Bonjour, my name is Laura Rancie and I am the Head of Public Relations and National Contributor here at the Australian Good Food Guide. I am also a home cook - just like you.
As International Chef Day 2023 celebrated its 19th edition yesterday, we are so excited to officially launch the Countdown to Chef Hat Awards 2024 happening right here in mid-January. With the exciting season now upon us, we are thrilled to present to you some of the team behind the Australian Good Food Guide. After all, we are home cooks just like you.
Being raised in Australia to French parents, my upbringing was far from the modern Australian lifestyle. I was five years old when we arrived in Melbourne from Marseille in the south of France and not knowing any English whatsoever, I remember the exact point in my young years when I thought to myself "If I’m ever going to learn this language, I’m going to have to start thinking in English”.
My Quiche, with freshly made pastry, is a very popular French dish and one that I love baking on the weekend. I also love whipping up a batch of Madeleines and eating them within minutes of coming out of the oven. Both of these recipes are hand-me-downs from my Maman.
My Papa was a Chef, and my Mother was a very good cook so weeknight family meals were built around ratatouille, bouef bourguignon and pot au feu.
My Father’s Spanish/Moroccan heritage would also come through on weekends when he would spend hours creating paella in a very large pan they had brought with them over by ship, many years ago or couscous in a beautiful glazed ceramic tagine (also preciously carried over from France in the move).
He would make fresh merguez sausages, or cured saucisson for days on end, to hang in our laundry. It was this exact last point, of why I was terrified to have friends over once I hit high school. How do you explain to teenage peers, why sausages are dangling in your laundry?
I love all of these memories now I’m in my 40s. They are such an integral part of where I have come from – and I no longer shy away from my French background. I have embraced it. My children have attended French bilingual schools and at home, we speak and eat French.
I love the approach that Europeans have to food – that is, minimal waste. Every part of what they eat has a reason and purpose. Ingredients are bought seasonally, maximising flavour and nutrition. Meals are memories shared with family, whether over the dining table or in the kitchen teaching the younger generation.
It is for this reason, that the Chef I am excited to watch out for over the next part of his culinary career is Roman-Italian Chef Alessandro Pizzolato, from Settimo in Brisbane.
Though he has been in Australia more than15 years, his Italian heritage stands out first and foremost in all he does and cooks. It was perhaps his ethos of 'Italian is not just what I cook, it’s who I am', that Guy Grossi approached him to head up restaurant newcomer, Settimo, this past February.
With a menu deeply inspired by the ocean, freshness and authenticity, it is Chef Alessandro’s passion and creativity with his approach to cooking for people’s pleasure that excites me.
Relying on the essence of food memories from his upbringing, this Chef spent 18 months touring Australia to learn about where our Aussie ingredients stem from. Why is the Barossa’s terroir exceptional? Why is Tasmania’s abalone and lobster well known and how is cheese made in Bruny Island? I love that this incredibly passionate and talented Chef, initially studied at University in Bologna with the intention of becoming an Anthropologist. He studied the operas and ancient languages, and the human species but noticed in each discipline the catalyst was always food, from ancient times to modern. He was fascinated that this primary need also brought so much joy to people and created a sharing culture. It wasn't many years later that he whole heartedly changed his life and dived into his real love - food. Thus Chef Alessandro was born.
It was this ongoing curiosity for life and food, that led him to discover Australia’s food regions and initiate relationships with the suppliers he now trusts and uses at Settimo. Creating a solid foundation with the Australian foodscape, Alessandro has perfectly fused a knowledge of fresh local, ingredients with a traditional Italian setting.
I am proud to present you with a very special recipe from Settimo, their ricetta pasta al limone pictured below. For all our home cooks reading this, here is your link to access this delicious Chef recipe, on the AGFG recipe catalogue.
Watch out for the other four articles in this series from AGFG's Editor, Leigh O'Connor; National Operations Manager, Joseph Steele; Business Development Manager, Jett Bewick and Head of Client Services, Rebekah Troth.
