Welcome to the second version of a brand new sequence referred to as The Issues We Do, the place I share tales of what my workforce and I stand up to exterior the kitchen! Group offsites, debut dwell cooking present, a brand new starter at RecipeTin Meals, a particular reader dinner….and MOVING.
Life has been full!
We don’t simply cook dinner anymore!
9 years in the past, I began this little web site with simply Dozer, as my right-hand man, sharing recipes I created in my single-bench Ikea kitchen.
Right this moment, RecipeTin is a workforce of 10, together with a “severe” Chef who works alongside me day-after-day (JB!). I’ve a foodbank, RecipeTin Meals, the place we make over 100,000 do-it-yourself meals yearly which we donate to the much less lucky. I made a cookbook. And it appears nowadays, I’m a weekly columnist for a meals publication and we additionally do meals present occasions. 😳
So I assumed it is likely to be good to share some behind the scenes of what my workforce and I stand up to exterior the kitchen. Right here’s some issues we’ve achieved for the reason that final version of The Issues We Do!
We had a workforce off-site
With the quick tempo of the enterprise and number of new issues we’ve been doing over the previous yr (e-book excursions! occasions! charity!), I felt it was vital to deliver my entire workforce collectively and do a presentation on targets and imaginative and prescient for RecipeTin, and the vital half they’d play in it.
It was a uncommon event to deliver each the RTE and RTM aspect of my enterprise collectively for greater than only a workforce lunch. So to profit from it, I held the convention within the Hunter Valley, a wine area 2 hours drive from Sydney.
This was a convention, the RecipeTin Method! We tried the official group picture. Simply….awkward….
That is extra prefer it!
As a lot enjoyable because the workforce bonding / play half was, the presentation half was severe. It took me many hours to place it collectively and it was price each minute. We left the convention a stronger workforce than ever.
However on the subject of the enjoyable – right here’s a bit of house film of the RecipeTin Convention 2023!
We did a photoshoot at RTM
I employed a skilled photographer to do a photoshoot at RTM to seize “official” pictures for the RTM web site that we’re constructing. We received some nice pictures – even half respectable ones of me!
However then Barl, our Fijian care-bear, resigned to pursue one other profession, so we’ve got to do it yet again. The boys are going to be thrilled once they learn that! 😂
There was one other picture shoot
Oh sure, and in the midst of the RTM shoot, I needed to duck out to get a photograph taken for a information article asserting that I’m touring Australia with the Good Meals & Wine Present! It was an odd day. Extra on the present beneath….
Then the Higher Houses & Gardens TV crew took over my home!
The Higher Houses & Gardens TV present got here to my home! They spent a day filming a “day within the lifetime of” in my house then visited RTM the subsequent day to do filming there as nicely. It was surreal!! You’ll be able to watch the episode right here. I’m in the beginning, center and finish.
Additionally – everybody in my workforce is now formally in love with Johanna Griggs, the host. She’s as good as she comes throughout on TV and ten occasions extra hilarious!!
There was extra TV…..
Then…2 days after that, we (Chef JB and I) have been again in a TV studio doing a dwell section to announce our new weekly recipe column in Good Meals Australia. Right here we’re on the Channel 9 Right this moment Present. I can’t even keep in mind what we made that day!!!
Simply on that weekly column….
So, on the subject of my weekly Good Meals column! It’s referred to as “SOS” and can function a recipe that may feed 4 folks for lower than $20, or could be made in lower than half-hour with fewer than 12 components.
These recipes are unique to Good Meals and within the Good Meals elevate out in Tuesday’s Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne’s The Age newspapers. So that they gained’t be on my web site – ever (sadly).
My hope is that it’s going to encourage extra folks to ditch overpriced heat-and-eat fashion dinners, get monetary savings, and eat extra scrumptious meals! Right here’s a preview of among the recipes I’ve shared:
Oh and look! They even put me on the duvet of the Sydney Morning Herald on the day they made the announcement. It was a BIG DEAL!!! (Please Dozer, may you present some help).
Then there was that fancy dinner!
For those who informed me 12 months in the past {that a} hatted restaurant in Sydney would create a one-night-only menu impressed by recipes from my cookbook, I in all probability would’ve snorted then choked on my espresso (being the elegant lass that I’m).
Nevertheless it did occur, and we even made a bit of house film about it so you may see that I really wore a frock. This was for an unique Good Meals subscriber dinner to have fun the launch of the new-look Good Meals!
And right here’s JB and I with the extremely gifted govt Chef at The Gantry, Rhys Connell – the posed shot and the collaborating shot!
Oh, there was additionally the little matter that I used to be sitting subsequent to among the strongest and influential media and meals journalists in Australia. Rattling, I want I knew the big-big boss was going to be there, I’d’ve brushed up on my present affairs. 😭
Cookbook launch within the UK and US!
My cookbook was launched abroad within the US, UK, Canada and Eire!! By no means imagined in one million years that such a factor would occur. Any person pinch me!!
Launching the e-book within the US was enjoyable, with a 1 hour dwell stream hosted by Premiere Collectibles who promote autographed books. It was imagined to be a dwell stream for me to signal books – so folks may see they have been genuine signatures – however I received fairly sidetracked answering questions and taking viewers on a tour of my home and forgot to signal them on digicam. Oops!
The dwell stream was recorded so you may watch it right here.
Thanks once more to all of the readers abroad who despatched by way of pictures of my e-book abroad!! Liked seeing them in bookstores on the opposite aspect of the world.
Oh, there was additionally that little matter of my cookbook making the New York Occasions greatest vendor listing. Spoiler: there have been tears.
