I’ve been a busy little bee over the past few months, focusing on building tools of value to help people develop a healthier relationship with food, their body,  and the planet. First thing I needed to do was to make sure I was doing it myself and stepping up to the level needed to teach from a point of authenticity and congruency.

I have tried recently to get the domain name www.pleasureseekingweakleshedbloodthirstysugarlovinhealthwarriorrawfoodenthusiast reluctantguru.com but it was taken, turns out it was a parking site that was redirected to many flawed but earnest seekers of health including www.sherrystrong.com;-)

Point is, I am a work in progress, always learning and seeking ways that help people live better quality lives and in the process try and live everything I teach, sometimes I win some, always I learn some. At the outset of 2009, I decided I would challenge myself in every area of life, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically to grow myself into the person I felt I needed to become to do the things I wish to do.  Be careful of what you wish for, the year to date has done exactly that and more and growth is just one outcome.

Speaking at the TED Tokyo conference, the Happiness and It’s Causes conference  were amazing experiences in meeting amazing people and bringing what I teach to a wider audience. It has affirmed that I am doing what I’m meant to be doing and there is great need.

I am planning several public events in the coming months including Weekend Wellness retreats at the newly renovated RACV Club Healesville and Real Food Detox residential programs at the most awarded spa in Victoria, Peppers Hepburn Mineral Spa in Hepburn.

There are heaps of goodies to come and I will be updating the site to let you know what is happening when. In the meantime check out this link below if you are interested in the weekend Wellness Retreat in Healesville, Victoria Australia, August 28th to the 30th. It is amazing value for the weekend and I would love to see you there.

Its that time again where we head full steam ahead toward New Years Eve as if what we don’t achieve, who we don’t catch up with or finalize before the stroke of midnight December 31st, means failure. It is also the time that we tend to start to eat more accelerating into full on gluttony until we spiral down the leftovers trail as of Boxing Day. Then there are the pressures of shopping for gifts, sending out cards, cooking masses of food and spending time with people because we feel obliged to rather than really want to be with.

I hear you, the pressure is amazing and the truth is, it does not have to be this way. This season can be just as sane as you wish it to be depending on the choices you make. So I’ve compiled some suggestions that you may find useful, recipes you may find helpful, if not delicious and thoughts for you to ponder.

So take a look at the attachment and as a dear friend once used to tell me when she invited you to eat her meals, ‘leave what you don’t like’, (of course she was a brilliant cook and I always loved everything!). The only thing you must do this time of year, because it can only help, is to be grateful for what you do have, what you can do and that you are alive. Everything else, can only improve.

tips-for-surviving-the-silly-season2008

I was the MC at the Network Central business women’s networking breakfast this morning and have been contacted by a few people who appreciated what I had to say regarding finding perspective in the midst of the global financial situation, so I thought I would share this with you.

In times of crisis some people shrink back,
Some people quit and some people use it as an excuse to give up.

For those of you who will find a bed tonight, indoors with people you love,
who will have a meal that nourishes you, who have a job or are able to choose to work, if you have a computer, a car or access to public transport, you are part of a small percentage of extremely fortunate people on the planet.

So in light of all the hype and hysteria of crisis and tragedy I encourage you to carry on. By the way, crisis is a word more suited to a direct loss of lives, (as in floods and earthquakes), not assets, like properties and shares. Continue to invest in the most important asset you have that during tough times you need to take care of more than ever. You.

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard since this financial sticky business has happened, was from metaphysical teachers Abraham-Hicks who said to ‘chill out and get back to work’.

Here’s a little tip, if you are doing work that is simply for money and you dread getting up in the morning to do it.  Use the crisis to change direction, pause to explore what would you do, if you had to start from scratch and could do, what you love, what you are good at, what you are born to do. If you do this, what you will find is that when the world crumbles around you, you are calm because you are doing and being who and what you want to be and you will have no regrets. At the very least, focus on what you can do now.

