What’s your earliest food memory? Sitting
on the marble benches in the kitchen
at The Restaurant Manfredi in 1991.
I’d watch my nonna making pasta and
every so often she’d feed me a bit of
the raw dough.You’ve grown up spending a lot of time
in restaurants. What makes a good one?
That’s a mystery, just like a good song.
There’s no formula – it’s about a certain
energy coupled with great execution.Your father, Stefano Manfredi, is
a wonderful and well-respected chef.
What has he taught you about food? Many
things – but above all he taught me that
the simplest things are often the hardest
to do well.Do you love or hate to cook? I absolutely
love it. It’s in my blood.When you’re on tour, what does a typical
dinner look like for The Preatures? Who
knows? It could be anything. A French
dip if we’re in the States. A packet of
corn chips, a tin of tuna, or airport
sushi, perhaps. But if we’re in Europe,
it’ll be a sit-down meal cooked in-house
at the venue. Europeans know how to
do it right.What about when you’re in the studio- what are your go-to snacks? I don’t
really snack. If I eat something with
delicious carbs I’ll be satisfied until the
next meal. Our guitarist Jack [Moffitt]
will make a salad for lunch and we’ll eat
together. He’s into baking at the moment,
too, so lately we’ve been having fresh
sourdough. Sometimes Nonna or Dad
will cook a big minestrone or osso buco,
and I’ll keep it in the fridge or freeze
portions. As a back-up I keep Love &
Bones Broth soups in the freezer for
a quick meal at any time of day, too.What’s your favourite food and drink
pairing? Vermouth and dark chocolate.What’s the first thing you do when you
travel to a new city? As soon as we touch
down I’ll be looking for a good café or
somewhere to get coffee.You spent a gap year in Italy. What do
you miss most about that time? The first
month I spent studying Italian at a school
in Navigli, in Milan. There was an osteria
nearby with an all-you-can-eat buffet
lunch for €8. They’d do things like
slow-cooked rabbit, coniglio with celery
and carrot, and tagliatelle with butter
and parmesan. I went there almost every
day and they’d let me take leftovers
home for dinner.And what do you miss least? I dated
this Calabrian guy who used to eat
chocolate-chip cookies in milk for
breakfast, like you’d eat cereal. He had
no comprehension of what toast was. And
no toaster. It weirded me out to the max.What’s your favourite kind of Italian? I love
very simple Italian food. I remember the
first night I arrived in Rome, Mum and
I sat in our little motel having a minestra
together with big spoons. It was a light,
golden broth with just a few vegetables- and it was just perfect.
Before starting The Preatures you worked
in hospitality. How did you find it? I got
my first big job working the pass at a
fine-dining restaurant in Sydney. On my
first night, I dropped an entire table’s
meal – three whole plates – clean onto
the floor in front of them. Talk about
baptism by fire. I learnt quickly after
that and took pride in being good at
my job. I loved the rhythm of service
and making people happy.You’re a big supporter of the Keep Sydney
Open campaign. How would you like to
see your city’s nightlife improved?
The Keep Sydney Open movement is as
much about preserving nightlife culture
in Sydney as it is about supporting
sensible and sustainable planning for our
city. To revitalise Sydney’s nightlife we
need to address property prices, overhaul
rental laws, invest in public transport
and cultivate good drinking culture.
This means focusing on small bars and
venues in neighbourhoods rather than
just large-scale entertainment precincts.
Cities are for everyone, not just the
people who can afford to live there.You recorded your latest album, Girlhood,
in Sydney. What do you miss most about
the city when you’re away? The sky, the
gum trees and the colour of the light.Do you ever cook for your dad? Nah, it’s
too much pressure. He gets real finicky
in the kitchen and likes things to be just
so. It’s territorial. Nonna is the same.
I’d rather just eat.What’s the best thing about Italian culture?
Noise at the dinner table. ● ●The Preatures’ new album, Girlhood,
is out now.Isabella
Manfredi
The lead singer of The Preatures on growing up
in restaurant kitchens and eating on the road.
EATING WITHGOURMET TRAVELLER 37How I eatINTERVIEW MAGGIE SCARDIFIELD. PHOTOGRAPHY WILL HORNER