How I eat
Youmentionedthatyourmumwas
a talentedcook.Whatkindsofthingsdid
youeatwhenyouweregrowingup?
Shewasa greatcookandoftenmade
gourmetmealsbutI didn’tappreciate
it whenI wasyounger.I wasa veryfussy
eater.I grewuponlambcutlets,chipsor
hamburgers,andI neveratevegetables.
WhenI firstwenttoIsrael,I don’tthink
I’devereatentomatoorcucumber– and
thenwhenI triedit I thought:“Ohmy
gosh, why haven’t I eaten this before!”OzHarvestrecentlyturned15.Howdidyou
celebrate?Wecelebratedwitha gorgeous
party.It wasa fiestaofdifferentfoods–
allofourcelebrationsarearoundfood.
Wehadfoodtrucks,a Messinaice-cream
stand,anda hugecakeshapedlikean
OzHarvestfoodtruck.Wealsogaveaway
littlegoodiebags,whichwereofcourse
reusable,andreusablecoffeecups, too,
so everything was sustainable.OzHarvestrescuesover 200 tonnesof
foodandprovidesaround 8000 mealsper
weekforthevulnerable.Whatis themost
commonthingyouseegoingunused?
Breadandimperfectfruitandvegetables
thathavea frecklearethemostcommon
thingswesalvage.Andmilk,because
peopleusuallylookat theuse-bydate
ofmilkandthrowit outbeforesmelling
it ortastingit – we’velost the capacity
to judge it ourselves.You’rea leaderinthefightagainstglobal
foodwaste.Doyouhaveanytipsfor
peopletominimisefoodwasteathome?
Thefirstthingis,makea shoppinglist.
Lookwhat’sinyourpantryandfridge
beforeyougoshopping– thatwillsave
theaveragehouseholdaround$3800
a year.Researchshowsthatoutof
everyfiveshoppingbagsofproducewe
buy,wethrowoneaway;wewasteone.
Secondly,onlybuywhatyouneed.And
ofcourse,useyourleftovers!I liketo
turnthingslikeleftoverroastvegetables
intofrittatasandsoups.Becreative,
experiment and have fun with food.Whatdoyouliketocookforthepeople
youlove?I makea lotofdhal,lentilstews
andrice,becauseyoucanaddsomany
beautifulspicesandlotsofloveintothose
typesofdishes.MiddleEastern mezze is
always the best, too.What’sonthehorizonforyourightnow?
We’reopeninga refettoriowithMassimo
BotturaonCrownStinSydney’sSurry
Hills,sowe’recurrentlyworkingonthat.
Thewholepurposeis aboutcreating
a spaceofbeauty,ofculture,ofmusic,
offood,thatvulnerablepeoplecan
cometo.It’sgoingtohavesolaranda
littlerooftopgardenwithedibleplants.
Lunchtimeswillbefreeforanyone
whoneedsfood,andwewillopenas
a restaurantfordinnersothatwecan
sustainthelunchservice.Also,my
memoir,A RepurposedLife, is coming
outinSeptemberandI’msoexcited!
SincestartingOzHarvestI’verepurposed
mylife,andthathasallowedmetofind
mytruecalling.I’mnotspecial;I’mnot
exceptional– if there’sa lessontolearn
it’sthatallofushavetheabilityand
capacity to be the best we can be.●TheOzHarvestx FoodForSoulreffetoriois
duetoopenonCrownStinSydney’sSurry
HillsinJuly.Ronni’smemoir,A Repurposed
Life, willbeavailableinSeptember.
ozharvest.org; @ronni.kahnPeopleusuallylookat the
use-bydateofmilkandthrow
itout beforesmelling itor
tastingit– we’ve lostthe
capacity to judge it ourselves.GOURMET TRAVELLER 29INTERVIEW KARLIE VERKERK. PHOTOGRAPHY ANDREW FINLAYSON.