You see, it is those who get on with it and not buy into the hysteria that will come out the least scathed in times like these. Continue to go on in the most sensible way you know. Relax as much as you possible can, enjoy and squeeze every bit of goodness out of every single day and you will fare far better than your neighbour who complains, is fearful and is petrified into inaction.

The world is still your oyster, it always was. Go out and enjoy it, relish in it, glow and be radiant and watch people be drawn to you and even watch your business grow while others complain about the crisis. Today is an opportunity and I promise you, the more real you are, the less of a victim you are and the more you get on with it, with as much zeal and love you can muster, every day will be better than the next.

I once heard emotional intelligence could be identified in children by offering them two lollies and telling them when you leave the room and then return 15 minutes later if they don’t eat the lollies they would get three more. (kind of like the Biblical parable of the talents) The child that eats the lollies is likely to have a low EQ (emotional quotient) and the child that saves them will have a high EQ.

For most of my life I have been the eat the two lollies kid, slowly transitioning into the eat one lolly and negotiate for 1 to 2 more when the adult returns. I have learned the hard way how to wait not eating either of the lollies and am still learning, it does not come naturally to me but is becoming easier.

On Oaks Day this year it was my 18th Anniversary of arriving in Australia. In 1989 I got off the plane and my fried Cora said we need to buy you a hat and off we went into the Fosters Marquee on Oaks Day, no less! Well you can understand why I stayed in the country if this was my first impression. So I put it out to the universe that I would like to go to the races this year but in style, in a top marquee. The day before Oaks day I forgot about my wish and received a call from my dear friend Julie forwarding me her invite into an illustrious marquee! Great news right?

Be specific when you put out what you want. I had agreed to do a pro-bono session for the kids at Fifteen and reluctantly resisted both lollies:-( So I gave up self indulgent fun, glamour cleverly disguised as a networking opportunity, to do the right thing. I chose contribution (which I value highly) over fun (which I enjoy deeply) with a certain reluctance.

I love my work so once into it I am in bliss and flow and to be quite honest there was a part of me relieved to be in jeans and sneakers instead of pinchy shoes. One of the apprentices said he ate more vegetables in this session than in the 6 months prior, and he enjoyed them! At the end of the session one of the apprentices came up to me, looked me in the eye and gave me a big hug and said ‘Thank you” so sincerely I almost choked up.

T. Harv Eker says that truly successful people don’t think in ‘either or’, they think in ‘both’. you can be rich and happy, you can have success and great relationships, you don’t have to sacrifice one for the other, you just need to be creative. So as it happened I did end up contributing and having fun and in a way I did not anticipate, I got my 3 extra lollies as you can see by the words below.

Life is good when you are doing what you love!

Sessions with Sherry Strong

As part of our training program we help the apprentices develop broader life skills and recently the focus was on health and nutrition. Sherry Strong – nutritionist, chef, and food coach – facilitated a practical session at Prahran Market (This involved budgeting for a weekly shop, the apprentices sourcing ingredients from the vendors in the market and finally preparing simple but nutritious meals in the kitchen of Essential Ingredient.

Sherry has a capacity to engage our young apprentices by bringing energy, knowledge and wisdom to her sessions. The apprentices are looking for a follow up session early next year to further tap into the knowledge and energy that Sherry has to offer.

Matt (1st Year Apprentice): “It was amazing. It has opened my eyes to better food other than the junk food I have been eating. I have had heaps more energy since using some of the recipes Sherry helped us prepare”.

Thanks also to Samantha Bernardo from Prahran Market who helped coordinate the session and to the good people at Essential Ingredient for generously allowing us to use their kitchen space.

