Five women to look out for in food media
Fresh voices are joining the food conversation in Australia. Here are five women to listen out for.
Lee Tran Lam
Lam is a Sydney-based storyteller with her fingers in many food-related pies. When she isn't writing food reviews for Good Food, fostering diverse talent through published anthology New Voices on Food or on the airwaves at community station FBi Radio, she's conducting interviews for her food podcast The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry.
Why follow? "It's great to be able to connect to someone over an hour or so and get to share their stories in detail and in their own voice, at a very lively moment in time," says Lam of her podcast. Interviewing the likes of Samin Nosrat (of book and Netflix series Salt Fat Acid Heat fame) to New York City-based Australian cookbook author Hetty McKinnon, Lam's podcast is inspired by "resilience and creativity" in the food industry. It's a thought-provoking and funny treasure trove of food stories straight from the source.
Clementine Day
Clementine Day leads a double life as a fashion designer by day, and a self-taught recipe developer and food stylist by night, sharing food inspiration via her website, Some Things I Like to Cook. Day self-published her first cookbook, Coming Together, in 2020.
Why follow? "The things ingrained in my brain from working in design (composition, balance, colour, shape) all naturally came out in the way I presented food," says Day. Her dreamy, homely dishes – think decadent desserts topped with flowers and colourful salads bathed in sunshine –will inject joy into your Instagram feed and your bookshelf.
Jessica Nguyen
What started as a passion project during the 2020 lockdowns has become a full-time job for Jessica Nguyen, a former marketing professional turned recipe developer and food stylist. She shares flavourful and immaculately styled recipes, often inspired by Vietnamese and Italian cuisine.
Why follow? Beyond her boldly flavoured recipes, Nguyen is the queen of the tablescape. Her page is a one-stop-shop for all things plating – perfect inspo for when you're hosting your next dinner party.
Audrey Lim
This Perth native, who describes herself as a writer, content creator and lover of food, is inspired by new nostalgia, from Harry Potter to her childhood friends. The recipes and ideas she shares on her website, Audreysaurus, and via TikTok, have made her quite the viral sensation.
Why follow? Between her satisfying visuals, simple instructions and soothing voice, Lim's videos make you feel like you can take on any culinary feat, from filled mochi to baguettes.
Rushani Epa
Food and drink journalist Rushani Epa, whose family migrated to Australia from Sri Lanka before she was born, took matters of food media representation into her own hands by founding Colournary Magazine in 2020. The magazine is full of food-related stories told by people of colour, and aims to broaden food knowledge through cooking, reading and listening to these stories.
Why read? Colournary is a celebration of multicultural Australia, the pages filled with stories of family, resilience and, of course, delicious food.
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