The Issues We Do… | RecipeTin Eats

Welcome to the second version of a brand new collection known as The Issues We Do, the place I share tales of what my staff and I stand up to outdoors the kitchen! Crew offsites, debut stay cooking present, a brand new starter at RecipeTin Meals, a particular reader dinner….and MOVING.

Life has been full!

We don’t simply cook dinner anymore!

9 years in the past, I began this little web site with simply Dozer, as my right-hand man, sharing recipes I created in my single-bench Ikea kitchen.

At present, RecipeTin is a staff of 10, together with a “critical” Chef who works alongside me day-after-day (JB!). I’ve a foodbank, RecipeTin Meals, the place we make over 100,000 selfmade meals yearly which we donate to the much less lucky. I made a cookbook. And it appears today, I’m a weekly columnist for a meals publication and we additionally do meals present occasions. 😳

So I assumed it may be good to share some behind the scenes of what my staff and I stand up to outdoors the kitchen. Right here’s some issues we’ve finished because the final version of The Issues We Do!

We had a staff off-site

With the quick tempo of the enterprise and number of new issues we’ve been doing over the previous yr (ebook excursions! occasions! charity!), I felt it was essential to carry my complete staff collectively and do a presentation on objectives and imaginative and prescient for RecipeTin, and the essential half they might play in it.

It was a uncommon event to carry each the RTE and RTM aspect of my enterprise collectively for greater than only a staff lunch. So to benefit from it, I held the convention within the Hunter Valley, a wine area 2 hours drive from Sydney.

This was a convention, the RecipeTin Manner! We tried the official group picture. Simply….awkward….

That is extra prefer it!

As a lot enjoyable because the staff bonding / play half was, the presentation half was critical. It took me many hours to place it collectively and it was value each minute. We left the convention a stronger staff than ever.

However on the subject of the enjoyable – right here’s a bit house film of the RecipeTin Convention 2023!

We did a photoshoot at RTM

I employed a skilled photographer to do a photoshoot at RTM to seize “official” images for the RTM web site that we’re constructing. We bought some nice pictures – even half respectable ones of me!

However then Barl, our Fijian care-bear, resigned to pursue one other profession, so we’ve to do it another time. The boys are going to be thrilled after they learn that! 😂

There was one other picture shoot

Oh sure, and in the course of the RTM shoot, I needed to duck out to get a photograph taken for a information article saying that I’m touring Australia with the Good Meals & Wine Present! It was a wierd day. Extra on the present under….

Then the Higher Properties & Gardens TV crew took over my home!

The Higher Properties & Gardens TV present got here to my home! They spent a day filming a “day within the lifetime of” in my house then visited RTM the subsequent day to do filming there as properly. It was surreal!! You possibly can watch the episode right here. I’m originally, center and finish.

Additionally – everybody in my staff is now formally in love with Johanna Griggs, the host. She’s as good as she comes throughout on TV and ten occasions extra hilarious!!

There was extra TV…..

Then…2 days after that, we (Chef JB and I) had been again in a TV studio doing a stay phase to announce our new weekly recipe column in Good Meals Australia. Right here we’re on the Channel 9 At present Present. I can’t even bear in mind what we made that day!!!

Simply on that weekly column….

So, on the subject of my weekly Good Meals column! It’s known as “SOS” and can function a recipe that may feed 4 folks for lower than $20, or could be made in lower than half-hour with fewer than 12 elements. 

These recipes are unique to Good Meals and within the Good Meals elevate out in Tuesday’s Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne’s The Age newspapers. So that they received’t be on my web site – ever (sadly).

My hope is that it’ll encourage extra folks to ditch overpriced heat-and-eat model dinners, lower your expenses, and eat extra scrumptious meals! Right here’s a preview of a number of the recipes I’ve shared:

Oh and look! They even put me on the duvet of the Sydney Morning Herald on the day they made the announcement. It was a BIG DEAL!!! (Please Dozer, might you present some assist).

Then there was that fancy dinner!

In the event you advised me 12 months in the past {that a} hatted restaurant in Sydney would create a one-night-only menu impressed by recipes from my cookbook, I in all probability would’ve snorted then choked on my espresso (being the elegant lass that I’m).

However it did occur, and we even made a bit house film about it so you possibly can see that I truly wore a frock. This was for an unique Good Meals subscriber dinner to rejoice the launch of the new-look Good Meals!

And right here’s JB and I with the extremely proficient govt Chef at The Gantry, Rhys Connell – the posed shot and the collaborating shot!

Oh, there was additionally the little matter that I used to be sitting subsequent to a number of the strongest and influential media and meals journalists in Australia. Rattling, I want I knew the big-big boss was going to be there, I’d’ve brushed up on my present affairs. 😭

Cookbook launch within the UK and US!

My cookbook was launched abroad within the US, UK, Canada and Eire!! By no means imagined in 1,000,000 years that such a factor would occur. Any person pinch me!!

Launching the ebook within the US was enjoyable, with a 1 hour stay stream hosted by Premiere Collectibles who promote autographed books. It was imagined to be a stay stream for me to signal books – so folks might see they had been genuine signatures – however I bought quite sidetracked answering questions and taking viewers on a tour of my home and forgot to signal them on digital camera. Oops!

The stay stream was recorded so you possibly can watch it right here.

Thanks once more to all of the readers abroad who despatched by way of images of my ebook abroad!! Liked seeing them in bookstores on the opposite aspect of the world.

Oh, there was additionally that little matter of my cookbook making the New York Instances finest vendor record. Spoiler: there have been tears.