She was awesome and really cool! She knows so much and was really helpful. (Patty, First Year Apprentice Chef)

It was amazing. It has opened my eyes to better food other than the junk food I have been eating. I have had heaps more energy since using some of the recipes Sherry helped us prepare. (Matt, First Year Apprentice Chef)

“Sherry has an amazing capacity to engage our young people’s minds and hearts in a way that is energizing and captivating. We work with young people who are difficult to engage and who don’t have the best track record for looking after themselves. Through practical demonstration and sharing of personal experience and wisdom Sherry manages to touch the lives of our young apprentices. The recent session where Sherry led a shopping expedition followed by guiding the apprentices in the preparation of simple yet nutritional meals provided the practical knowledge and experience our young people needed. The Fifteen Foundation has been fortunate to develop a great relationship with Sherry and we look forward to her continued wisdom in assisting our young apprentices to change their lives.”

Peter Kerwin

Youth Welfare Coordinator (Fifteen Foundation Australia)

The results of a 4 year $23 million EU Newcastle University study has confirmed what was once considered quackery by the nutritional & scientific community and the views of a hippie dope smoking fringe element. Organic foods are up to 300% better than those grown with chemicals.

Amazing the resources we put into research that confirm the bloody obvious. The EU study is one of a growing number of studies around the world that confirms growing organically has significant nutritional superiority and that would naturally have implications on our health.

Think about it for a moment….put chemicals that kill life forms onto plants, that then run off into the soil where billions of creatures live (and who’s job it is to create the vitality of the soil) and wonder ….could this possibly be doing damage? When we crop spray with chemicals like Round up, they form toxic plumes that mist their way through the air and fall down when it rains into areas including those not initially sprayed, into our waterways and environment then wonder why since their increased use, we are not as healthy as we once were. You don’t require a great deal of intellect to suspect this might not be so good for the plants that have literally thousands of compounds that in turn work synergistically to nourish and heal the body. Slight changes in growing plants can create significant differences in plants and our health as we eat them.

The nutritional science bullies have claimed for years, unless you have a significant study or studies to suggest something based on intuition and common sense you are a luddite and quack, in fact they have websites to weed out quackery. One such site with a list of 25 ways to spot a quack says; “They (quacks) Claim That Soil Depletion and the Use of Pesticides and “Chemical” Fertilizers Result in Food That Is Less Safe and Less Nourishing. Foods “certified” as “organic” are not safer or more nutritious than other foods. In fact, except for their high price, they are not significantly different.” WRONG! or so the $23 million dollar 4 year EU Newcastle study and numerous other right up your self righteous alley studies confirm.

“Lack of proof of toxicity is not proof of safety”

Their published list that petulantly denigrates anyone who does not follow their ‘industry influenced and scientific approach’ is full of half truths and incomplete, outdated science that they ridicule the quacks for practicing.

Patrick Holden, Soil Association director said,
“For the past 60 years, the Soil Association has sought on the basis of practical observation, underpinned where available by sound science, to show the benefits of sustainable, organic farming to the health of people and planet. On a far larger-scale, with much greater resources and more precise, modern analytical methods, this EU-funded project builds on what our founder Lady Eve Balfour sought to do on just 200-acres and with a shoe-string budget back in 1939.

The proponents of industrial, chemical-intensive agriculture dismissed her theories and findings then on the basis of the limited scale and location of the experiment. But today’s growing body of evidence backing her instincts and practical observations comes from dozens of independent scientists from around the world – the early results of the work from the QualityLowInputFood project add to that wider body of work.

The Soil Association agrees with Professor Leifert, coordinator of the project ,’There is enough evidence now that the level of good things is higher in organics.’ [3]. Therefore, we challenge the FSA to now recognise and publicly acknowledge the nutritional benefits of organic food produced through well-managed organic farming systems.”

Organics and it’s even healthier sister Bio-dynamics are now gaining momentum evidenced by their 25 to 30% annual growth rate. At the risk of making broad sweeping statements I would like to clarify that not all organic food is good for you, an organic cake is still a cake and organic chocolate does not make it suitable for breakfast (even if it is disguised as coco pops) tempting as it may be. As multinationals food companies see the growth and the money to be made from organics they will and are jumping on the bandwagon certifying foods that some of the little guys growing with as much or more integrity are struggling to fund doing. The complexities are enormous and require putting things into context of the big picture.

