My French Food ... ooh la la!

Can you give us a little bit of the story behind My French Food and how it came to be a part of your world

I could call it a long story but I'll try to make it short.  I have lived in Australia since 2011 and have met many wonderful people and a culture that I love.  But I have been missing a few things since that day: my old mates, my family and a lot of French delicacies such as wine, cheese, baguette and of course saucisson. 

A few months ago I came across Jean-Marc (aka "Mr Saucisson") who was looking for someone to help with his market stalls.  After a short conversation it became obvious that I'd better create my own business stocking his saucisson and other produce...and that is how I came to be part of Frenchs Forest Market!

And here's a little bit about me which will make it easier to understand the logic behind why I ended up with such a market stall.

I was born in Arles in the South of France, at the heart of Camargue, 50 years ago.  I lived in Port Saint Louis du Rhone, the last village on the bank where the Rhone river flows into the Mediterranean Sea.  From the age of 4, I went fishing with my great-uncle 6:00 am in his little rowboat.  We would go down the Rhone River and come back for lunch with mullets still wriggling.  A little flour and a frying pan, some tomatoes Provencale and a good baguette et voila!  I think I fell into an olive oil barrel when I was a baby!!

I spent my childhood with my mother and my aunt in the kitchen... "But will you go and play with your mates,” she would say.  "No Mum, I want to see how you prepare these steaks with anchovy sauce, it's so good"!  It took some time before my mother let me touch her cooking implements, but from the age of 10 I already knew well how to choose ripe tomatoes and zucchini flowers on the market. 

We lived in front of the butcher.  Wednesday there was no school, luckily, as it was the day when the truck delivered the lamb and cattle.  I was allowed to go into the cold room and watch the butcher cut meat and would spend hours in his shop, fascinated by the way he sharpened his knives... I know by heart the gestures to de-bone a lamb shoulder, cut a rabbit or a chop steak with two knives to make a fresh tartare.  What memories!

Around the age of 12 I went to hunt ducks with all the men of the family, I went fishing for rock fish, crabs and mussels. I knew the recipe for the perfect bouillabaisse and the various fish you put into it.  By the time I was 15, I was cooking with my mother all much loved Mediterranean dishes.  We had family everywhere in France, and I spent my holidays in the Bordeaux region, Normandy & Brittany farms.  Again, while the other children were running in the fields, I spent my time in the kitchen. When I finally turned 18, I had my first car and my first job and I worked on the ports. I spent my weekends and my holidays touring France to find good food from the country.  I think I could have been a chef, butcher or fisherman.

Where do you source your Saucissons and Viande des Grisons and is there a noticeable difference in taste and method between regions 

My Saucissons and Viande des Grisons are from La Bastide, Jean Marc's company.  They are made in Australia with high grade meat with the Saucissons being made from Berkshire pig meat sourced in Byron Bay.  When I first tried these Saucissons, I was delightfully surprised to find such a beautiful taste.  Jean Marc puts a lot of efforts into sourcing his produce: his expertise and passion are the reasons for this success. 

In France, you would find many different tastes of Saucisson, different shapes, thin or thick depending on how dry you like it.  You would also find Saucisson with hazelnut, walnut, Beaufort cheese. These are regional specialties. 

But the Saucisson you will find at My French Food is made according to the traditional French recipe, with peppercorn. The only noticeable difference with France is the amount of fat which is around 20% in our Saucissons whereas in France it would be close to 35%. 

How have you found market life so far 

Market life is very interesting.  When I was in France I used to hold a market stall with jewels and semi-precious stones at night markets during the summer and I already liked it. 

Being a French in Australia makes it even more interesting.  It appears that Australian people really like France and French things and I come across very nice people with whom I have chats not only about food, but also French culture, travelling to France etc. I give them tips and advice or recipes.  I think I am lucky that I’ve found my ideal activity in Australia…

From your perspective, what is it about markets like Frenchs Forest that keeps it real for you

What I like at Frenchs Forest is that even after my first few Sundays I now have regular customers which then tells me they not only enjoy my stall but the produce as well. 

