Ilona talks about A Wholefood Lover's Guide to Sydney

Can you give us a little bit of background about A Wholefood Lover's Guide to Sydney and why you started it

When I went travelling in the UK last year, my friend and I were looking for healthy food options online and we came across a site that was kind of a dictionary  and I thought "I wish there was something like this for Sydney".  Something that kind of pulled everything together in one space.  I imagined plenty of international visitors to Sydney wouldn't know where to start to get a wholefood fix.

Eventually I would like it to grow the blog into a one-stop-shop for all wholefood related news and events in Sydney.  

Being into digital communications and PR, I'm a big believer in naming things so they reflect exactly what they are so people can find them easily!  Hence the name "A Wholefood Lover's Guide to Sydney"

For those who may not fully understand, can you explain Raw, Vegan & Macrobiotic and why they are an important contributor to our overall wellbeing

I wouldn't even want to start trying to put a definitive description on those three things because it's highly individual, but I think a good starting point is the beliefs and philosophies underpinning the labels, rather than the actual practice.

What I love is that each are based on a belief about the close relationship between what we put in our bodies and our state of mental, physical and often spiritual wellbeing.  

Raw foodies are of the belief that by eating a diet of uncooked (not heated above 40 degrees) plant and sometimes animal food, delivers the most benefit to the body.  For them it is the way nature intended food to be eaten and the way the body is et up best to digest and assimilate nutrients.  

Vegan's don't eat food that is derived from animals.

Macrobiotics see each type of food falling on to a spectrum of energy with yin (or expansive energy at one end) and yang (or contractive energy at the other).  The body and the diet should be in a stage of balance for optimal health and so foods that fall in the middle of the spectrum should form the basis of one's diet.

Fascinating stuff. 

Has this always been a part of your life or was there a trigger within that led you to this lifestyle

No - although, I am Italian which probably explains my deep, deep love of food....from shopping, to preparation to eating.  I have always been a good eater but developed a terrible relationship with food in my early teens and going into adulthood (eating disorders and a stint of trying high-protein, low-carb diets).  I was never really overweight but I was striving for perfection.  Also, I have always had bad digestion all my life, I just didn't realise the severity of it until I was old enough to really think about it.

I tried everything - naturopaths, chiropractors, conventional doctors, tablets..everything.  I was about 27, on antibiotics and thinking about having a radical experimental surgery to fix it when a good friend of mine said "enough!" and sent me off to see Ken McLean (a macrobiotic counsellor at Kensington).

After 3 weeks of following his advice, I noticed a change.  Two months later I threw out the antibiotics.  That was around 5 years ago and since then I've come to understand what my body needs to keep functioning properly and that's a plant-based diet with only a little bit of animal protein and some grains, with a lots of greens and probiotic enriched food.

You are a massive fan of both Frenchs Forest and Marrickville Markets.  How did you fist discover these pockets of organic paradise and what is it about them that keeps you coming back

As I delved deeper and deeper into the wholefood scene, I discovered that farmers markets were an excellent source of hard-to-find ingredients and they were also a place where like-minded people gathered.

Each market has a different vibe to it, depending of course on the locals that frequent it and create the demand for certain supply.

An old flatmate told me to check out Marrickville and I LOVED how bohemian it was and LOVED all the food stalls.  I go there when I want a meal, more so than to shop.

I recently moved to Manly so Frenchs Forest is a new discovery.  It is just a regular part of my Sunday now.  It's definitely a market for grown-ups - the stallholders are really forward thinking and sophisticated in the wholefoods space.  I was in heaven when I discovered the Caseus stall!

I've never eaten so much raw cheese in my life yet had so few digestion issues.

Sometimes I make a trip out to the market simply just for them!

From your stance, why are markets like these an integral part of their respective local communities

You are not going to find good food in today's standard supermarket.  Mass production (to grow huge quantities, preserve, store, ship goods thousands of kilometres away) strip food of what it is that makes it good!

