OZHARVEST - Where does your food come from?

We care about what goes onto our plate.  At breakfast with furrowed brows, we ponder whether our bacon was ethically raised, or if our poached eggs were the product of carefree chickens running through meadows. It’s easy to get swept up in words such as local, free range, organic and seasonal. But for some, wondering ‘where our food comes from’ means something quite different. 

Two million Australians struggle to access meals each year and sadly over half of those are children. In 2004 the enigmatic Ronni Kahn had a vision, call it a yearning to contribute to society. Inspired by New York’s successful food-rescue organisation CityHarvest, Ronni was determined that the model would work in Australia and thus OzHarvest was born.  OzHarvest’s mission is to combat both food waste and food security, collecting quality surplus food and delivering to charities to nourish vulnerable men, women and children throughout Australia. 

Since 2004, OzHarvest has delivered more than 32 million meals to those in need, diverting a whopping 10,000 tonnes of food from landfill. Rescuing excess food from the likes of supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, catering companies and farmers and with the help of volunteers in kitchens all over Australia turn what could have been waste into meals for those less fortunate.

In November last year, OzHarvest expanded into Western Australia and now our local community can support this amazing cause.  You might have recently spied OzHarvest’s tell-tale yellow vans on the streets of Perth.  As part of the Eat Drink Perth program, I was invited to attend Food for Thought, a cooking class with a whole lot of heart and soul. Welcomed by local food pioneer and OzHarvest’s WA Ambassador, Ian Parmenter, we were able to meet the incredibly inspiring Ronni and hear her amazing journey.

Under the trees of the Perth Convention & Exhibition Centre, we split into groups to create recipes using rescued food. We were in charge of beef kofta and apple couscous whilst others cooked delights such as bread and butter pudding, corn fritters amongst other hearty dishes with the help of volunteer chefs. I’ve always found group cooking plenty of fun, it makes such an awesome team building exercise, especially knowing the meals would soon be on the road in the OzHarvest vans. 

As night fell, delicious aromas filled the air and Ronni shared a beautifully humbling sentiment with us all.  She certainly has a way with words and it was so moving to hear her passion and feel a part of the OzHarvest family.  I couldn’t help but think ‘Now my heart bleeds yellow too’.  There is something magical knowing that by giving up just a few hours of our time, we were able to create 500 meals for St Bart’s in East Perth and St Patrick’s in Fremantle.  It certainly brings a deeper meaning to knowing where your food comes from.

TOP 10 | EAT DRINK PERTH

Eat Drink Perth is a celebration of Perth's evolving culinary scene running from 18 March to 25 April.  The  program well underway it’s time to get out your planner and enrich both your stomach and your soul.  Put on your buffet pants Perth! 

Image by Jasmine Dowling

Here are some events that I will be clearing my calendar for:

1. Later this month, the Cultural Centre will transform into Perth’s first Asian hawker hotspot, Night Noodle Market.  Delve into exotic flavours whilst uncovering a melting pot of Eastern cultures including Filipino, Korean, Thai and Vietnamese.
2. South African cuisine was a little hard to find until William Street’s Baby Mammoth swung open its doors.  I thought a recent work trip to South Africa would satiate my street food yearnings with a swagger of traditional dishes.  But in true work trip form, I was a slave to the hotel buffet and only dabbled in a few signature South African dishes, including a quirky bread loaf chicken curry strangely named ‘bunny chow’. I’m pretty excited to experience The Spice Route wine degustation at Baby Mammoth.
3. The gents at Whipper Snapper Distillery are putting on Small Batched, a collaborative event with some of WA’s finest purveyors. How on earth will they pair chocolate with Whipper Snapper’s signature moonshine, Crazy Uncle? Curious whiskey matches will be on offer by local Artisan Chocolatier Sue Lewis, plus 5 Senses Coffee, The Little Cheese Shop and the foraging team at Fervor.  
4. An evening with Fervor is one to behold. With a focus on native Australian ingredients, Head Chef Paul Iskov, curates a stunning menu using foraged wonders such as salt bush, quandong and paper bark. Often travelling to the regional corners of Australia, Fervor will leave behind a cloud of red dirt as they trek to the big smoke to create a unique dining experience in a secret location.
5. Take a nostalgic trip down memory lane at the Northbridge Piazza.  Northbridge Food and Wine – Then and Now will celebrate the rich history of Northbridge showing how the precinct has evolved over the years.
6. Since launching with a lights-off event in Sydney in 2007, the not-for-profit organisation Earth Hour has been on a mission to protect the planet.  As a prelude to the annual Earth Hour event, the Northbridge Piazza will play host to Earth Hour Healthy Food Theatre.  Hear stories from local farmers and the effects of global warming/. It’s the perfect evening for environmentally conscious foodies.
7. Growing up in the Swan Valley developed my soft spot for farmer’s markets from an early age.  There is nothing like buying your vegetables and produce from the family that grew them.  You will have that chance when the Perth Home Grown returns to Forrest Chase each Sunday.
8.  You need to add an evening with the enigmatic force behind OzHarvest to your bucket list.  After hearing Ronni Kahn speak at the launch of OzHarvest, I’ve been hanging to hear her once again. Ronni will join forces with local celebrity chef Ian Parmenter to talk sustainability at the Food for Thought Cooking Class.
9. Who else finds a trip to the butcher just a little daunting?  If you are keen to know your grain fed from your grass fed and how to cook the perfect steak, The Secrets of Beef Masterclass at Meat Me In the City is the event for you.
10. Chef Joel Valvasori’s family recipe for meatballs is the talk of the town.  For something a little daring and fun join fellow meatball madmen at Lalla Rookh for a crazy culinary challenge, Man v Meatball.  It’s an eating competition not to be missed.  You’ll find me cheering on the sidelines tucking into my own serve of meatball goodness.