The lesson? Turns out you get what you pay for and at the risk of being called a quack you still need to use common sense balanced with your intuition, instinct and intelligence to make decisions about what you are ingesting.

Look out for a segment that goes to air this evening on the Channel 31 television program called ‘Making the Switch’ all about ways to make your life more sustainable. The Switch team came over to film a recipe for the holidays with the challenge it be one that anyone could whip up and feel festive….. so I prepared the following recipe which I know you’ll enjoy and the fun to effort to result ratio makes time in the kitchen well worthwhile.

The recipe is not one your would eat all the time but compared to the rich desserts of the festive season it will have little impact on your body and the environment, particularly if you source organically and locally. Enjoy!

If you missed the segment on air you can check it out online at www.makingtheswitch.com.au
Also if you would like to see this program on the commercial free to air or cable networks let your providers know what kind of programming you would like to see.

Spiced Filo Cigars

1 cup locally sourced walnuts, shelled and chopped
1 cup locally sourced sultana’s, chopped
Fresh grated nutmeg to taste, about ¼ tsp
Zest from half a small lemon
Zest and juice from half a small blood orange or Valencia orange
¼ tsp fresh grated ginger

Combine mix and adjust taste as you prefer.

Filo pastry, unfolded and cut 5 sheets into four rectangles

Melt 125gm organic butter

Brush each sheet with butter.

Place 3 tsp of mix toward one end of the rectangle and fold both sides about 1.5 cm into the centre and the end to cover the mix and then roll the pastry up into a little cigar shape.

Brush with a little more butter and place on baking tray, repeat until mixture is finished. You can freeze extra cigars at this stage and remove to thaw, bake and glaze when you next want to use them.

Bake for 7 minutes in a 180 C oven and remove and glaze.

Glaze

125 gm butter
3T organic cold pressed honey
Seeds of one vanilla bean
Combine all ingredients into a saucepan and bring to a boil, stir thoroughly and brush on warm cigars.

“And why would you fly someone half way across the world to do one on your life?”

This was the question asked by friends and associates of my client last month in the US. They also asked “couldn’t you find someone in this (well populated) country to do it?”

My client has given me permission to speak of his experience because he feels the changes he’s made has in fact saved his life and has the potential to save many others.

His answer was;
I chose Sherry because her approach makes the most sense of anyone I’ve come across (even in the USA.)
I trust her.
She won’t take any of my ’shenanigans’ (not the exact word he used)
and when questioned about the cost he asked his colleagues (who get paid in one hour what it cost him to hire me for 2 weeks) “what would it be worth to you for even one more day of life? I’m buying ‘life’ time.”

So what does a lifestyle makeover involve?

It differs for every person but the key is to look at all the areas of life that are working for you, build on those and the areas that are not working develop strategies and habits that help you create the best life you are able with goals uniquely yours and the resources in your environment.

For most people we look at the quality of fuels they are taking into their body, mind and spirit in what they eat, how they think and relate, which impacts their feelings and actions.

Some typical things we look at are;

food, shopping, cooking, sourcing, for some clients I find them chefs others I teach how to cook….what works for your life and budget.
exercise
breathing & hydration
toxic influences and how to manage them
relationships
work plans, life plans and leisure plans
finding purpose

Some makeovers take place over a 6 to 12 month basis, others are brief and can happen within time frames allotted depending on what is needed. The intention is getting people on their path with sustainable shifts that enable long term wellbeing.

It is all about living a lifestyle you intend and create not one that just happens to you, based on things you don’t intrinsically value. That is different for everyone which is a good thing. I’ve seen people strive to live a life they admired in someone else and when they got there were disappointed because it wasn’t a life based on what they really want and value (I’ve also lived it). When they start to construct their life organically based on what is truly important to them on a conscious and unconscious level then they start to truly add style to their life.