People come together over food, so I think markets like these are as beneficial for our need to socialise as well as for health or economic benefits.

Being able to talk directly to the merchant or producer, in most cases, means you can talk and learn about what you're eating.  They unite communities over beautiful food - what could be better than that!

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Absolutely!  Now if you would like to check out the goings on with Wholefood Lover's Guide to Sydney simply click "here" for the facebook page and "here" to go to the website.

AND we have it on excellent authority that there may be a focus or two on some of our Frenchs Forest Market stallies so stay tuned peeps!

Oysters & Oxtail

Gotta luv the catchy title of your blog.  How long have you been writing about your foodie experiences and why blogging

Thank you!  I started blogging in April 2012 mainly as a platform to practise writing. Food seemed like an obvious topic given that I was spending a lot of time reading about, shopping for and cooking it - why not write about it too!

What's great about blogging is that you can instantly self-publish and you can write exactly what you want.  Even if you don't care whether anyone reads it (which I certainly didn't to begin with), it forces you to be disciplined in a way that, say, simply writing a journal wouldn't.  I loved blogging so much that I started a food writing course with the University of Adelaide this year.  Unfortunately I had no time to keep up the blog as well, and it's currently still on hold while I figure out what's next.

Your article on Marrickville Markets is the perfect blend of words and photos.  How difficult is it to select which photos to include, or do you simply let the "moment" dictate or guide you to the end result

My post on Marrickville Markets has a far greater proportion of photos to words than most of my posts.  I really wanted to celebrate the markets and share the visitor experience with others

and I decided to just let the photos do the talking on this occasion.  After a good hour or so snapping away, I had an awful lot of photos and it was very difficult to edit them down - what's on the blog (which you can read "here") is just a fraction of what I took.

Marrickville Markets - as with so many markets - are so visually appealing and such rich, exciting material to photograph.  In selecting the best photos I think about composition, colour, texture - and with market photography I really like some element of human interaction.

How inspiring are markets like ours, to not only shop at but then to go and use the produce bought in a recipe book or two you may have lying around the at home

Absolutely!  The definition of my ideal Sunday would be to cycle to Marrickville Markets with my husband, buy lots of beautiful produce (and eat delicious things on the way round!), go home and cook a new recipe while listening to Radio National (I know, I'm starting to sound like a cliche!) and then eat it with a few glasses of wine.

From your perspective as not only a blogger but also a shopper, what is it about markets that make them "real"

What makes farmers' markets "real" is that direct connection with the people who grow and make the produce.  In today's Western world of food as a hugely commercial commodity controlled by a few powerful, faceless corporations, markets are increasingly popular as a way to experience a more authentic relationship with our food and where it comes from.  There's a beautiful sense of community that comes from sharing that experience of the market with other like-minded people.

If you had to sum up the world of Oysters & Oxtail in 5 words what would they be

For the love of food

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And on that note we say an ENORMOUS thank you to Oysters & Oxtail for not only sharing some of her time with us, but for writing an incredible blog on Marrickville Markets and sharing a little bit of insight as to why she feels markets like ours are an important part of today's busy, chaotic lifestyle where we all need to take time to "breath", enjoy the moment and get back to basics 

Jugernauts

Your blog Jugernauts is a fantastic mixture of pictorial with the odd paragraph or two thrown in to the mix.  What drew you initially to want to include Marrickville Markets

I was doing all these restaurant write ups and then realised that the markets don't tend to get written about as much so I thought I'd do a section for it as there is a lot of good food to be had there.

I also sell tees and have sold at other locations (newtown/glebe/finders keepers) and I appreciate the hardwork these vendors go through (packing, setting up.  It's a labour of love so yes I wanted to reflect that in my blog with a section dedicated to the markets.

And I had to include Marrickville Markets because I discovered it so late and it was such a different one.  More food focussed, less knick-knacks.  I had just to the AROM to check out The Bowery but the markets just kind of impressed.  

