Ep.379: Meet the Indigenous chef stirring change in Australia's native food industry

SBS Australia

24-07-2025

DOWNLOAD the script in Italian and English side by side. English Standing at a small outdoor grill in Brisbane, Koori chef Chris Jordan is showing a group of trainees how to smoke sea mullet. It's all part of his broader purpose. "Really important to pass down this knowledge to a younger generation, especially working in the food industry as there isn't much of a representation of First Nations chefs using First Nations food.' Watching on, 19-year-old apprentice Kaylee Rose Tsoumbris Davies 'It makes me feel connected. It is just a really nice feeling to get to know something that I didn't know my whole life growing up, that was a big struggle for me.' For Chris, passing on knowledge is very personal. Growing up in Northern NSW, he learned little about his Aboriginal heritage or his connections to Kamilaroi country. 'Speaking to my grandmother, they were told if anyone asks 'tell someone that you're Italian'. And there was a lot of shame in the family. It is amazing in my lifetime to see that shift and my family, my extended family, um be proud of who they are.' Family means a lot to Chris, who named his catering business in memory of his father Joseph, a refugee from former-Yugoslavia, who died when he was a baby. 'I don't have any memories of him at all. And that's part of the reason why I named my business Three Little Birds was his favourite song by Bob Marley as a message of positivity in our family.' After a stint in London, Chris returned to Australia in 2017, determined to learn about his heritage. And he found an Aboriginal mentor who changed his life forever. 'The biggest part for me getting sober was meeting Auntie Dale. She has been in the bush food industry for 35 years now. She's an amazing chef, an amazing educator.' Born at Dirranbandi in south-west Queensland Aunty Dale Chapman is well known for cooking with native foods. She is pleased to have supported Chris's progress. 'I'm extremely proud! He's taken Australian native ingredients to another level, and being able to share it with the young people is so important because they are ultimately our future.' For Chris, securing the future also means sourcing sustainable bush foods and supporting Indigenous growers. Australia's bush food industry is valued at more than 80 million dollars annually, according to Sydney University research. Yet few of the profits go back to Indigenous growers. 'Less than 3% of the Bush food industry is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned, and I think that really needs to shift. Making sure that the money goes back to community and we've collaborated with a lot of different restaurants and cafes.' One supplier is the Food Connect Shed in Brisbane -a community-owned hub focusing on sustainable food systems. Its CEO is Robert Pekin. 'It's owned by 540 odd people. Most of them are locals. One of our big long-term objectives is we need to get First Nations food into our diets in a mainstream way.' Teaching respect for native ingredients and their traditional uses is also a growing focus at universities across the country. Dr Frances Wyld teaches Aboriginal Studies at the University of South Australia. 'They are the foods that have sustained Aboriginal people for 60,000 years. They also require less care, such as more water, more pesticides, because they belong here, they grow here.' It's information that Chris shares in school classrooms and at cooking workshops in juvenile detention. He also supports young people who've had contact with the justice system. 'A huge percentage of our First Nations youth are incarcerated. It's really important to have that connection to culture and have the opportunity for employment. For me personally, leaving home at a young age and going down a path where I ended up having to get sober and really clean my life up, introducing native ingredients really helped me. Yeah it's really, really powerful.' Whether showcasing bush foods to the public or teaching young trainees, for Chris it's about inspiring change beyond the plate. 'So, passing it down through food and sharing my experience and how it saved my life, I think it's a really strong message.' Italian Davanti a una piccola griglia all'aperto a Brisbane, lo chef Koori Chris Jordan mostra a un gruppo di tirocinanti come affumicare le triglie. Tutto ciò fa parte di un progetto più ampio. "[It's] really important to pass down this knowledge to a younger generation, especially working in the food industry as there isn't much of a representation of First Nations chefs using First Nations food.' A osservare c'è la diciannovenne apprendista Kaylee Rose Tsoumbris Davies: "It makes me feel connected. It is just a really nice feeling to get to know something that I didn't know my whole life growing up; that was a big struggle for me.' Per Chris, trasmettere la sua conoscenza è molto importante. Crescendo nel Nord del New South Wales, ha appreso poco della sua eredità aborigena o dei suoi legami con il suo country Kamilaroi. 'Speaking to my grandmother, [she said] they were told: 'If anyone asks tell them that you're Italian'. And there was a lot of shame in the family. It is amazing in my lifetime to see that shift and my family, my extended family, be proud of who they are.' La famiglia è molto importante per Chris, che ha chiamato la sua attività di catering in memoria del padre Joseph, un rifugiato dalla ex-Jugoslavia, morto quando lui era un bambino. 'I don't have any memories of him at all. And that's part of the reason why I named my business [how I did]. Three Little Birds was his favourite song by Bob Marley as a message of positivity in our family.' Dopo un periodo a Londra, Chris è tornato in Australia nel 2017, e ha deciso a scoprire le sue origini. E ha trovato un mentore aborigeno che ha cambiato la sua vita per sempre. 'The biggest part for me getting sober was meeting Auntie Dale. She has been in the bush food industry for 35 years now. She's an amazing chef, an amazing educator.' Nata a Dirranbandi nel Queensland sud-occidentale, Aunty Dale Chapman è nota per la sua cucina a base di cibi nativi. È lieta di aver sostenuto i progressi di Chris. 'I'm extremely proud! He's taken Australian native ingredients to another level, and being able to share it with the young people is so important because they are ultimately our future.' Per Chris, garantire il futuro significa avere accesso a bush tucker sostenibili e sostenere i coltivatori indigeni. Secondo una ricerca dell'Università di Sydney, l'industria australiana del bush food ha un valore di oltre 80 milioni di dollari all'anno. Tuttavia, pochi dei profitti tornano ai coltivatori indigeni. 'Less than 3% of the Bush food industry is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned, and I think that really needs to shift. Making sure that the money goes back to community and we've collaborated with a lot of different restaurants and cafes.' Un fornitore di bush tucker è il Food Connect Shed di Brisbane, un centro di proprietà della comunità, che si occupa di sistemi alimentari sostenibili. Il suo amministratore delegato è Robert Pekin. 'It's owned by 540 odd people. Most of them are locals. One of our big long-term objectives is that we need to get First Nations food into our diets in a mainstream way.' Anche l'insegnamento del rispetto per gli ingredienti autoctoni e i loro usi tradizionali è sempre più un obiettivo nelle università di tutto il Paese. La dottoressa Frances Wyld insegna Studi aborigeni all'Università del South Australia. 'They are the foods that have sustained Aboriginal people for 60,000 years. They also require less care, such as more water, more pesticides, because they belong here, they grow here.' Sono informazioni che Chris condivide nelle aule scolastiche e nei laboratori di cucina nelle carceri minorili. Il giovane chef offre supporto anche ai giovani che hanno avuto problemi con la giustizia. 'A huge percentage of our First Nations youth are incarcerated. It's really important to have that connection to culture and have the opportunity for employment. For me personally, leaving home at a young age and going down a path where I ended up having to get sober and really clean my life up, introducing native ingredients really helped me. Yeah it's really, really powerful.' Che si tratti di mostrare al pubblico i bush tuckers o di insegnare ai giovani apprendisti, per Chris l'obiettivo finale è portare cambiamento al di là del piatto. 'So, passing it down through food and sharing my experience and how it saved my life, I think it's a really strong message.' Report by SBS News Listen to SBS Italian every day from 8 am to 10 am. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.