Debut stay cook dinner present in Melbourne!

I arrived house at midnight final night time after 5 days in Melbourne doing my debut stay cooking present on the Good Meals & Wine Present with RecipeTin’s very personal Chef JB Alexandre!! We did a forty five minute present cooking 3 dishes as an indication of how one can make a big-impact unfold with pace!

WOW what an expertise. Greater than 25,000 folks got here to the Good Meals & Wine Present over 3 days and we had been doing our present on the principle stage, adopted by a ebook signing / meet & greet.

I can actually say I’ve by no means been so nervous earlier than in my life! I actually couldn’t speak within the minutes main as much as happening stage and I feel I went to the bathroom 5 occasions in 20 minutes. 😂

However the minute we went on stage the nerves utterly disappeared. It was like chatting to pals whereas I cooked – I used to be simply lacking a glass of wine. (Or, was I….?? 😈).

JB – what a champ. Not one for public talking and having not finished something like this earlier than, but he completely nailed it. So proud to have finished my first stay cooking present with him by my aspect!

And in reality, JB was doing ebook signings with me all through the entire present. By the top of the third day, we needed to get him his personal desk as a result of his queue was banked up!!

And when you’re questioning about my OTHER sidekick – he was there in spirit. In 2D type!

Right here’s a bit house film we made:

What we made for our present – “Cooking up a storm, the RecipeTin Manner”: Vietnamese Shaking Beef (cookbook unique), Singapore Chilli Prawns/Shrimp (created particularly for the present!), Coconut Rice and Smashed Cucumber Salad.

Click on right here for present dates in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth!

And eventually…why I moved.

In amongst all the above, I offered my dream house and moved!

Till 3 weeks in the past, I lived in Sydney’s lovely Northern Seashores and have now moved again to the Ryde space of Sydney the place I lived for 10 years. I’m now a lot nearer to the town (50 minutes vs quarter-hour), a lot nearer to ample (good!) Asian meals, however a lot farther from the seashore.

My former house was objective constructed for my enterprise. It had 3 kitchens: 2 for work and 1 in my non-public residing quarters, my dream kitchen purpose-built to my bizarre specs I by no means imagined I’d ever have.

Promoting it and leaving the Northern Seashores space was a tragic and difficult choice. So why did I do it?

Right here’s why I left my dream house

I offered my dream house as a result of:

1. I have to separate work from life.

2. I would like and need to be nearer to my meals financial institution.

3. I plan to maneuver my meals financial institution to a (a lot) bigger kitchen within the Ryde space.

4. I have to launch capital to construct my meals financial institution and my workplace.

I can’t be trusted with my workplace beneath my lounge….

If I reduce to the chase, the transfer is pushed by my want to maneuver RTM from the present small kitchen we’ve on the fridge of Sydney CBD to a bigger kitchen, and I need that kitchen to be within the Ryde space. It’s a superb location to service the entire of Sydney and for actual property value causes.

It’s additionally a “rip the bandaid off” strategy to attempt to enhance my work-life stability. I’ve been very open about how I’ve been scuffling with dealing with my workload as my enterprise has grown. And the way the cookbook, whereas I rejoice in all its successes, was the toughest factor I’ve ever labored on in my life. It didn’t break me, however I rattling properly labored myself into the bottom to the purpose of being unhealthy.

It’s only a plain proven fact that I’m not the type of one who could be trusted with my workplace beneath my lounge. Too straightforward to entry and work an excessive amount of!

However, I’ve been faffing round. I didn’t need to go away the northern seashores or my house. I used to be half-heartedly searching for someplace to lease close to Ryde – however probably not.

It took an enormous kick up my bum by my enterprise coach to get cracking! So I took the “rip the bandaid-off” strategy and offered my home with out understanding the place I used to be transferring.

That actually bought me going to discover a new home!!!

So right here we’re on transfer day – feeding folks proper as much as the final minute.

And right here had been are, unpacking within the new place. And – feeding folks, earlier than we’ve unpacked!

Removalist advice (Sydney) – Double J Removals 1800 830 506. Quick. Skilled. Entertaining. Pleasant. Useful.

So what now?

I drastically downsized. I’m at present in a rental within the Ryde space with 1 quite than 3 kitchens (#FirstWorldProblems!). There will probably be an adjustment interval. I would like to determine my new workflow. I really feel greater than ever like I’m residing at work as a result of there isn’t a separation between my private house and work.

Issues will get a bit tougher earlier than they get higher, I do know that.

However I’m within the space I should be. Boots on the bottom, as I say, to pound the pavement to discover a new kitchen for RTM. To discover a location for my work-kitchen which will probably be completely for work, and just for work.

And to discover a house that’s work-free. No images or video studio!

I’m so excited concerning the yr to return. Constructing a brand new kitchen for RTM – larger house! Higher tools! Donating extra meals!! 🙌🏻

Constructing a purpose-built “house-office” for this distinctive no-other-business-like-it factor we name RecipeTin! A inventive hub the place I can create and experiment with new recipes, the place I can {photograph}, write and movie recipe movies. A spot massive sufficient to host lunches and dinners, a spot I can invite readers to dine with us – hopefully!

And, discovering a house I can escape to on evenings and weekends. Work free.

2023 is THE yr! – Nagi x

Lifetime of Dozer

Closing sundown stroll at Bayview canine park the night earlier than we moved out.

However actually, there was zero adjustment interval for Mr Dozer. So long as he will get treats and is with me, he’s as completely satisfied as could be. Canines are the BEST! ❤️