Episodes
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Manisha Anjali is a writer and an artist. She is the founder of Neptune, a research and documentation platform for dreams, visions, and hallucinations.
She is the author of Naag Mountain, published by Giramondo in April 2024. Naag Mountain was shortlisted for the Judith Wright Calanthe Award at the Queensland Literary Awards in 2024.
Manisha grew up in Suva, Fiji, surrounded by nature, food and books. She has a deep connection to storytelling and mysticism, which we explore in our chat. Living in Melbourne currently, maintaining that connection is something Manisha finds extremely important to do.
Talking about art and food, she says "...they make life worth living. Food is a physical necessity and art is the soul’s necessity, so you’re feeing your soul with art and you’re feeding your body with food and you just need both to enjoy this time on earth."
Manisha shares her Dhal recipe with us and explains that growing up she’d have it almost every day. It was the foundation for everything else she ate. She associates it with a comfortable and homely feeling.
You can find Manisha Anjali's Dhal recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Support What Artists Eat on Patreon!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Francesca Gonzales is many things. She’s a psychology student, musician, songwriter, vocalist, key-tar player and facilitator. She’s a staunch advocate for artists’ mental health and finds herself constantly thinking about how she can help artists figure out what’s best for themselves in an industry that leaves many people miserable and burnt out.
Francesca is obsessed with promoting and facilitating mental health for artists. She started out as a musician and really wanted to connect with people. As she pursued music, she found herself alone a lot of the time and it felt wrong. She soon found that many people were feeling the same way, so she created Breakfast Club meet-ups as a way to come together with her peers and foster an environment where artists could support each other and learn from each other.
You can sign up to Breakfast Club events via Fran's instagram https://www.instagram.com/francescagonzales___/
You can find Fran's Chicken Pilaf recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Support What Artists Eat on Patreon!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Rochelle Siemienowicz grew up as a strict Seventh Day Adventist. Her first experiences of art (particularly writing) was the bible. In terms of food, she went through a renaissance in culinary life when she left the church and was in her early 20’s.
Her latest novel ‘Double Happiness’ is a love story loosely inspired by her own journey of polyamory.
“The journey of writing this latest book has been one of learning to set boundaries and learning to priortise my own need to create over other people’s needs” - she says.
Rochelle believes that food and art are both about nourishment of the body and the soul, sharing, expressing one's individuality, and sometimes for her: rebellion.
You can find Rochelle's Upside-Down Pear & Almond Flan recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Support What Artists Eat on Patreon!
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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This is a recording of a live panel talk from North Gallery in Fitzroy presented by Food For Everyone.
It was during Gem Leslie's exhibition called 'Pantry Study', where she visited and painted multicultural pantries around Melbourne.
Our guests were Jaclyn Crupi - author of several books on food including PASTA LOVE and GARDEN LIKE A NONNO about her Italian pantry.
Kira Hosking - creative consultant and recipe writer about her Japanese pantry, and food programmer Adriana Bradica Watson about her Croatian pantry.
We talked about the migrant experience, living in multicultural Melbourne and the complexities of assimilation.
We also spoke about how cooking can connect us to our ancestry and where to find the best Japanese, Italian, Croatian and Hungarian food in Melbourne.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Fred Mora of Long Prawn jokes that sometimes he’s the prawn’s head and sometimes, the tail. He’s not quite artist, not quite cook, somewhere in between.
Fred and his creative collaborator Lauren Stephens are Long Prawn, a collective using food as a springboard to start conversations that traverse big ideas and observe parts of culture that have fallen out of focus. They have held various events and happenings over the past 8-10 years, working with chefs, artists, musicians and growers of food.
Growing up, the energy at the Mora family table was theatrical, warm and chaotic. Yum cha every weekend was a solid ritual and cheekiness was a core value for some family members. Fred’s grandmother, (treasured artist Mirka Mora) was apparently treacherous at the dinner table, especially when dining out. She would demand dessert first, then steak.
It makes sense then that Fred has pursued his own creative food interests. Tax Vinegar is a project he toiled away at for some time, with beginnings as curious experiments during one of Melbourne’s numerous pandemic lockdowns. He tells us that the breadth and depth that vinegar can add to your meal is huge - “it’s like turning the brightness up on your phone screen”.
Fred’s recipe is mayonnaise and you can hear our genuine excitement in the interview - we were so delighted by this as we had seen the film ‘Monsieur Mayonnaise’ by Fred’s uncle years ago and loved it.
