About Us - AussieCuisine

Our Story

AussieCuisine began in 2016 when three friends—a food historian, a chef, and a nutritional anthropologist—met at a Sydney food festival and discovered their shared passion for Australia's underappreciated culinary heritage. Over a long dinner featuring both classic and innovative Australian dishes, they realized that while Australia's food scene was flourishing, there was limited documentation of the country's evolving food identity.

What started as casual weekend research trips across New South Wales soon evolved into a formal research project. The team secured initial funding from the Australian Culinary Foundation in 2018, allowing them to expand their research nationwide. By 2020, AussieCuisine had grown into a respected culinary research organization with a network of contributors spanning every state and territory.

Today, AussieCuisine has become the authoritative voice on Australian national dishes, blending rigorous research methodology with accessible content that appeals to both culinary professionals and everyday food enthusiasts. Our work has been featured in major food publications and we regularly consult with restaurants, food producers, and tourism organizations seeking to authentically represent Australian cuisine.

The founding team at our first food symposium

Our Mission & Values

Our Mission

To document, preserve, and celebrate Australia's evolving culinary identity, highlighting both historical traditions and contemporary innovations that define Australian cuisine.

Our Values

Cultural Respect

We acknowledge the deep food knowledge of First Nations peoples as the foundation of authentic Australian cuisine and ensure Indigenous perspectives are centered in our research.
Research Integrity

We commit to rigorous, evidence-based methodology that combines historical research, field interviews, and sensory analysis to create authoritative culinary resources.
Inclusive Representation

We recognize that Australian cuisine is continuously shaped by diverse cultural influences and seek to represent this multicultural tapestry in our work.
Accessibility

We believe food knowledge should be accessible to all and strive to present our findings in engaging, approachable formats for audiences from casual food lovers to professional chefs.

Meet Our Team

The passionate culinary experts behind AussieCuisine

Dr. Eleanor Wilson

Culinary Historian & Founder

With a PhD in Australian Cultural History from the University of Melbourne, Eleanor brings 20 years of academic research experience to AussieCuisine. Her work on colonial-era cookbooks and the evolution of Australian home cooking has been published internationally. Eleanor leads our historical research and archival documentation efforts.

Chef Jarrod Saunders

Culinary Director & Co-founder

A third-generation chef with Indigenous heritage, Jarrod trained in classical French techniques before dedicating his career to revitalizing native Australian ingredients. Previously head chef at renowned Sydney restaurant Eucalypt, Jarrod oversees our recipe development, testing, and sensory analysis, ensuring our research translates into practical culinary applications.

Dr. Mei-Lin Chen

Nutritional Anthropologist & Co-founder

Specializing in the intersection of food, culture, and health, Mei-Lin brings expertise in how migration patterns have shaped Australian eating habits. Her research on the nutritional composition of traditional bush foods has informed several health initiatives. Mei-Lin leads our field research and community engagement programs across Australia.

Thomas O'Donnell

Digital Content Director

A former food journalist with a background in digital media, Thomas joined AussieCuisine in 2019 to lead our content strategy. With an eye for compelling storytelling and expertise in food photography, he transforms our research into engaging multimedia content that has significantly expanded our audience reach across various platforms.

Our Achievements

Key milestones in our journey to document Australia's culinary heritage

National Culinary Research Award

Received the prestigious Australian Food Studies Excellence Award in 2021 for our comprehensive documentation of regional food traditions across all states and territories.

Indigenous Food Knowledge Partnership

Established Australia's first collaborative research program between culinary historians and Indigenous knowledge keepers, resulting in the preservation of over 200 traditional food preparation techniques.

Media Recognition

Featured in major publications including Gourmet Traveller, SBS Food, and The Guardian for our groundbreaking research on the evolution of iconic Australian dishes.

Educational Impact

Our curriculum on Australian food history has been adopted by 12 culinary schools nationwide, ensuring the next generation of chefs understands the depth of our national cuisine.

Research Reach

Conducted over 500 interviews with food producers, chefs, and home cooks across Australia, creating the country's largest oral history archive dedicated to culinary traditions.

What People Say About Us

AussieCuisine's research has transformed how we approach our menu development. Their deep understanding of both historical context and contemporary tastes has helped us create dishes that honor tradition while exciting modern diners. They've become an invaluable resource for our entire culinary team.

Sarah Greenwood

Executive Chef, Saltbush Restaurant, Melbourne

As an Indigenous food producer, I've worked with many researchers over the years, but AussieCuisine stands apart in their respectful approach and genuine commitment to proper attribution. They don't just document our traditional foods—they understand the cultural significance behind them and communicate that context with integrity.

Uncle Ray Nadjamerrek

Founder, Kakadu Native Foods Collective

The depth of AussieCuisine's research is extraordinary. As someone who has written about food for over two decades, I'm consistently impressed by their ability to uncover forgotten recipes and techniques while placing them in a meaningful contemporary context. Their work fills a crucial gap in Australia's culinary documentation.