Since doing interviews for The Fourth Place, I've really enjoyed tapping into the dysphagia community including people who have experienced dysphagia and those involved in the diagnosis and care, but just as importantly, I've always wanted to expand out to the food community. The idea is to raise awareness outside of the dysphagia community but also to get insight into some of the most experienced and creative minds when it comes to our all important topic of food.
As I've explained, there is a whole world out there dedicated to innovation and creativity in food that is not always accessible to the dysphagia community. However, I've always wanted to bridge the two knowing that some of the solutions and greatest ideas can be forged by bringing the two worlds together.
I am fortunate enough to know and be friends with one of these great minds who has a unique way of bringing her knowledge, experience and personal ethics into the realm of food and business. Leah, an experienced chef and co-owner of Collingwood Bar and live music venue, Nighthawks, took the time to tell us about her own journey and her fight to minimise food wastage in both her personal life and the industry.
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In a previous life, you worked as an experienced chef in a number of local establishments. What made you want to start working with food?
I started washing dishes in a 300 seater restaurant in Mt Dandenong when I was 14. I was trying to earn enough money to go on a school snowboarding trip. I've still never been snowboarding to this day… However being immersed in the extremely past paced and hectic work environment got me hooked on the hospitality industry. I guess getting into food and cooking was just the natural progression within a kitchen. When I moved to Scotland I was determined to cook rather than just washing dishes. I landed a commis chef role in a French/Algerian restaurant and the rest is history.
Can you give us some insight about some of the pros and cons of working with food professionally?
The biggest pro of working with food professionally is you never need to pay for food. You'll learn so much about produce, seasonal food if in the right type of kitchen, and especially how to work within a team. The biggest con is that you will ALWAYS be tired and likely will lose your interest in cooking for yourself. I rarely cooked at home for myself or my partner while I worked in kitchens. Now, I cook multiple times a day.
Do you think this shaped your ideologies or built an ethos you have towards consumption of food?
My ethos around food wastage was 100% born out of the amount of good food you see thrown away working within the industry. All of my roles in kitchens was highly focused on food waste reduction and realistic portion sizes for customers. I would often develop “cross over” menu items. Say for example one dish calls for jalapenos as a garnish. You would have these huge tins you would breakdown into smaller containers to refrigerate. There would be an entire can of jalapeno brine that would normally just be discarded. I would use the brine to make refried beans that we used for one of our most popular dishes. Herbs are another big wastage problem in kitchens, so I would make different “pestos” from different herb stalks. Just trying to see every part of a product or a plant as something that can be used, not just thrown away.
How would you describe your relationship with food both professionally and personally?
Professionally I definitely sat more on the organisation spectrum of working with food than the creative end. I can cook delicious and visually pleasing food for sure. But it's not going to be anything you've likely not tried before. I draw inspiration from freshness and lots of flavours from spices and herbs. I wouldn't really follow recipes. I would just keep adding flavour until I thought it was write. Personally at the moment I cook a lot of quick food, as my partner and I are currently relatively time poor. Asian noodles, miso soup, simple pastas and pizzas & salads galore in the warmer months.
Currently, you co-own and run Nighthawks, a bar in Collingwood. Is there anything that was or is important to you in the running of the business that you took from your experience as a chef or your earlier experience in the hospitality industry?
The skills I have brought to running a bar rather than a kitchen are all organisation based. In a kitchen you need all of your tools at hand. You can't be walking from one end of a kitchen to another looking for say a slotted spoon or a bread knife in the middle of service. I have designed the bar at Nighthawks for minimal required movement. Often I work the bar by myself, even on busy nights. When everything is within reaching distance and you are prepped and ready to go… you can churn out a hell of a lot of product in a really short time.
Can you tell us your favourite go-to meal and why? Anything from a comfort meal, a quick and easy snack or something for a special occasion.
Baked eggs Napoli is one of my favourite dishes to make. I'll often wait until I have some soft tomatoes to work with. I'll roast them and add a few tins of tomatoes, lots of onion, garlic, foraged basil and garlic from the neighborhood street planter boxes, some open red wine from the bar and I'll cook it for an entire day. You can add anything you like to the dish. Sometimes roast cauliflower or pumpkin. Whatever fresh herbs or cheese we might have around. And of course eggs are essential to finish the dish. I have about eight or so hand made clay pots a friend of my father's potter friend John made for one of the cafes I worked at. They were a bit hot and miss and would occasionally explode on us during service as John had never worked with earthenware before. Most of the clay pots now have a chunk out of them, but are still functional and add to the rustic charm of the dish. Every time we take our staff and friends away to Airbnbs the clay pots come with and baked eggs is served as the first hang over breakfast dish of the getaway.
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A big thank you to Leah who made time to answer our questions and share her experience from a unique perspective and with an inside take on the food industry ✨
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