Omekase is the Japanese tradition of letting the chef decide. The word it self means "Ï leave it to you", it's a tradition that put the dinning experience in the hands of the person who knows best.
Omekase is exactly what your doing when you buy a set box from Your Food Collective, you'll letting us fill your fridge and set the ground work for your weeks meals with the best seasonal produce from local farms.
At the helm of your set box experience is Fleur, our set box legend. She's passionate about all things local and love's cooking up a storm when she's not elbow deep in family favourites like cucumber and carrots.
What brought you to Newcastle?
My mum and I came here from Melbourne when I was 5. Apart from a brief stint in Cairns and Sydney I've been here ever since - it’s just home. I met and married a Warners Bay local many moons ago which introduced me to beautiful Lake Macquarie. We live in Valentine with our two teenage sons and our pets. I absolutely love it!
What inspires you day to day?
That’s a huge question! I’m impressed with something nearly every day and my attention is always being drawn to different ideas. The world and the people in at are fascinating to me. (That’s probably why I’m pretty addicted to a wide variety of podcasts). Closer to home though, I love that my two boys are completely different and each follow their passions. My husband is my rock and helps me be kinder to myself. My family and friends enrich my life with their individual unique qualities.
Do you have a food philosophy?
While I grew up with healthy food there wasn’t a lot of creativity in the kitchen. (70’s child perhaps?) The biggest change for me was discovering I had an intolerance to wheat and in particular, gluten. What followed was many years of gut healing and listening to my sensitive body. Over that time I left my job as a Registered Nurse, raised the boys and studied Naturopathy. That contributed to my understanding of food, health and healing. We eat pretty well the majority of the time, mainly home cooked meals. That said, I can't go past a good store-bought Laska and Spicy Garlic Squid and I have a sweet tooth! I’ve tried to give the kids a good understanding of mindful eating. I think it’s sinking in.
What do you love about YFC?
I fell into this job after having a break from the workforce and I love it! It’s like a workout routine for me - I pack the set boxes and, it sounds weird, but it’s a very physical task!. I was always a fan of local, fresh, seasonal food but YFC has made me more even conscious of eating that way, especially as I can now see first-hand what’s in season from month to month. I am particularly impressed with the informative producers section on the website too. I love the wonderful people I have met and work with.
What’s your go to in the kitchen at the moment?
I’ve noticed there is a rotation of about 20 meals in our house! We love our Mexican, Indian and pizzas nights. Casseroles, roasts, BBQ, pasta and chicken soup always get a look in. We cook very simply, always heaps of veg and we try to bring variety into our week. Having a husband with first generation German parents means there is a lot of comfort food choices consumed here especially coming into winter.
What are you looking forward to?
No brainer- self isolating to be over! To travel again and be free to see friends and family and have gatherings. To be able to travel the state watching my youngest play basketball and my eldest perform on stage again. It seems like a lifetime ago....