If you would like to know more about a Lifestyle Makeover for yourself or someone you feel would benefit from it, please feel free to call me on +613 9314 4131 or +61412 098 992 or email me sherry@sherrystrong.com .

The lyrics to Heather Small’s song ‘Proud’ have been ringing in my ears each day for the last month. It is a fabulous question to ask yourself daily and one that has personally changed my world view.

I have for years wanted to achieve certain things and often feel my wheels are spinning but not much is happening. When I started to ask myself this question daily and then looking back on the year to date as to what has made me most proud I had a much more grateful perception of what I am doing and my place in the world.

Last week, I had seven high profile speaking engagements that were pretty exciting. I’ve had feedback from people who’ve said some really flattering things, the thing that made me most proud though was calming a distraught little girl who had lost her way from her mother at the farmer’s market. It felt really ’soul good’ to help.

When I look at the start of the year and how things were shaping up I am amazed to see how differently they’ve gone. Some of the things I thought I would be most proud of have not yet eventuated and there are completely unforeseen things that have come up that have created opportunities for me to grow exponentially.

In the last couple of months I’ve turned down endorsing food products targeted at children potentially worth over $120, 000 for literally a few days work….ouch!… but proud? Yes! You see even though the food products were approved by a school canteen association they were unfit to be sold as ‘good for children’ in my opinion and not good enough.

I was flown across the world to do a lifestyle makeover on a client that we both agreed made the difference for his survival. It was some of the most challenging work I’ve ever done but both the client and myself are better people for it.

I went on a 7 month television diet leaving my tv in the garage until the manuscript of my book was handed in to the publisher….life changing.

On Sunday at the graduation of the first lot of chefs from the Fifteen Foundation one of the young recruits from the new intake came up with a beaming smile to report that since my presentation in June he had lost 15kgs from giving up fast food and lowing his Coke consumption from 15 litres to 1 litre a week. His vibrancy and excitement was one of the best gifts ever. Good on ya Matt!

I’ve had numerous testimonials of people making life changing choices and enjoying better quality of life, health and vitality. Yesterday at the Farmer’s market a woman who attended one of my cooking classes said the changes she’d made have meant she has much greater mental acuity, friends ask here what new skin cream she is using and she feels so much better, her “keep up the good work” almost brought tears to my eyes…thank you Ruth for sharing.

Forgive the ‘all about me’ section, I use those stories to highlight two things; One, the things I thought would make me most proud in hindsight, failed to compare to the results of simple everyday choices made from gut and character. Two, everyday people have the choice to act on something that moves them to want to make a better life for themselves and others, Matt, Ruth and my client overseas all made great choices and built on them to create a better life for themselves which always impacts others, the ripple effect is amazing.

It doesn’t have to be big things that make the difference, in fact it is the sum of the little choices you make that outweigh the big decisions. Paying a little more and buying the product that is better for the environment, having a shorter shower, making the business choice that means making less profit but a big difference to the community, having an apple for breakfast instead of the sugary muffin, going for a walk or run when the weather is cold and wet, taking time for to talk to complete strangers and share something uplifting or just listen.

Carving a life based on what feels right in your gut, (strong decisions over weak ones) what you feel compelled in your heart to do and simply doing the right thing (for you) turns out (for me) to be more rewarding than anything I previously thought. I knew it intellectually but living it is a whole different feeling and it is an amazing feeling!

What have you done today, this week, in the last 30 days or six months to make you feel proud? Make a list. If it isn’t long enough to make you feel great, just start with one simple thing each day.

There are literally thousands of ways all around us to make us feel more proud of the lives we are living. Be creative. I promise, finding just one little thing you can do each day will bring a whole new meaning and purpose to your life.