The film is the true story of Fred’s grandfather Georges during the French resistance. His spy name was Monsieur Mayonnaise, due to his rescuing and smuggling of children over borders using mayonnaise as his weapon. With artist Marcel Marceau, he discovered that if you could put enough mayonnaise on a baguette you would be able to hide documents in it and smuggle it past the gestapo. As the gestapo were fastidious about not getting their uniforms dirty, every time Georges passed a check point he was able to smuggle documents through. The trick was that there needed to be a certain amount of mayonnaise on the baguette - if you passed a certain threshold of it, the guards wouldn’t bother to check it.
You can find Fred's mayonnaise recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Support What Artists Eat on Patreon!
Links to anything we chatted about:
Long PrawnTax VinegarAustralian Food TimelineCollingwood institution RafflesStefanino Panino Ruthie Rogers and Rose Gray of River CafeHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Jess Ribeiro is a lover of many things, including creation myths, deep sea creatures and fancy European service stations.
Jess’ upbringing in a small country town, steeped in the energy of Chinese restaurant kitchens, provided a unique backdrop for her artistic and culinary evolution. Her Hong Kong-born father found solace in these kitchens, where Cantonese was more than a language—it was a connection to his roots in a place far from home. This blend of cultures and cuisines laid the foundation for Jess's appreciation of diverse narratives and flavours.
During our chat, Jess challenges the stereotype of the starving artist, emphasising the richness of spirit that creative pursuits bring. In her own words, "We are communicators. We feed the soul of human beings." This ethos underscores her belief in the profound impact of art—be it a poignant song or a captivating painting—to inspire, provoke thought, and ignite new possibilities.
Her album ‘Summer of Love’, made during one of Victoria’s numerous lockdowns whilst staying solo at the Point Lonsdale Guesthouse is out now.
You can find Jess's recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Support What Artists Eat on Patreon!
Links to Jess's work and anything else we chatted about:
WebsiteFacebookInstagramYoutubeBandcampMerchSpotifyApple MusicTourLeah SeniorAmy Chaplin: macrobiotic chef in NYC“The UK’s best service station”The Point Lonsdale Guest HouseHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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In the vast tapestry of human experience, there are those who traverse the realms of imagination with paintbrushes in hand, and others who concoct culinary masterpieces with a dash of creativity and a pinch of tenderness. Yet, nestled within this intricate mosaic lies the story of Charlotte Alldis—a multifaceted creator, a fierce lover, and a loyal protector of those in her orbit. Meet the artist, maker, storyteller, and mum to Buster the bulldog, whose life's journey has been as colorful and captivating as the worlds she paints.
Childhood, for Charlotte, was a self made kaleidoscope of wonder and whimsy. Art wasn't the initial muse; instead, it was the enchanting realm of storytelling that captured her imagination. Raised by parents who were educators deeply immersed in the realms of play, writing, and literature, she was steeped in a culture of creativity from an early age.
The focus wasn’t fine art—it was playfulness, experimentation, and joy. As a child, Charlotte transformed mundane meals into fantastical feasts, crafting blue pancakes, purple pasta, and dyed vegetables with unabashed delight. Cooking wasn't about following recipes; it was about embracing the magic of the moment and relishing in the act of creation.
You can find Charlotte's recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Support What Artists Eat on Patreon!
Links to Charlotte's work and anything else we chatted about:
https://www.charlottealldis.com/https://www.instagram.com/charlottealldisHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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For Tim Shiel, music isn't just a career—it's a personal practice, a means of self-expression, and a conduit for connection. He eschews the notion of the tortured artist, finding inspiration not in pain, but in abundance and community.
Tim is a musician, producer and broadcaster, hosting Arvos on Double J & Something More on triple j.
As Tim continues to navigate the ever-shifting landscapes of parenthood and music, one thing remains constant: his unwavering dedication to his craft and his commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive community for fellow artists.
In a world that often prioritizes profit over passion, Tim stands as a beacon of authenticity and inspiration, reminding us that the true essence of art lies not in its commercial value, but in its ability to move and connect us on a deeper level.
You can find Tim's Egg n Beans recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Support What Artists Eat on Patreon!
Links to Tim's work and anything else we chatted about:
https://www.timshiel.com/https://www.timshiel.com/spirit-levelhttps://timshiel.bandcamp.com/ Tim’s Substack ‘Shiel Feels’Everything else ‘Tim Shiel’ hereAlways in Tim’s pantry is his special ingredient Shichi-mi tōgarashiHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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If you love art and food, you probably know Libby Haines’ work. Her juicy textural still life paintings sell out in seconds on Instagram.