Some of them simply stop by to say “Well, I still have a bit of Saucisson left at home, but for sure next week I’ll buy more of it, will you be here?”.  It’s incredibly rewarding to see how in such a short amount of time I am part of this great community.

How would you sum up the world of My French Food in 5 words

It’s not fair to ask a French only 5 words… Let my try though… “It is all about passion”

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So if you want to be transported to France albeit by taste-sensation, get up to Frenchs Forest Market, find JP and sample some this amazing Saucissons, Viande des Grisons and some other exquisite produce!

 

Eat Me Chutneys

What's the story behind the delicious Eat Me Chutneys

Eat Me Chutneys is a mother (Jaya The Amazing Chutney Queen) and son (Ankit The Annoying French Trained Chef) team.

Jaya: enjoying meals with family and friends, sitting around the table, discussing food and exchanging recipes has been followed through generations in our family - jazzing up the meal with chutneys and pickles just made the whole environment is so exciting - the sounds of Ooh, Ahh, Yumm! just used to fill the air.

Ankit: so one night we suggested that Mum should share her phenomenal recipes with the Sydney community and start at a farmers market and I could throw my French training to it. And so the socially good jars were born embodied by the thought of doing well for the community, supporting local farmers and of course sharing some lip smacking chutneys and pickles along the way.

Jaya:  preservation has been the essence of lour life - grandmothers used to plan, all the kids helped in cleaning and preparing vegetables, mums and aunties helping in sterilising and the cooking process.  Grandmas keeping a close eye - no one was allowed to touch their hair or face or scratch their noses.  It was a very clean process.  

These were the pleasures of living in an extended family: we ate together, played together, cleaned together, preserved together and laughed together.  Preservation is the key to bringing families and communities together.  It brings out the sharing, caring and social abilities in people.  This is what I saw growing up in my extended family.

Ankit: ah the name....well whenever I open the fridge and see a jar of tamarind chutney, the jar literally stares back at me and yells out "don't just stare at me...Eat Me".

Your range is incredibly with literally one to suit every taste (and even the non-chutney'ers now being converts!) with the most amazing achievement being the first Certified Fair Trade Chutneys to be had in Australia & New Zealand.  Having this mantle must not only be incredibly satisfying but the ultimate positive reinforcement that you have a good product!  How did this come about

Jaya: the story continues....we were born out of the that we want to be socially good jars first and business second.  As children living in an extended family we saw our parents and grandparents supporting our less fortunate relatives and paying fees for children in our neighbourhood.  We grew up with very strong morals, empathy and giving and helping others was instilled in us right from a very young age and so couldn't view the world any differently.

Ankit: using Fair Trade ingredients just seemed right as we support and communicate directly with the farmers/cooperatives.  Our chutneys are the first and only Fair Trade certified chutneys across Australia and New Zealand.

Jaya: understanding the ethos and workings of Fair Trade, understanding the Fair Trade supply chain, the right suppliers, ensuring a proper audit mechanism is in place, made the process challenging but the Fair Trade team were ever so helpful. However, knowing our decision would eventually help a farmer across the world made it all the more rewarding.  Sure, the costs go up, but the joy of supporting someone out there, who really deserves it, is extremely satisfying.

The Fair Trade logo will shine on our jars very soon!

Your start at Frenchs Forest Market was spectacular and seems to be going from strength to strength.  What is is about market life that keeps it tangible for you

Jaya: preservation and living in tribes evokes deep rooted, almost primeval feelings of self-sufficiency and survival, of gatherer and hunter, of community and societal bond, for this is how our ancestors stayed alive.

I've only ever taught primary school children all my life.  The thought of running a business was daunting enough but being in the public eye was just a crazy thought at first.  But right from our very first market, the amazing feeling of family has made us feel so welcome.

