I’ve always loved food. My earliest memories involve being in a garden of some description. Whether it was stealing tomatoes from my parents small veggie patch, picking wild blackberries from my grandpa’s island property, given juicy yellow plums from my auntie’s backyard or digging up potatoes from my nanna’s garden, I always had food in my hands (and mouth)!
Originally from Canada, I grew up on beautiful Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I was spoiled with parents who insisted on fresh food whenever possible. When my dad did the grocery shopping it was (whenever possible) local, organic, or free range. Of course, being on an island, it was easy. Seafood was always bountiful; salmon, oysters, mussels, halibut, cod. Local farms would provide us with amazing cheeses, beef, chicken, pork & eggs. The summer time would bring us golden sweet stone fruits and dark plump berries.
At dinner time, I would get a variety of different dishes. My grandma was an amazing cook with Eastern European influences (think borscht, perogies, cabbage rolls) and a special gift for baked goods & pastries (cinnamon buns, butter tarts, rhubarb pies). This aptitude passed onto my dad who loved to expose me to different foods all the time (or was it he loved to eat and shared with me)? My mum had a particular talent for making ‘something out of nothing’. She was like the Magiver of dinner time!
It’s no wonder that my first job was at a restaurant and my first serious boyfriend was a chef!
After travelling the world and having over 15 years of hospitality experience, I now choose Lennox Head my home. And what a food lovers paradise! Tropical fruits, native ‘tucker’, world class beef, lamb, pork...and the seafood selection is un-paralleled. Each town from Evans to Casino, Byron to Mullumbimby has pockets of hidden treasures just waiting to be discovered.
Currently, there isn’t a locally based website that provides information on local eateries. So, I am going on a food adventure and I want to share with you what I find.
Each week, I will journey to a new destination and report my findings. I will share my experiences so that you too can enjoy what this wonderful region has to offer. My goal is for this site to be a shared forum for all those foodies in the Northern Rivers region.
Enjoy & Bon Appetit!
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