Libby is an artist who knows the magic of those really good meals that stay with you for years. For her, painting and cooking are deeply intertwined – both are expressions of creativity, nourishment, and self-expression.Going back, Libby’s childhood memories are saturated with the vibrant colours and textures of her grandparent’s vegetable garden and the comforting chaos of the family kitchen. These early experiences laid the foundation for a lifelong journey of artistic expression, culinary exploration, and a deep appreciation for the beauty and intensity found in everyday life.
You can find Libby's Pumpkin Ricotta Sage Orichette recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Support What Artists Eat on Patreon!
Links to Libby's work and anything else we chatted about:
www.libbyhaines.com@libbyhainesartThe 100 Years War on Palestine- Rashid KhalidiJustice for Some by Noura ErakatDoppleganger Naomi KleinMe and White Supremacy Layla SaadArtist Marion AbrahamOndo Korean restaurant Melbourne CBDBooks Libby’s loving: The Neapolitan series by Elena FerranteFree printable download from Libby’s website to print and share widelyHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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When Peter Corrigan heard John Williams' score for ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ‘ as a kid, he was never the same again. Hearing that piece changed him forever and set him on course to become a composer.
Pete is a composer for film and media, as well as being an accomplished pianist. When we get to the pointy end of things, Pete is tender and practical about the idea of the Starving Artist. He believes that being an artist is a "lifetime journey and not something we have to sacrifice everything for in one moment." He encourages artists to think of their art as a “life long pursuit”.
You can find Pete's 'Aloo Gobi Pie' recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Sign up to our mailing list here for first access to merch!
Links to Pete's work and anything else we chatted about:
https://soundcloud.com/pete-corrigan https://www.instagram.com/petercorriganmusic/John Williams, composerChef Lagenda, FlemingtonHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome artist Gemma Leslie, founder of Food for Everyone. Food for Everyone invites chefs and artists to collaborate on recipe posters. From each poster purchased they donate the equivalent of 10 meals to food charities.
To Date they’ve donated $150,000 which equals roughly 750,000 meals.
On Food For Everyone, you can find recipes from Nigella Lawson, Jessica Nguyen, Hetty McKinnon and Andrew McConnell, beautifully accompanied by artworks from artists like Libby Haines, Allie Webb and Gemma herself.
We talk to Gemma about family recipes, what constitutes ‘real’ art, and the power of community.
You can find Gemma's Tuscan Ricotta Gnudi recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Links to Gemma's work and anything else we chatted about:
- https://foodforeveryone.com.au/
- https://www.gemleslie.com/
- https://evi-o.art/
- https://www.instagram.com/rosheen_/?hl=en
- https://www.somethingsiliketocook.com.au/
- https://foodforeveryone.com.au/blogs/news/suzanne-corbett
- https://www.instagram.com/juliaostro/?hl=en
- https://www.instagram.com/ellies.table/?hl=en
- https://www.nigella.com/
- https://www.pastagrannies.com/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Our interview begins with a burping poodle and ends with the beautiful Turkish phrase “health to your hands” which really sums up the essence of Olivia Cummings, founder and jewellery maker behind Cleopatra’s Bling. She will take you on a poetic journey to explore the mythology behind Greek amulets, and then ground you with tales of the logistics behind making her dog Alfonso’s birthday cake. This suits us just fine.
Yes, Olivia is a jeweller, but she’s also devoted to food. For her, food is a connector and a nourishing, fortifying force. She finds meaning and satisfaction in the act of cooking for the people she loves and in the act of sharing food around a table. She favours simplicity in the kitchen for herself day by day, but will go all out when it comes to others.
We end our chat with laughs about a kitchen disaster story that she’s still not over, and Olivia’s admission that she’s “a sicko with butter” - she has been known to give people a cracker with so much butter on it that they’ve assumed it was cheese.
You can find Olivia's Flourless Cacao & Orange Cake recipe on our website!
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Links to Olivia's work and anything else we chatted about:
Cleopatra’s Bling websiteCleopatra’s Bling InstagramCleopatra’s Bling podcastCleopatra’s Bling Collingwood Store Ramen documentaryHanefi Yeter artist websiteHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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We couldn’t fit all of Tiphaine De Fleurette Hunter-Brown’s career titles into our, well, title, so we didn’t even try. This powerhouse of a woman is a true slashie and we know that the list of titles will keep growing on a weekly, if not daily basis.
Tiphaine is the creative director of The Project Space, a creative arts facility in Apollo Bay, Creative Director of Floreo Creative Web + Design and co-director of Videokills, a video and performance art-based collaborative network and festival.
