I’m coming to you from the Australian Native Food Festival at Carriageworks on Gadigal Country, and I finally sat down with my brother Zach Green. He’s a proud Gunditjmara and Palawa man you might know as the Storyteller Chef.

Zach has built his career on sharing the culture behind our foods, from Elijah’s Kitchen in Darwin to Iluka’s Kitchen in Port Hedland. Now living on Larrakia Country, he’s backing young mob coming up through the kitchen and asking hard questions about who really benefits from the native food industry.

But when I asked him who he is without the titles, his answer had nothing to do with food. We yarn about family, the strong women who shaped him, the dish that keeps his sons’ spirit close, and the legacy he wants to leave.

Pull up a chair, this one’s a good feed.

Resources and links

Zach Green

• This chef is telling our stories through food (SBS NITV): https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/this-chef-is-telling-our-stories-through-food/mgd1hmmhj
• Cooking and storytelling: crocodile is our culture (SBS Food, Zach on cooking crocodile): https://www.sbs.com.au/food/the-cook-up-with-adam-liaw/article/cooking-with-crocodile/g2riaadx6

Australian Native Food Festival

• Carriageworks event page: https://carriageworks.com.au/events/australian-native-food-festival/

IndigiEarth
Aboriginal-owned native food business founded by Weilwan woman Sharon Winsor, who leads the festival.

• https://indigiearth.com.au

Gather Foods
Majority Aboriginal-owned and led food business in Perth, where Zach helped a young chef land an apprenticeship.

• https://www.gatherfoods.com.au

Who owns the native food industry

• Master chef urges Indigenous native food businesses to get slice of $80m pie (NIT): https://nit.com.au/10-11-2023/8571/master-chef-urges-indigenous-native-food-businesses-to-get-slice-of-80m-pie

Support
Zach speaks about losing his children. If anything in this episode brings up something for you, support is there: 13YARN on 13 92 76 (First Nations crisis support, 24/7) or Lifeline on 13 11 14.

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