the job of washing up the dishes!
- I grow supplementary ingredients for REAL Pizza Pasta and Salads, my restaurant in Port Campbell, decreasing the impact of packaging and food miles in our environment.
- I regularly run a variety of educational workshops to share knowledge, and develop community networking connections… growing community and connection.
- I encourage the use of nutrient-dense ingredients which have been grown in vital soils, alongside instigating the Grow Vital Soil Challenge, which was filmed at The Place of Wonder garden.
- I am an active part of Powering Port Campbell, a volunteer run community group that is committed to ensuring energy in Port Campbell is reliable, renewable and efficiently used. The website has loads of easy to access information and resources related to our local region and its energy use.