When starting The Project Space, Tiphaine's plan was to open an “everything space” for her community in rural Victoria. Her own feelings of isolation pushed her to create a space for creativity and possibility and open it up to others as a community resource. And that’s how we met Tiphaine, through her project “The Development Lab” where we were artists in residence in 2021.
Tiph’s latest addition to her creative practice is slinging luscious Belizean food from her food truck, Jungle Drifter. It’s fascinating how when you’re an adult, you often just want to share the things you loved when you were a kid. Jungle Drifter was the natural progression for Tiph, as she needed some breathing space from her other pursuits, but still wanted to be connected to her community.
Tiphaine shares it all with us, including her recipe for Belizean Fry Jacks, which is on our website.
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Links to Tiphaine's work and anything else we chatted about:
Floreo Creative instaFloreo Creative WebsiteJungle Drifter coffee and food van instaClick here to hire The Project Space on Creative SpacesSam GantHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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You might know ceramicist Lyn Sendeckyj as Sailorboi. Why Sailorboi? It’s just one of those great nicknames that stuck. He has always tried to find something to do with his hands and for 13 years he’s been up to his elbows in clay and glazes as the owner of Sailorboi Studio, his pottery school in Brunswick. From there, he not only creates his own very personal and often hilarious ceramic pieces, with his fabulous chihuahua Cindy by his side, he teaches pottery classes and workshops.
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Links
Insta https://www.instagram.com/sailorboi.studio/?hl=enWeb https://www.sailorboi.com/Ottolenghi https://ottolenghi.co.uk/recipesKylie https://www.kylie.com/ED support and more in resources https://www.eatingdisorders.org.au/Tips / Takeaways:
Want some great cheap ceramic tools? Head to the kitchen section of your local op shop and dig around for some interesting items that you can use on your clayFeeling brave? Make art about something you’re embarrassed about and share it with people you trust and can laugh with Need a soundtrack for your next cooking adventure? Here’s a start https://open.spotify.com/artist/4RVnAU35WRWra6OZ3CbbMA?si=K0we8nC2RVea47bX3epNVAHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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With beginnings in sculpture and conceptual art in the UK, Kayleigh Heydon moved to Melbourne ten years ago and has since incorporated painting, ceramics and music into her practice.
Don't be offended, but you're probably making your humble cup of tea wrong. When we investigate the subtleties of tea making with Manchester born and raised Kayleigh, it gets heated pretty quick. She's from the North and she needs it strong. Whilst apparently no one wants to be "The Tea Master" in Britain (too much pressure to be the person making everyone's cuppa), they certainly have an opinion on how each one should be made. According to Kayleigh, it can get very political (depending on where you're from).
Something that struck us when we began unpacking the Starving Artist myth were the realities of being an artist in Australia in contrast to the UK. She's very aware of how the myth can be used to "other" people in conversations or interactions and finds it an awful way of devaluing someone who is a professional creative. We all agree that it can be an easy way to create a quick and unbalanced hierarchy where the artist is always at the bottom.
We discuss the elephant in the industry - the gender divide between representation and support of male artists and female / non binary artists.
When it comes to her favourite places in the city of Melbourne, the Preston Market is in her all time top five destinations. You already know how much we love the Preston Market, and it was wonderful to chat about specifics - Kayleigh loves chatting to her favourite butcher and asking for tips and recipe-specific cuts of meat. It's such a crucial community meeting place and we share a collective moment of respect and alarm at the current situation regarding the proposed destruction of the market.
Grab a meticulously made cup of tea and join us as Kayleigh shares her green mango and prawn salad, her kitchen super power and the most epic kitchen disaster story that it left us speechless...
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Links to Kayleigh's work and anything else we chatted about:
Kayleigh's websiteKayleigh's instagram Artist Brendan HuntlyFavourite cook - Clare ScrineDeuce - Wild Type https://www.savetheprestonmarket.com/Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Feeling a bit full from a few weeks of snacking on our past interviews? Here's our first Palate Cleanser, an audio journal by our very own Zoltan Fecso . Here's Zoltan's visit to his favourite local market, the Preston Market. A short story of food, place, the senses & community.
Click here for more information about the Preston Market, and here to save the Preston Market from being destroyed by development. Skip straight to the petition here.
Tag us in your next market adventure using #whatartistseat and if you make any of our past guests recipes be sure to tag us and the recipe name too! You can find more info about us and our guests via https://www.whatartistseat.com.au/
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Artist Lily Nicholson grew up connected to the Land and aware of its gifts. It wasn't just for growing food - she found in it endless creative inspiration. On family trips she would draw maps of her experiences, especially those connected to Nature.
