Richard & Kathy

Name: Richard Age: 41 Lives: NSW Signature dish: Barbecue sand whiting with lime aioli and fenneled scallop served with zucchini ribboned laced vegetables

Richard is passionate about food. He grew up in his Italian grandparents’ house, which showed him a methodology of cooking that he still uses today. His family, including his father, mother and brothers loves to cook together as a shared experience and they get together to do this several times a week, principally on the barbecue. Richard has learned that the most important thing with food preparation is the freshness of the ingredients and the ability to keep it simple.

In his career he’s lived in a number of countries and worked in some of the most prestigious restaurants in the world to fulfil his passion for cooking. That, coupled with his experience in childhood gives him unique and passionate cooking skills, which he loves to share with family and friends. “There is no more positive way to display these skills than on a traditional Australian barbecue. In keeping with my family’s traditions, I love sharing my passion for BBQ cooking.”

We are Australia’s best BBQ’ers: “I grew up with my Italian grandparents where a majority of the time was spent preparing food. We had a lot of fun and were very creative in adopting traditional Sicilian recipes to suit BBQ cooking. Barbequing has been around for centuries in the Mediterranean and has been adopted by Australia as a national cuisine. It reflects Australia’s love for the natural environment, wonderful climate and the freshness and abundance of produce. My experience in barbequing descends from age-old Mediterranean concepts which emphasise the freshness of produce and simplicity of cooking methods. In a sense, my passion for barbequing has been hard-wired through my cultural heritage. I respect that knowledge and would love to share it with other people.”

Name: Kathy Age: 48 Lives: NSW Signature dish: Barbecue sand whiting with lime aioli and fenneled scallop served with zucchini ribboned laced vegetables

Kathy loves entertaining and is passionate about cooking on the barbecue for family and friends. She is very confident with colour and presentation which form the basis of her career in styling. Kathy grew up with the knowledge and experience passed on from her mother who lived in the outback in SW Queensland on an isolated, self-sufficient property. All of the food, except for sugar and flour, was produced on the property including fruit and vegetables, preserves, meats, eggs, poultry and fish. The emphasis was on practicality and simplicity with food. Kathy is highly aware of the goodness and nutrition of all fresh foods and how to produce them in a creative manner. She would love to share this with a wider audience.

We are Australia’s best BBQ’ers because: “I am a Food Stylist and have been cooking and styling for BBQ’s Galore for the past five years and have a great love for BBQ food cooking. Accordingly I am extremely experienced in BBQ and food presentation. In addition I am highly passionate about the Australian lifestyle and healthy eating. I believe barbequing is great for the soul.”

For Kathy and Richard, barbequing is an interactive social experience where family and friends get together around the barbecue to share the Australian outdoors, chat, relax and pass on food and cooking knowledge. “The interactive element of barbequing outdoors is what sets it apart from cooking in the kitchen. We believe barbequing is the best cooking method to bring out the wholesome flavours of fresh produce and we use it at every opportunity. We are of the firm belief that anything that can be cooked in the kitchen can be cooked better on the barbecue with the flair, finesse and the fun of the outdoor lifestyle.”