HISTORY

Amanda is a 54 year old (now 56), chef, creator, traveller. Director of MY TRIBE TYPE.

This is the not so short version because it takes time to become who we are. 

I did a lot of silly things, took risks and made many mistakes. Learned lessons the hard way and created businesses from ideas. 

I was born in 1965 when cars looked like they do in old movies, older ladies wore gloves to town, and food came from farmers and shops, not supermarkets. I grew up for the most part in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, and started cooking very young at 9 years of age. My mother bought me up on Vogue and Architectural Digest and took me to my first restaurants. She cooked quiche Lorraine in the late 60s when people didn't know what it was. My mum, Di, took us to the city more than twice a month and purchased our clothes from David Jones. This was a big thing back in my hometown where most kids I went to school with had never been to town! My grandmother, Jean, bought me an Encyclopaedia Britannica (both versions) and I did my homework from there. Nanna Jean was an intrepid traveller and always came home with exotic gifts and thrilling slightly scary stories. My mother and grandmother were both hairdressers and they always cut my hair at home when I was small. Whenever I was asked what I wanted I always said a horse! Needless to say, I grew up with a passion for food, a love of style and fashion and a yearning for travel. I knew that when I got older I wanted stories to tell, a horse and a really stylish basic black wardrobe! 

Straight after school at 17, I started an arts degree at University, but worked so many late shifts, usually with drinking afterwards, that I never woke up early enough to go class. I worked in many restaurants to save money to go to London to the Cordon Bleu school in 1985. In London, I worked in French wine bars while at cooking school and then went to the USA and did a season in Martha's Vineyard. I travelled across the States looking at food concepts arriving back in Australia to work in big restaurants in Sydney, where you work and play very hard. I saved enough dollars to go back to London and work for Carla Tomassi who to this day is probably the most exciting Italian Chef. I hope I get to see her again one day. I travelled around Europe looking at and eating lots of food. After a couple of years away I went back to Australia via the USA again where I looked at wine regions and more food to my hometown Tanunda in The Barossa Valley. After spending all my money in the States I lived with my mum and looked for a job. Evidently, I was overqualified or they didn't like me and I could not get a job in a kitchen anywhere except washing dishes. An old friend I had cooked for since I was a teenager said, why don't you open a restaurant? Well, because I don't have any money, Robert! So Robert O'Callaghan set us (myself and soon to be husband) up in our first restaurant in Tanunda. It is and was 1918 Bistro and Grill, one of South Australia's first regional food restaurants in 1992.

We specialised in rustic provincial regional food drawing our dishes from the yards and farms of the local Barossans. This regional formula I put together worked and grew to be a success. One year into the business I found myself not with a tummy virus, but a pregnancy. A surprise and the best thing to ever happen to me. Isabella was born on my day off and grew up from a card box under the bench to a toddler in the pantry. We sold the restaurant in 1995.

While Bella was small I lectured and taught Commercial Cookery. Until our second restaurant in a super cute 1860 traditional mud and straw building. It was called the Landhaus. Sitting only 18 people my husband who is today still cooking in the Barossa and is a fantastic Chef did all the cooking and I did everything else, front of house etc. This restaurant gained us critical acclaim from wine folk and food journos from all over the world. 

It was at this point I began to become very unwell. Now knowing I have the MTHFR genetic mutation and autoimmune disease explains a lot to me now. I can look back and know why I was in so much pain, had chronic fatigue and was crying at the drop of a hat. I was about 35 at this point and it took until I was 48 to discover the root cause of my chronic health concerns. My chef-restaurateur lifestyle did not help either. 

After the tiny restaurant, I went on to do a spot of film catering which was an extreme sport and not profitable. Then I went on to food consulting which I still do today. Anything from writing concept menu formulas for new restaurants to dish development styling and food copywriting and article submissions for publication. 

In 2011 I took on the task of being the CEO of one of South Australia's largest farmers’ markets. Overseeing the growth of the institution was an extreme challenge with 130 stallholders and over 5000 visitors in four hours. I delivered several grants and wrote the South Australian Producer Guarantee which was a prototype for the state. During this period I was a regional food judge and did a bout of public speaking about the importance of food and community. It was at this time at 48 I learnt the cause of my ill health for many years. 

In 2016 I started MY TRIBE TYPE which is the culmination of all my food learning, my health journey up and down and my life experience. After discovering the cause of my illness I researched, studied and took on many different protocols to remedy myself. Understanding that there is no cure per se and that the conditions can only be managed to a state where you feel good. I found that adaptogens are my catalyst ingredient. I made all the lifestyle changes recommended but they didn’t work for me until I started to really manage my stress, (cortisol production) with adaptogens. Once my stress protection from taking adaptogens kicked it felt really really good. And for me, this was completely new. I knew there were a lot of people out there who could benefit from what adaptogens can do and I wanted to share this thinking and product with them. 

I applied it to my beauty and skincare as well, as with MTHFR, I don't detox like a normal person, as in I detox at 80% less than a normal person and toxins make me quite unwell. So clean organic skincare is my go-too. With adaptogens, it has an added effect that is a treatment for the skin, mind and body. 

I met my partner, my forever boyfriend Derek in 2011 and we are now Provence Saisonniere. He is doing all the work and I am there with lots of food, styling arty food objects and moral support. This is our love project. We are doing up a French Provence village house of three floors. The house is fully fitted out with original French fare, a very cookable kitchen and loads of style. It is in the best position in a small working village called Apt which is central to all things Provence. The Saturday market sits across our doorstep, so I could not be any closer to it if I tried.  

Now I live between Adelaide South Australia and Apt Provence. I love to shop and cook from the farmers’ market in Apt; really coming full circle, back to food markets and regionality. For myself and my coaching, I design food for hormone support, because at 54, now 56 I need it.

I aim to adapt and have many stories to tell.

A x

February 25, 20

Now we Have a house in Apt, in the heart of the Luberon in Provence.

You are invited to my adventure ‘Cook with me in Provence’. An online DIARY for a fresh French experience. How I became the artist!

Love to see you here! AX

COOK WITH ME IN PROVENCE