John Patterson – Southside Tea Room
“I get a lot of satisfaction kneading masa dough to make pupusas or tamales. I like it because you have to work for it – you doubt yourself, you doubt where you bought the flour and think “Gah, it must be out of date”. Just when it feels like the dough is never gonna get there – bam – it’s fluffy and soft.”

Ben Russell – ARIA
“This is a conversation I have had with colleagues many times and I always come back to the same conclusion. As someone that cooks for a living, my favourite ingredient has to be the one with the most applications, both sweet and savoury, both a hero ingredient and one that enhances many other ingredients, features in practically every cuisine on the planet, and is cheap and readily available. That ingredient is the humble egg!.”

Cordell Khoury – Beccofino
“Zucchini! We use it in everything at Beccofino! It is sliced finely or grated and put on pizzas, cut into small cubes and cooked with prawns, chilli and garlic and served with pasta, or we slice it into fine ribbons and use it raw in salads. It’s so versatile, affordable and delicious.”

Tracy Hirst – Wilde Kitchen
“The unsung hero of secondary cuts of meat like lamb neck, pigs trotter and cheeks. They are so flavoursome and have great healing properties with all the collagen and gelatine in the connective tissues. Also, when in season I love the earthiness of forest mushrooms – they evoke memories of travelling through Europe.”

Ben Williamson – Gerard’s Bistro
“It’s hard to say! It changes constantly. I usually have one obsession or another at any given time. I’ve discovered a Japanese dried shiso seasoning recently called yukari that I grind to a powder – it’s bloody delicious. Shiso in general has been a favourite of mine for ages, it marries well with Middle Eastern flavours surprisingly.”