I was raised in a restaurant - and when I say 'raised' I do mean literally. My parents owned one of Brisbane's most popular restaurants from 1985 through to 2002 so my sister and I earned our pocket money peeling vegetables, vacuuming the restaurant floor and washing dishes.
They competed in many cooking competitions and the training for these events is serious, just like an elite sports person, so as children my sister and I slept many nights on the floor of the family restaurant as they practiced and perfected original recipes and created masterpieces with food.
Most kids have a paper route or wash the car for extra pocket money, but Kerri and I peeled carrots ... lots and lots of carrots. As a result, cooking dinner for 2 comes fairly easy to us and the range of recipes and techniques we've been taught have helped me immensely since acquiring an intolerance to gluten and dairy in my mid-twenties.
My challenge with food is in balancing my desire for rich restaurant flavours with nutrient rich ingredients, avoiding excessive butter, salt and sugar while still creating a mouth-watering result.
We each bring a different inspiration to the recipes and features on this website ...
Kerri (Kez) - A busy corporate woman, Kerri spends 5 days per week as a PA to a General Manager on a Mining site and doesn't have the energy to spend hours in the kitchen on the weekend. She tries to eat healthy and enjoys cooking for friends, but most days consist of mess hall food - far from the satay chicken and chocolate mousse of our upbringing! Kerri simplifies gourmet recipes for home cooks who like to keep it simple.
Tony - Starting his apprenticeship at the age of 14, Tony has been cooking for 40 years. He competed in numerous cooking competitions including the Culinary Olympics, Champion State of Australia and a host of local Chef of the Year and Chef of Chef's competitions, winning numerous gold medals and awards. He was the head chef and owner of Carlyle's Restaurant from 1985 to 2002.
Sheryl (Shez) - Growing up on a farm, Sheryl brings traditional techniques and a Mum's love to her cooking with her specialties being biscuits, cakes, jams, muffins, pies, chutney's ... and tuna casserole. She even won a silver medal in a national cooking contest for her Petit Fours (little chocolates that go with coffee). She's also the recycling queen and even makes greenies look wasteful.
Carla (CJ) - That's me, a web producer, student and hobby photography by day and a passionate cook by night. I have an intolerance to gluten and dairy, so I cook to provide my body with nutrients, using the knowledge I have of food to draw out the natural flavours.
We have each contributed recipes, tips, ideas, classes and photos from our day to day cooking experiences and have started the arduous task of typing up our existing recipe collection - 5 generations of family recipes, 17 years of restaurant recipes and a collection of specialty diet versions of all of our favourites. Stay tuned, we've got a big job ahead of us!
This site is a collection of recipes that shape our kitchen experiences. I hope you enjoy the journey and find your own inspiration from these ideas!
At our table, we always say ...
Thank you for our food ... Amen.
2, 4, 6, 8. Bog in, don't wait!