Debut dwell cook dinner present in Melbourne!
I arrived house at midnight final night time after 5 days in Melbourne doing my debut dwell cooking present on the Good Meals & Wine Present with RecipeTin’s very personal Chef JB Alexandre!! We did a forty five minute present cooking 3 dishes as an illustration of how one can make a big-impact unfold with pace!
WOW what an expertise. Greater than 25,000 folks got here to the Good Meals & Wine Present over 3 days and we have been doing our present on the principle stage, adopted by a e-book signing / meet & greet.
I can truthfully say I’ve by no means been so nervous earlier than in my life! I actually couldn’t speak within the minutes main as much as occurring stage and I believe I went to the bathroom 5 occasions in 20 minutes. 😂
However the minute we went on stage the nerves utterly disappeared. It was like chatting to mates whereas I cooked – I used to be simply lacking a glass of wine. (Or, was I….?? 😈).
JB – what a champ. Not one for public talking and having not achieved something like this earlier than, but he completely nailed it. So proud to have achieved my first dwell cooking present with him by my aspect!
And in reality, JB was doing e-book signings with me all through the entire present. By the tip of the third day, we needed to get him his personal desk as a result of his queue was banked up!!
And in the event you’re questioning about my OTHER sidekick – he was there in spirit. In 2D kind!
Right here’s a bit of house film we made:
What we made for our present – “Cooking up a storm, the RecipeTin Method”: Vietnamese Shaking Beef (cookbook unique), Singapore Chilli Prawns/Shrimp (created particularly for the present!), Coconut Rice and Smashed Cucumber Salad.
Click on right here for present dates in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth!
And at last…why I moved.
In amongst the entire above, I bought my dream house and moved!
Till 3 weeks in the past, I lived in Sydney’s lovely Northern Seashores and have now moved again to the Ryde space of Sydney the place I lived for 10 years. I’m now a lot nearer to the town (50 minutes vs quarter-hour), a lot nearer to considerable (good!) Asian meals, however a lot farther from the seaside.
My former house was objective constructed for my enterprise. It had 3 kitchens: 2 for work and 1 in my non-public dwelling quarters, my dream kitchen purpose-built to my bizarre specs I by no means imagined I’d ever have.
Promoting it and leaving the Northern Seashores space was a tragic and hard choice. So why did I do it?
Right here’s why I left my dream house
I bought my dream house as a result of:
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I have to separate work from life.
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I would like and need to be nearer to my meals financial institution.
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I plan to maneuver my meals financial institution to a (a lot) bigger kitchen within the Ryde space.
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I have to launch capital to construct my meals financial institution and my workplace.
I can’t be trusted with my workplace beneath my lounge….
If I reduce to the chase, the transfer is pushed by my need to maneuver RTM from the present small kitchen we’ve got on the fridge of Sydney CBD to a bigger kitchen, and I need that kitchen to be within the Ryde space. It’s a wonderful location to service the entire of Sydney and for actual property price causes.
It’s additionally a “rip the bandaid off” strategy to attempt to enhance my work-life stability. I’ve been very open about how I’ve been battling dealing with my workload as my enterprise has grown. And the way the cookbook, whereas I have fun in all its successes, was the toughest factor I’ve ever labored on in my life. It didn’t break me, however I rattling nicely labored myself into the bottom to the purpose of being unhealthy.
It’s only a plain proven fact that I’m not the form of one that could be trusted with my workplace beneath my lounge. Too simple to entry and work an excessive amount of!
However, I’ve been faffing round. I didn’t need to go away the northern seashores or my house. I used to be half-heartedly on the lookout for someplace to hire close to Ryde – however not likely.
It took a giant kick up my bum by my enterprise coach to get cracking! So I took the “rip the bandaid-off” strategy and bought my home with out figuring out the place I used to be transferring.
That definitely received me going to discover a new home!!!
So right here we’re on transfer day – feeding folks proper as much as the final minute.
And right here have been are, unpacking within the new place. And – feeding folks, earlier than we’ve unpacked!
Removalist advice (Sydney) – Double J Removals 1800 830 506. Quick. Skilled. Entertaining. Pleasant. Useful.
So what now?
I drastically downsized. I’m at the moment in a rental within the Ryde space with 1 fairly than 3 kitchens (#FirstWorldProblems!). There will likely be an adjustment interval. I would like to determine my new workflow. I really feel greater than ever like I’m dwelling at work as a result of there is no such thing as a separation between my private area and work.
Issues will get a bit of more durable earlier than they get higher, I do know that.
However I’m within the space I should be. Boots on the bottom, as I say, to pound the pavement to discover a new kitchen for RTM. To discover a location for my work-kitchen which will likely be solely for work, and just for work.
And to discover a house that’s work-free. No pictures or video studio!
I’m so excited concerning the yr to return. Constructing a brand new kitchen for RTM – larger area! Higher gear! Donating extra meals!! 🙌🏻
Constructing a purpose-built “house-office” for this distinctive no-other-business-like-it factor we name RecipeTin! A inventive hub the place I can create and experiment with new recipes, the place I can {photograph}, write and movie recipe movies. A spot giant sufficient to host lunches and dinners, a spot I can invite readers to dine with us – hopefully!
And, discovering a house I can escape to on evenings and weekends. Work free.
2023 is THE yr! – Nagi x
Lifetime of Dozer
Closing sundown stroll at Bayview canine park the night earlier than we moved out.
However truthfully, there was zero adjustment interval for Mr Dozer. So long as he will get treats and is with me, he’s as joyful as could be. Canine are the BEST! ❤️
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