27/02/2018 |

Vickie Liu

Her beautifully curated Instagram is filled with eye catching and colourful baked creations. Globally loved, Melbourne based, home baker and content creator, Vickie Liu shares how food provides a wonderful platform for storytelling and the ways food can bring people of all backgrounds together.

 

You have a background in architecture and interior design. How did you get into baking and what made you decide to pursue it as a full time career?
By second year of university, I knew I wasn’t passionate about architecture and didn’t want to pursue it full time. I furthered my studies in interior design thinking I may enjoy it more, and to be honest, I didn’t have much of a career plan otherwise. In my last year of studies, I began baking as a creative outlet, and started sharing my work on Instagram. It basically took off from there, and I haven’t looked back since!

 

Through your work, you have been able to tell so many stories through food, such as travel. What is it about food that provides a wonderful platform for storytelling?
Food is very relatable, which gives it the ability to bring people together. I’ve basically just used food as a medium to create (edible) art, and throw in bits and pieces of my personality. Similar to me, I think many people use food as a way to express themselves. Food is also powerful in the sense that it can conjure up memories and feelings from the past. It could be a special meal you had from your favourite holiday, or a childhood dish your grandma always made that you hold close to your heart.

 

 

Do you have a favourite dish that embodies your upbringing? What foods remind you most of your childhood?
I was brought up in an Asian household, and the majority of the food I grew up with was either Taiwanese or Chinese. As a child, dumplings were my favourite, but what I enjoyed most was actually watching my mum make them from scratch. Since then, I was taught that food was about bringing friends and family together, whether it was a nightly family dinner, or a Chinese New Year Celebration with relatives once a year.

 

Your work has enabled you to travel the world and collaborate with many high profile organisations such as Dreamworks, Fanta and Olympus. What do you think it is about your work that attracts so many people?

 

I aim to create content that is colourful, cheerful, cute and a little quirky. I think people are drawn to that type of imagery, as it might make them smile, bring some positivity into their day, or inspire them to be creative in their own way. I love the process behind each image and what I do, so that may reflect on my work as well!

 

It’s also edible, so that definitely helps; because who doesn’t love food?
 

You were nominated in the 2017 Shorty Awards for ‘Instagrammer of the Year’. Congratulations! What makes Instagram such an influential platform?
Thank you! Instagram is so accessible, and it only takes a few seconds for someone to be able to interact with your work (at the very least). You can share as little or as much as you want about yourself or your work, and people seem to respect that. It also has an incredibly supportive community where there isn’t much negativity, which is what I love about it. Instagram has the power to bring together like-minded individuals, and has personally connected me with creatives from all over the world!
 

A Taste of Harmony is now in its 10th year. Do you have observations of changes in Australia, and Australian food culture, over these past 10 years?
I think Australia (and the food culture here) has definitely become a lot more multicultural, and there are always events, festivals or markets, that celebrate diversity. People are therefore more open to learning about new cultures, and experiencing elements of those cultures within our country.

 

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