IN CONVERSATION WITH Pip Sumnak

Pip, tell us about your journey into the food world. Where did it begin and how? It has been a roundabout kind of journey, that’s for sure.

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 I grew up on a sheep and rice farm in the Riverin a and was fortunate to know where my food came from and be surrounded by a family who loved eating. My mum is a very natural cook and I do recall cooking a lot in my younger years. Despite this, I didn’t plan a career in food. I completed a Bachelor of Arts degree at Sydney University majoring in modern history and anthropology. It makes me laugh thinking about it now but it was a three-month university work placement in Vietnam which eventually led me into a career in food. The new, spicy flavours and aromatics ignited my senses and, after a few more trips backpacking around the world, food became an obsession. Following a brush with MasterChef in 2013 I began my travels, working as a chef in France, Spain, Indonesia and Fiji. Returning to Australia I spent a year in Mudgee working at Gilberts Winery. The Gilberts allowed me to design a fi re pit and so began the concept of “Food over Fire”, a long immersive lunch sourcing and promoting local produce.