]]> http://www.sherrystrong.com/2007/09/what-have-you-done-today-to-make-you-feel-proud/feed/ 0 http://www.sherrystrong.com/2006/04/slow-food-melbourne-news/ http://www.sherrystrong.com/2006/04/slow-food-melbourne-news/#comments Tue, 25 Apr 2006 07:15:14 +0000 Sherry http://new.sherrystrong.com/?p=36

I have included the last newsletter to give you an idea of what we do.
Click here to download the Slow April News Newsletter (PDF File 154 Kb)

Long Slow Table
An initiative of Slow Food Melbourne in 2006 is Long Slow Table. The concept behind this project is to offer unique tasting and dining experiences to members who enjoy good food and wine, but who, for one reason or another, may otherwise dine alone. Victorian restaurants that take pride in serving authentic, seasonal food of a particular style or region are carefully selected by committee members, and the owners/chefs are approached to present a menu to showcase their particular food, that also encapsulates our focus on slow food.

Our inaugural Long Slow Table dinner was held at La Luna in Carlton North, in April and was a great success with 27 people enjoying wonderful food and wine amidst a really convivial atmosphere with like minded people. Our second Long Slow Table is planned for Monday May 1 at the popular authentic French restaurant in Albert Park, L’Oustal. Jerome & Annabelle Hoban have offered to open L’Oustal especially for us, for a minimum of 35 (and a maximum of 40) people. Elsewhere in this newsletter you will find the proposed menu for the evening, and the wines selected to accompany each course, together with the booking form. The cost is $65 for members and $75 for non-members. For more information on this event, please contact Mardie Whitla by email at mardie@ciaobellatours.com.au.

We plan to offer a Long Slow Table dinner (or, occasionally, a lunch) each month, so keep an eye out for Melbourne Slow Food emails, especially if you sometimes enjoy the company of others when dining out.

Tea Tasting at Larsen & Thompson
David Thompson called to give Slow Food Melbourne a gift. The gift? Two hours of tea & terroir with India’s Top Tea Taster Krishan Kaytal. Admittedly, not knowing a great deal about tea or
having a palate for tea I went along without huge expectations.

Everyone who attended had much the same to say and Michael Daly from Melbourne Food & Wine Festival summed it well saying it was ‘Very entertaining and informative, ‘ Others commented on how inspiring Krishan was as a presenter and how extremely generous the night was. As promised it was a fascinating learning experience and left us with the ability and discernment to distinguish great tea from merely good. Thank you David!

Tomato Tasting…next week Potatoes
What a wonderful event, so low key and amazing value…some of the comments from the night. Cameron Russel from Stall 83 at the Vic market gave a fabulous presentation on tomatoes and had us tasting sensational varieties including, Green Zebra’s, Black
Russian’s White beauties and tomatillo’s. Colin & Rosa Mitchell (as was Tim Smith our host) were indispensable on the night
assisting Cameron. Rosa even brought some of her prized preserved green tomatoes and sundried tomatoes…huge hit!

Remember the seasonal tasting is 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm every third Tuesday of the month at Books for Cooks in Gertrude St. Fitzroy. Prices will vary depending on the cost of ingredients which will range from $5 to $10 per event so will be sure to book out quickly. The idea behind this event is to make
seasonal produce education and tastings available to all.

Young Slow
To address the specific wants and needs of our under 25 year old Slow members we formed what we have loosely called Young Slow.
Young Slow which will be headed up by Clark Mitchell will operate with all the energy and passion of the general convivium but expect the functions to be a little less formal with more hands on, lower cost and whole lot of fun.
There will be a strong educational focus and we look forward to tackling the grassroots issues. And of course all functions will be open to all members as we continue to share and learn from each other.

Call for Contributions to Snail Pace
Do you have an article you would like to contribute to Snail Pace? Are you passionate about something Slow? Inspired about the way someone is producing something you love and want others to know about it? Or perhaps you have some thoughts you would like to share…..

Then by all means start writing and send the articles to me at sherry@sherrystong.com and the Melbourne committee will consider them for inclusion in upcoming editions of Snail Pace.