The stalls are unlike just anything I've seen at other markets.

As a blogger do you find at times it can 'take over" all other normalities in life; ie: are you driven to distraction by the irritating need to have to work to pay the bills, yet all the while yearning to simply go taste, photograph and celebrate via blogging

My blog is an extension of my lifestyle which is very much still in subsists of heading out to experience what Sydney (well, a lot of it is in the Inner West as I live in Newtown and just run around the local area) has to offer.  It's part of my life very much at the moment.  The blog is never far from my mind and being able to blog on the ipad (on the go) helps!

Who is one of your fave stallies and why

There's some great food to be had there:the satay tofu burgers, the truffles, the snag stand, some excellent home baked goods and vegetarian butchers

And of course the organic fruit & veg sellers.  It's a nice mix of eats and the tree lined "arcade" means you can just sit in the shade and take it all in...with the band playing.

It is one of the better markets around as it's not just a barrage of standard food kiosks in a market (location).

What is it about these markets that makes it such a unique experience from your point of view

The really good thing about Marrickville Market is that it adjoins The Bowery and Reverse Garbage and that's a highlight.

The organic produce, the hand made cheeses and truffles (again...having the truffles at market is just great!).  Also some superb pastries to be had.  The dulche de Leche Brownie is amazing!

It's one of the few markets on a Sunday...it's easy!

If you had to sum up Marrickville Markets in 5 words what would they be

Gem, artisanal, innerwest, organic, lazysundays

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Huge shoutout to Jugernauts for sharing some time not only blogging about Marrickville Markets, but being part of this blog and allowing us to include their photos.

You can check out the write up on our markets here

vegeTARAian

Can you give us a little bit of insight and history in to the world known as vegeTARAian

vegeTARAian is the creative outlet and inspiration for my exploration in to the world of food and cooking.  I share recipes, veg friendly eating options in restaurants and conversational pieces on ethical eating.

I'm particularly interested in reconnecting with food, to become more aware of what we are eating, local and seasonal produce, reducing food waste and raising awareness about factory farming.

As the food revolution as grown and become more accepting of alternate eating styles (eg: vegans, vegetarians, gluten free'ers etc), what have been some notable changes you have observed both personally and objectively

It's really exciting to see people genuinely showing an interest and being more accommodating to those of us with different eating requirements.

I find eating out so much easier now than it was a few years ago.  Restaurants are increasingly offering veg friendly options and where there isn't and advertised option, most venues are happy to alter a menu item if you ask.  

There are also a lot more vegetarian/vegan brands stepping in to the mainstream, available in supermarkets which is fantastic!

How did you come to discover Marrickville Markets and what was it that compelled you to write the beautiful piece that you did

I really enjoying exploring the Inner West, it's just an area that fascinates me.  When my sister moved to Marrickville she told how me how great the markets were and I just had to pop down and check it out and I'm SO glad I did!

I love the community feel and that you can spend the whole day there - chatting with the stallholders to learn more about their products, having breakfast and/or lunch with all the fresh and delicious snacks for sale.

Your blog with its innovative, creative and user-friendliness makes it not only for a fantastic read, but it is also educational and celebratory.  

How do you strike that all important balance where you don't drown people in words and select the appropriate photos to accompany whichever topic you are focussing on.

It's important to stay true to myself in my writing - I think people see right through you if you aren't genuine and honest.  While I'm still new to the world of photography, the one thing that stays with me is to think about what I want the images to say before taking the photo.

A lot of text isn't needed when you've got images that do a good job of telling the story.

For those who have been to Marrickville Market but maybe not been at the point to simply dive in and give it a go with Raw and Vegan, what 5 words of encouragement would you give

Local and fresh is best!

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A MASSIVE thank you to Tara and sharing a little piece of her world with us.  You can check out her amazing blog "here" and be transported in to the delights of alternative eating fabulosity.