We've made great friends with our customers and other stallies with whom we barter our jars for food.  The great feedback from people at Frenchs Forest has given us such an incentive that now our profile includes a range of unique pickles and chutneys.  

And we will soon be introducing two Christmas chutneys!!! YAY!!!

Do you have a personal favourite amongst your chutneys and why

Jaya:  oh gosh...where do I start!  My personal favourite is the tamarind and fig as it brings back the happy old memories of fun times, eating together as a big family. Move aside honey soy chicken wings and welcome tamarind chicken wings - perfect for a quick BBQ meal to feed 3 boys in the family.  

And to look at (of course it tastes amazing too..especially with a bowl of vanilla ice cream) is rhubarb and ginger.

Its amazing rich colour just brightens my day and is a mighty fine and funky addition to toasted granola, yoghurt and fresh fruit.  But my new favourite could just become the Christmas chutney....it's coming sooon!

Ankit: my absolute personal favourite is eggplant pickle - works a treat on anything. No lunch in the fridge?  No worries!  I just boil some rice and mix in the eggplant pickle.  Done!  Bread, ham slices, eggplant pickle and happy me!

As a stallie, what is it about markets like Frenchs Forest, that form an important part of the local foodie community

Jaya: the farmers market is just a fantastic concept.  It's like running a big social enterprise where everyone involved is benefiting from it.  The farmers are able to get the right price for their hard work and the consumers are happy to get organic and other fresh produce.  There is a lot of honest and good sharing of information by the stallies on how they source their ingredients, where their farms are, their secret recipes, but above all a lot of appreciation and respect for what each one is doing.

Ankit: and Mum has made very good friends with Peter & Stephanie, a lovely couple who live down the road from the markets.  They enjoy pickling too and are always giving us samples of their experiments, advising us on different flavour combinations and sharing their recipes.

Jaya:  there is so much to learn at these markets, especially different ranges of foods which may not be generally available outside (a market environment).  You can hear a lot of talk about healthy eating, cooking ideas, recycling, food wastage - so much to learn.

It's very encouraging to see more and more people becoming part of the foodie community at the markets.

Go Team Markets!

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Insightful and enlightening and with interviews like this, we love learning just that little bit more about our stallies.

Massive thank you to Jaya & Ankit for letting us share just a little bit of their chutney world and if you're a fan as we are, we are SO looking forward to seeing these mysterious Christmas chutneys!

Belinda and Olive Tree Providores

What initially drew you in to the world that is now known as Olive Tree Providores

I decided my passion for food and healthy lifestyle could also be a business that supported local farmers.

Olive oil also has amazing health benefits and Australia produces some of the world's best, so Olive Oil Providores was born out of a love of local food and a boredom with the conventional corporate business principles.

Why markets?

Because they are the best place to meet our customers and build a relationship with them.  I also detest the major supermarket manipulation of local farmers and growers, so I was keen to support an alternate place for growers to sell and market their produce.

Obviously market shoppers attend for varying reasons including promoting the Buy Australian mantra.  What other ways do you think this message can be given either overtly or by other means

We should encourage our friends and family to shop from sustainable and environmentally sound sources.  Big corporate supermarkets are none of those.  We simply have to encourage everyone we (personally) know to shop locally for fresh healthy food and by doing that we automatically help farmers build and maintain a sustainable business.

The more we enthuse the principle, the more it will happen and the more we protect our environment.

Do you have any new additions on the horizon that we can look forward to

Yes, we are about to launch a whole new range which we are very excited about which should be ready by Christmas.  The new range takes the "shop local" to an  entirely new level......so stay tuned!!!!

it ain't new but it's so yummy we simply could not NOT include it

What 5 words would you use to encourage conversion to not only organic but more importantly to buy Australian

Future proofing a sustainable future for all  (a little more than 5 words) plus it's a fantastic place to meet really friendly people!

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And on that note we thank Belinda, not only for having an amazing range of oils, soaps and dukka each week at market, but more importantly her determination to encourage everyone (and by that we mean everyone!) to shop and buy local