Benefits to Slow Food members
Discounts at Books for Cooks – 10% off for Slow Food members
Peperino – Clever, exquisite hand crafted timber kitchen products – 10% for Slow Food members
Ciao Bella Tours – 5% off tours to Italy

Do you have something you would like to offer as a benefit to Slow Food Melbourne members? We would like to offer as many appropriate incentives to our members to add value to the membership. Contact sherry@sherrystrong.com to propose your offer for inclusion.

Dates to put in your calendar
Ocha – May 21

Seasonal tastings at Books for Cooks, every third Tuesday of the month.
Trivia Night – July 2nd, Foodies come out, organize a table of ten and bring your own food and wine. Test your food and wine knowledge for a Slow Food prize and your names on the plate for posterity.

The Sticky Chocolate Proposition – August 20, at Kennedy and Wilson. A tour
showing how this world class chocolate is made here in the Dandenong’s. Then we
sample 10 chocolates hand made by Didier with Kennedy & Wilson chocolate paired with 10 stickies from R J Buller & Sons. This event is a variation of the MF&WF event that many missed out 2 years ago and those who attended would love to experience again.

Something to earmark and stay tuned for…..
The Olive Session – 100 people split into 4 groups of 25 go picking olives n the Mornington Peninsula for 3 hours and bring the olives back to the vineyard to crush the olives and press into oil. A wood fire hosts a pig for lunch and we taste the 4 separate oils and take a bottle away…..we are just waiting on a date….this will be a last minute thing due to seasonality and getting the right people organized.

A Slow Inspiring Business
At a Fig & Fennel dinner in March put on by Foofi Christi (great night!) I was invited by Emma Clarke and her partner Orio Randi to their business Pepperino . She said ‘come any day and eat with us.’

Ottavio Randi arrived in Australia from Italy in 1980, he taught his son Orio artisan furniture making skills he learned as a boy when he chose a different path from his father, a butcher. Ottavio works alongside Orio making
elaborate commissioned pieces, (some pieces take up to a year to create) and everyday they as a family, a business and community stop to eat lunch.

Everyday Orio cooks for everyone in the workshop from a make shift kitchen he apologizes for in the foyer of the shop. As we sit down to eat people who work in other shops in the lane wander in (no doubt at the invitation of the beautiful smells). They are made welcome and invited to share.

When I called Emma Thursday morning to accept the invitation , she said ‘great I’ve made a Venison ragu to go with orrechetti pasta’ …. I am salivating
already. The venison I discover at lunch is from a friend who hunts. A generous bowl of Ligurian olives sit on the table. Wine, red or white is offered. Orio prepares veal saltimbocca as the second course with a lightly dressed green salad. A goats brei style cheese wrapped in vine leaves and raffia is served to finish with the crusty epi rolls also used to soak up the juices from the veal. At the end of the meal we have a piece of chocolate and Kyran who works in the workshop makes me a cup of tea and urges me to leave the plates as he will clean up later.

The warehouse is down a little laneway behind Great Dane furniture in Prahran is set out with an eclectic mix of hand crafted furniture and modern Aboriginal art (worth the visit alone). Next to the make shift kitchen is the range of beautifully handcrafted pepper mils, chopping boards, cheese boards, risotto paddles and salt dishes, many of them works of art, all of them crafted with care like the food they share each day.

I wonder how many other non-food businesses in Australia stop to eat lunch each day made by someone who loves and knows what good real food is. I wonder how many people would find their jobs and connection with the people they work with more satisfying if they took the time, care and effort to do this even once a week. For Orio, Emma and Ottavio it is evident that it is not an effort but the way they live.

Emma advises you call before you pop in to insure someone is there.
37 Thomas Place Prahran
www.pepperino.com.au
03 9510 0225

The Melbourne convivium look forward to seeing you at our future events and even more to connecting with you sharing Slow living at it’s best. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or ideas. Phone preferred m:0412 098 992 ll: 9314 4131 or email sherry@sherrystrong.com