I am freelance food stylist, recipe writer and chef. I’m based in London and have been for the last 10 years.
There’s two that stand out actually. I worked on a show called “Kill It, Cook it, Eat It” years ago. It involved filming and cooking at an operating abattoir. It was such an eye opening experience, being right there for the animals death and then being handed freshly slaughtered meat to cook. It really changed the way I thought about meat forever. I think you need to see the whole process in order to respect the food you eat.
The other one was my first overseas job – I worked on Ina Garten’s show “Barefoot Contessa” in the Hamptons. It was a brilliant experience to be cooking American style food and shopping at roadside fruit and veggie stalls. The quality of food there was amazing and the produce was just fantastic. I couldn’t get over how big everything is over there. Like 5L tubs of ice cream! I was also lucky enough to visit New York on the weekends. I completely fell in love with NYC and all it has to offer.
My father. He is such a genuine, loyal, loving and generous man. I was pretty naughty as a kid and I think I managed to stay out of trouble mainly due to the fact that I couldn’t bare it if my Dad was ever disappointed in me. He also taught me a lot about cooking at a very young age and always encouraged me in the kitchen. My parents are great. They never wanted my sister or I to have flashy jobs. They just wanted us to be happy in whatever we chose to do. He’s very proud of me and we still love cooking together whenever we catch up.
My second love after food is Cars and Motorbikes! Classic American cars are my favourites and I think I admire cars and motorbikes on a daily basis more than the opposite sex! I love the handling of a car, the way the steering wheel feels, the smell of classic cars leather seats and their unique but beautiful style. I currently drive a Porsche 944 and have an old Honda CMX 250 but I dream of having a massive garage with all my dream cars – when I grow up, that is! An American Buick skylark convertible, a Karmann Ghia, a VG valiant, a Ferrari gto, a 1950′s chevy pick up truck…. oh and the list goes on.
Vivienne Westwood for sure, my best friend works in her Press Office so I’ve been treated to many little Vivienne gifts over the years! I love it.
Yikes! This is a hard one but I would have to say Sydney because it has the best of both worlds when it comes to a destination in Australia. It has the awesome beach culture, great weather and relaxing lifestyle but then it also has a huge city culture, great arts and nightlife and some of the best food in the world. I could never bring myself to live there before I moved to the UK as it seemed too fast paced for me back then but now that I’ve been living in London for 10 years, Sydney is definitely where I want to be when I move back home.
A Cheeseburger Baby!! A proper flame grilled one, with smokey bacon and thick slice of well melted cheddar cheese. It would have to have grilled onions, tomato, lettuce, mayonnaise, American mustard and ketchup on it and it would have to be served with thick cut fries and chipotle mayo…. YUM! All a girl could want…
Teleportation – I liked the way Jeannie did it in “I Dream of Jeanie”. The wiggle of the nose was a cute touch. I feel like a different cuisine for just about every meal I make and this way I could go straight there and get the real thing. It would also make visiting my family and friends back in Oz a breeze!
I was the chef at a Health food cafe in Broadbeach on the Gold Coast called Decadence.
As a lot of my work revolves around food TV, I am astounded at just how popular the world of food has become. I think in the next 10 years people are going to be even more discerning about what they eat and I’m hoping more ethical about their purchases. I’m thinking mezze or small plate restaurants are going to pop up everywhere, Korean food and Mexican food will really shine and I’m also hoping the world of Food TV will start to steer away from the competitive style and be more about actually teaching the regular people at home how to embrace their love of food and cook tasty, healthy meals for their family and friends.
Author: Christine Bridge
