Zero-kilometre food, from the garden and sea to the table
My interest in gardening and farming comes straight from cooking. Between Italy and Australia, my family and I grow, raise and make a lot of what we eat. When I’m not in the garden, I’m usually on the rocks with a fishing rod, so plenty of the fish we eat is caught, cleaned and cooked by me.
Chilometro zero
Food that never sees a supermarket
In Italy they call it chilometro zero: food that travels from the field to the table and nowhere else. That’s how I like to cook. Whether I’m in Italy or Australia, I grow a variety of fruit and vegetables and keep small-scale livestock, so a lot of what ends up on the plate started a few metres away.
Maltese ġbejniet
I even make my own cheese, Maltese-style ġbejniet, the small round cheeses that are a staple of Maltese kitchens.
A passion from a young age
My love of genuine food and Italian culture started when I was young, along with a fascination with ancient Egyptian history and cultures around the world.
Grown, then cooked
Growing food and cooking it go together for me. Good food starts with genuine ingredients, whether it’s a pizza in Naples or dinner at home.
Food, pizza and Italian MadeWhat we grow, raise and make
From olive oil to salumi
Together with my wife’s family, we make our own olive oil, wine, bread, jams, cordials and preserved vegetables, prepare our own tuna and anchovies, and turn the summer tomatoes into passata, pelati, sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste. All types of salumi and pickles come out of the same kitchen.
Raised for meat and eggs
We raise rabbits, chickens, guinea fowl, goats, pheasants, ducks and pigs for meat and eggs, alongside the tomatoes, fruit and vegetables in the garden.
Fishing
Rocks, a rod and an early start
Fishing is the same idea as the garden: food you catch yourself, close to home, and eaten fresh. Put me on a rock platform with a rod and I’m happy for hours, and the best catches end up on the table that night.
