For Fork Sake

I haven’t had a decent foodie chat since giving birth to my third child in February. But, I have been writing a lot. I haven’t been out for a meal in so long, I can’t remember the last restaurant I went to. But I have cooked some epic dishes at home. In some ways, having three children under the age of three has disconnected me from the Sydney foodscape. So, I am thankful for the Food bloggers I follow on Social Media and I have no choice but to live vicariously through their foodie adventures. I sat down for a chat with Jess Rizk, who runs the fantastic Food Blog, JR Eats. Jess eats at some awesome establishments that range from your local hole in the wall type café or burger joint, to classy restaurants with Michelin star rated chefs. She provides her followers with first impressions and genuine reviews. We had a great chat about her family food culture and her experience with food blogging. But, the thing that got me in all the feels, was what Jess’s foodie ventures have done for her personally. Jess is so easy to talk to and I instantly felt I could relate to so much of what she had to say. Hearing her experiences makes me ever so grateful for the power food has in bringing people together.

It often shocks people to know that one of the first things I have requested after birthing my children is a fresh prosciutto crudo and provolone panino. There is something about a panino stuffed with deli meats that takes me back to after school hangouts with my paternal nonni and a spread of fresh panini, mortadella and formaggio from their day out in Haberfield.  When I last travelled to the motherland, I had some standout panini. But there is one that oddly fills me with great joy. This panino was so simple and so divine, I fondly and regularly transport myself back to a blistering hot summer day on a pilgrimage in Rome with 11 of my High School students. We stopped at a paninotecca and I ordered a provolone dolce, zucchini flower and anchovy panino. Oh and an expresso to wash it down, of course. Wow. It was delicious in every sense of the word and I had never had a panino quite like this. Since that day in 2016, I have spoken about the serious need for more specialised paninotecchi in Sydney. Thank the Lord for Dom Ruggeri!  He established Dom Panino one month after I gave birth to my second son. Right on time, Dom and perfectly located around the corner from my then Concord home. Thank you Dom, thank you. Whipping up fresh panini packed with all the faves, I was in heaven. Sleep deprived with an 18 month old and a newborn, deli meat deprived for 9 months, my dreams had finally become a reality. And now I’m being tortured once again in my third pregnancy, by daily Dom Panino posts.  But Dom Panino does so much more for me. It transports me to childhood memories – fondly devouring fresh panini with the family on the weekend and being picked on but un-ashamed of my cotaletta and left over porchetta panini in primary school before becoming celebrated for my lunches in High School. My soul rejoices in the opportunity to sit down and have a face-to-face conversation with a guy with whom I have so many nostalgic crossovers, let’s be honest he could be my cousin! Dom is an inspiring individual, someone who really understands traditional food and like me, obviously has an emotional connection to it. I could speak with him for hours on end – he has had one hell of an interesting journey! It is pure bliss to absorb the gorgeous energy and love for what Dom does. I couldn’t speak more highly of him.  Dom Panino is located on Emily Street in Mortlake – they just celebrated their first birthday and Dom is pulling out specials that have me salivating! I am SO looking forward to my post-natal panino!

Do you ever come across a person and think, this is a fascinating human?  Since the beginning of the Sydney Lockdown this year, I continuously came across one particular face on so many of the wonderful food establishments I follow on Social Media. As his face grew increasingly familiar, this lean eating machine, had me intrigued and impressed. James Webb is an absolute joy to follow. He puts away incredible portions of food in an array of food challenges while amazingly maintaining an impressive physique. I had to get to know more about him! After a few months of following him through lockdown, I was entertained and yet unable to contain my sheer jealousy in his consumption levels.  But, I was also finding myself cheering for him from the comfort of my lounge while struggling through one THICC Cookie. So, I reached out to have a chat with this legend and he was awesome and obliging. James has a beautiful and somewhat ironically balanced relationship with food and fitness and my respect for him grew as our conversation progressed. He’s a great guy with an enviable appetite and you all need to go and watch his live feeds at JWEBBY CAN EAT after listening to our chat about his journey in food challenges. You are sure to gain the appreciation I have for his unique skill.

Who doesn’t love a toastie? A toastie is hearty and perfect for breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack in between. So many great cheeses, bread options, condiments, pickles, meat cuts.  My goodness, there is a toastie for whatever your vibe might be and I’d happily eat a toastie a day. But the bigger question is, who doesn’t love an epic pair of foodies making a sensational toastie for a community of loyal fanatics? My favourite mushroom toastie happens to be made by the wonderful team behind Mister Toast.  Zac Wolf and Heidi Abraham are passionate and creative duo who have spent the last 6 years stationed at weekend markets throughout Sydney serving up the most epic Toasties. These two know quality ingredients, they know condiments and flavour. Wow, do they know flavour?! I sat down for a lockdown chat with these phenomenal creatives in anticipation of their return to the Kings Cross and Marrickville markets.

Food and Fitness. Two words that when placed together can cause some considerable anxiety for some. Yet others, seem to have found a way to enjoy both simultaneously without incredible amounts of stress. Hayden Laws is a Head Coach on a team of experienced and genuine people at Alpha Team Fitness in Sydney. He is insanely knowledgeable in tailoring individualised programs for his clients and wonderful enough to personally journey alongside them to reach their fitness goals.  Hayden’s perspectives and experiences with nutrition are so well balanced that it’s hard not to be inspired by his approach. I talk him up a lot, and he deserves it! Hayden has coached me for the past couple years. As someone who has experienced a stringent, depletive and depriving approach to dieting for physique and results, Hayden has completely altered my perspectives on food for the better. He has helped me to better understand macronutrients, tracking what I eat and how this can actually be a powerful tool in learning how to be more intuitive and free to enjoy a variety of food to better suit my lifestyle.  Though Hayden and I have found tracking to be a functional, positive and appropriate tool for our active lifestyles, we reinforce that this has been essential to our personal goals in fitness. We both encourage individuals to find a stress-free holistic approach to food tailored to their unique lifestyle.

Hi and welcome to my podcast. In this first episode, get a glimpse of my love language - FOOD. I am so forking excited to share my emotional journey with you and introduce you to some legends who have had foodie moments that have shaped their personality and in some cases their careers. So, hear about why I am so dedicated to learning as much as humanly possible about the emotional space between why we cook and why we eat as well as the reason behind the birth of this podcast.