About
Name: Jock Zonfrillo
Heritage: Scottish-Italian
Position: Chef, author & television presenter
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"Acknowledging culture, asking questions, listening, and being respectful of each other is the baseline we should all be operating at. I have been lucky enough to spend the last couple of decades going into remote places around the world and learning. Food gave me that opportunity and a starting point for conversations around diversity. Now involving my children in that is critically important to me."
How did your interest in food and cooking first take shape?
I would suggest reading my book for the full long-winded version, however, it came from not really being that engaged at school. Back then being a Chef wasn’t a cool career, it was really like getting a trade under your belt. Once I stepped into a kitchen and had a role in the functioning of that team during a service, it felt right. I was a cog in a machine and we all did our part really well and together we were great.
How has Australia's rich cultural diversity impacted the foods you cook?
I am half Scottish and half Italian so I grew up being confused by food and culture as they are so different. Then when I came to Australia I was shocked to not be able to eat Indigenous foods. How could the oldest surviving culture in the world not have a prominent stamp on the food scene? There were a handful of players using it at the time however it wasn’t mainstream, even now over 20 years later it’s still not mainstream. And it deserves to be.
Is there a particular dish that connects you to memories of your family or childhood?
The smell of a strong espresso reminds me of my Nonno, garlic cooking, lots of people in the kitchen, fish and chips from the local chipper, salami being sliced at the deli. Food was always interesting to me, and how it was made was even more intriguing. That passion for food only grows for me.
Why is celebrating cultural diversity important to you?
Acknowledging culture, asking questions, listening, and being respectful of each other is the baseline we should all be operating at. I have been lucky enough to spend the last couple of decades going into remote places around the world and learning, food gave me that opportunity and a starting point for conversations around diversity. Now involving my children in that is critically important to me.
“
"Acknowledging culture, asking questions, listening, and being respectful of each other is the baseline we should all be operating at. I have been lucky enough to spend the last couple of decades going into remote places around the world and learning. Food gave me that opportunity and a starting point for conversations around diversity. Now involving my children in that is critically important to me."
