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When you take the effort of cooking for someone, it’s a beautiful way of saying you care, says chef . "It’s saying, ‘When I make something with my hands and pass it to you, it says: I love you.’”
He first felt the care that exists on the table as a young boy on his family farm in rural New Zealand. He is now passing that love onto his children and guests at , his internationally acclaimed .
Farm to table
“My parents were farmers so food was based around what we could grow in the vegetable garden; what we had in the farm, like sheep and cattle; and what we could harvest in the wild, like shellfish from the coast, wild boar and goats and, berries and edible plants,” he says,
While Shewry admits that his parents struggled financially, they never let him, and his sisters feel it.
“We were primary producers of meats like beef, so we always had an endless supply," he says. “In the 1970s, lasagna was a relatively new dish in New Zealand, but that was a favourite food from my childhood. It was a special occasion, go-to dish that mum would make for Christmas and birthdays.”
Aside from his mum’s special lasagne, what Shewry remembers most from his childhood were the potluck dinners they had with neighbours.
A youthful snapshot of Ben Shewry. Source: Ben Shewry
“In the 1980s, it was a New Zealand thing to do to have potluck dinners. I guess it made it easier on families with busy lives and young children, plus it was great fun. You never really knew what was going to be on the table.
“For me, those potluck dinners were really kind of formative. They helped build my passion for different kinds of food and sharing food with others.”
His aunty's chicken and pineapple casserole, which seemed exotic at the time, was one memorable example from this era – as was boiled spaghetti cooked from a crusty billy can at his uncle's folk festival.
Home cooks
Sharing food and conversations continue to run strong in the Shewry household in Melbourne.
“With my kids and fiancé , Attica's general manager, we always sit down together as a family," he says.
“We cook different foods and we talk about the cultural context of the dishes," he says. A Mexican dinner, for instance, sparked memories of him trying tacos dorados in San Francisco's Mission District, where a soft tortilla was wrapped with a crisp taco.
"And then that leads to other conversations about bigger issues in life.”
Shewry not only enjoys the company of his kids at the dining room table, but also in the kitchen.
“My two youngest kids, Ella and Ruby, in particular, love cooking. Ruby, who’s now 13, is just eager to cook at every opportunity. My eldest, Kobe, he also has a couple of recipes under his belt."
Ella is actually making his wedding cake later this year.
We cook different foods and we talk about the cultural context of the dishes. And then that leads to other conversations about bigger issues in life.
“So yeah, that's the routine…everybody kind of shares the responsibility in the kitchen, but not in a laborious way. It’s always fun. We’ll put the music on and I try not to make the kids do the traditional kind of shitty jobs like peeling. I’ll do that and let them do the fancier things like grilling the meat.”
Special guests
Shewry enjoys moments with his children not only at home, but in his restaurant, Attica.
Here, his kids will try everything, even things they don't usually like. Ruby isn't the biggest seafood fan, but she appreciated the restaurant's abalone dish. And Attica's version of a cake was a big highlight for her.
"My kids grew up around the restaurant environment, so they have that intimacy with it; but I try to individually bring them to Attica as a guest. We make a booking, plan out our day and what we’re going to wear. It’s a highlight of my life.
“They’ll get to see the grace and dignity of our wait staff, the energy in the kitchen, and the effort that they put into the food. They’ll see that it’s more than an exchange of money. That it’s about showing care. It’s priceless as a parent to watch your child experience your life’s work.”
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Cooking for kids
Coconut snow cookies
