Episode four is here lovely people! And as always, we are very proud and excited to be bringing you another bunch of inspiring people, ideas, things to cook, listen to and do. This week we chat with food PR and social media whizz Charlottee Ree and the guys behind Byron Bay catering company 100 Mile Table. Plus Sophie and Skye share their top 5 of the week and a few other goodies.
As always, you can listen by clicking on the green button below or find us on i-tunes (search My Open Kitchen). Thank you so much for your support!
Interview one – Charlotte Ree
We have been talking a lot here on My Open Kitchen about how and why we farmers, producers and value-adders should to get connected with social media and looking at some of the people doing this really well already. But today we are chatting to somebody with a slightly different perspective.
Charlotte Ree is a PR pro, she’s the publicity manager for Plum Books, Pan Macmillan Australia and the website What Should I Eat. She is also a keen baker, traveller and social media lover. So we thought she’d be the perfect person to tell us just what publishers, editors, bloggers and other media are looking for when trying to connect with producers. And how we can get ourselves on their radar! Follow Charlotte on Instagram at @charlottereepr
Charlotte’s Instagram loves
Hetty McKinnon of Arthur St Kitchen (we talk a lot in this interview about Hetty’s back story and new book Neighbourhood, if you haven’t heard about this awesome lady before, check out this interview from Broadsheet for a bit of background)
Matt and Lentil of Grown and Gathered or here on Instagram @grownandgathered
Hanya Yanagihara, author of A Little Life (which, after reading this review, I am very keen – if not a tad wary – to read!)
Charlotte’s lightning round questions
Last amazing meal – 11 Madison Park, New York
Favourite kitchen tool – my Kitchen Aid stand mixer
Next big food trend – people cooking at home
Morning tea
Morning tea this week was a batch of these upside down breakfast muffins from Grown and Gathered, you can find the recipe here on their website. And you should definitely give them a try – gluten free, super good and good for you they are winners!
Sophie’s Top 5
1. Mimi Brune on Instagram, St Petesberg based photographer, baker, self proclaimed ‘light nerd’. This is another Instagram feed that really takes me somewhere quite exotic, so completely different to where and how I live my life but fascinating and beautiful. She travels a lot around Eastern Europe, something I’d love to do, and all her photos have a flavour and style that’s easily recognised – a mark of all the strongest feeds.
2. Ted Talks – I watch them almost compulsively, in the hope that I’ll pick up some public speaking skills by osmosis! Below are links to my five current favourite talks, led by one I only watched yesterday by Rory Vaden. which promotes procrastinating on purpose to multiply your time – who knew we could justify procrastination!
How to Multiply Your Time, Rory Vaden
Do schools kill creativity?, Sir Ted Robinson
How to sound smart in a Ted talk, Will Stephen
Let’s put the ‘awe’ back in awesome, Jill Shargaa
Allan Savory, How to green the world’s deserts
3. The Author, MK Fisher – we talk a lot about how important it is to have good photos on our social media feeds. But words, as lovely Annabelle Hickson said in our last episode, are vital too. And whenever I’m feeling stuck and that the words just aren’t coming to me – I pick a chapter of Mk Fisher’s book The Art of Eating and dive in. I’ve been reading and re-reading this book since it was given to me at the age of 22 and adore it. She can make you sob writing about cooking through WW11 and all the privations and heartache that entailed and reading her description of pan-fried fish with butter and parsley eaten at a lakeside restaurant in Swizterland, you truly can taste every mouthful. I love her writing.
4. Podcast – The Food Seen via heritage radio, looks at food, art & design, and how chefs and artists are bringing them both together across different media. So so good.
5. Another book; Dandelion and Quince, a new cookbook from SF-based chef Michelle McKenzie. This book gives notes and recipes for 35 of the less common veggies, fruits and herbs. This is my kind of cookbook – completely different to anything else out there, new ideas, flavours and beautiful styling. Love following her on IG too.
Skye’s top 5
1. Dinner Special Podcast – Definitely my favourite podcast of the moment. Gabriel has a great way of combining family, tradition, cooking philosophies, signature dishes and fun dinner parties into less than an hour of podcast.
2. A local Instagram favourite @theforeverfarmhouse – Tina Rubie is a school teacher in Armidale in New South Wales but she clearly is a lady of many talents. Her IG feed covering everything from knitting needles and farm life has more than 25,000 followers and we are among them!
3. Another IG love is the hashtag #floristholdingflowers (see above, all pics by Luisa Brimble) and I have since discovered #girlholdingflowerseries by none other than the beautiful Luisa Brimble. If only all bunches of flowers were this fabulously elaborate.
4. Spring is in full flight in Australia now. And I love this rural tourism idea. Cowra Canola Tours allow for copious selfies in front of the delightful yellow canola crops that are swallowing our countryside right now. They also teach history and facts. Such a great idea.
5. The Lifestyle Business Podcast by Tyler Basu. Love it for its helpful business and time management tips.
Interview two – 100 Mile Table
100 Mile Table is a catering business run by Sarah Evans, originally from Sydney and Jeremy Burn, who hails from New Zealand. They operate out of a beautiful café front in an industrial estate on the outskirts of Byron Bay. And as the name suggests, the business is defined by locally sourced produce and collaborations. It’s an example of a venture in regional Australia that’s spreading its wings and their approach on how to do so, could be helpful for anyone in a similar stage of business, especially if it’s catering.
See more on their website – http://100miletable.com and Instagram @100miletable