After attending art school far from home and often finding herself living off beans, she and her partner once again found themselves drawn back to Yuin Land, where they live with their boys and where Lily has a home studio with extraordinary views of the bush. Throughout our chat, we discuss navigating career choices, food and nourishment, Mothering, day job-ing, covid lockdowns, bushfires, money and more.
She tells us how to tear watercolour paper perfectly and how her Mum Eve's "Granny Cake" has been with her almost weekly for her whole life.
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Find Lily on instagram @lilyjohannah
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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When we asked Giuliano Ferla of FERLA to describe himself and his practice, he had an interesting way of explaining his craft. He's definitely a musician and a lyricist, but in the past he wasn't sure if he could call himself a poet. For Giuls, it's the combo of putting poetry to music that's important to him. He feels that "there's a gravitas to the title of poet that doesn't fit..." but he seeks to redefine it. He's settled on being a reluctant, flippant and flamboyant poet.
If you know the band FERLA, you'll probably know FERLA PASSATA, the most wonderful band merch on God's green earth.
The romantic ideal of the suffering and 'Starving Artist" was something that Giuls was swept up in as a younger man. The idea that struggling was a rite of passage was part of his narrative, and he was warmed by the nostalgia. Whilst the romance for suffering for one's art has cooled, he still believes that as an artist "you need to sacrifice an element of security" to be able to commit to your craft.
For Giuls, cooking is nourishment for the soul and he is still so moved by the meals that sustained him as a young boy. Our chat with him was too short, as always, but we felt deeply nourished afterwards, and upon listening, we hope you do too.
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Links to Giuls' work and anything else we chatted about:
FERLA WebsiteFERLA InstagramFERLA BandcampFERLA SpotifyMusician Cate le BonSalt Fat Acid HeatBrenta Meats for pork and fennel sausageMukka Indian restaurant on Brunswick Street (Giuls loves their Butter Chicken)Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Lorna Crane is the real deal. She’s a mixed media artist who has been exhibiting for 40 years and has been a practising artist her entire life, whilst working in between. Fibre has been a big part of her work for a long time and “even in my earlier paintings I would collage in a piece of jute or hessian or a bit of cloth as well, because for me, cloth holds a memory, it’s something that, when we’re born, we get snuggled into a piece of cloth and it comforts us…”.
Lorna started making her own brushes after a residency in Venice with Allison B. Cooke, and then became known as “the brush maker”. The urge to make brushes goes back to her art school days, when she saw a documentary on Arthur Boyd’s work and processes. She was inspired by his huge canvases and that he was using his own handmade brushes - the splashing motions being particularly inspiring.
As her career progressed, Lorna found that artist residencies became increasingly crucial to her, with her preference being self funded residencies, where there is more freedom and autonomy.
If you take anything from our chat with Lorna, we hope it’s the inspiration to colour outside the lines and absolutely break the rules.
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Links to Lorna's work and anything else we chatted about:
LORNA’S WEBSITELORNA’S INSTAGRAMLORNA’S COURSETHE CHURCHILL TRUSTBUNDANON RESIDENCYSHIELA HICKS ARTISTALLISON B COOKE ARTISTHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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You’d be forgiven for thinking that someone with a social media handle @snackswithyeo was some kind of famous chef. Whilst Yeo is pretty brilliant in the kitchen, as you’ll find as we go along, it’s music that captured him early on and remains his true love. Internationally recognised Yeo has been releasing music for over a decade, with his craft taking him across Australia and as far from home as Ecuador, the US, Canada and Singapore.
You’ll find throughout the interview that Yeo is big on DIY - in music and food. This man absolutely loves learning how to do new things and problem-solving. “My attitude is if it’s already broken, there’s no harm in breaking it further to try to make it try to work again”.
Yeo reminds us that being able to cook is a privilege, especially for those who are time poor and exhausted. He recommends the “Time to Eat” series by Nadiya Hussain on Netflix that features super quick recipes. As for his own recipes, we cannot WAIT to make his steamed fish dish and took particular note of his advice to be meticulous when you julienne the ginger and spring onions.
Yeo’s kitchen superpower is a power that we at What Artists Eat would like a LOT more of and his kitchen disaster story is a romantic pyrotechnic drama for the ages.
Find us @whatartistseat on Instagram and our website www.whatartistseat.com.au
Links to Yeo's work and anything else we chatted about:
YEO’S WEBSITEYEO’S INSTAGRAMNADIYA HUSSAINPRESTON MARKETSITEWORKSTESTING GROUNDSMALAYMAS RESTAURANTHosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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