All About the Food! with Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo OAM & Lisa Goldberg

Mama Creatives in partnership with The Jewish Independent is delighted to present 'All About the Food!'

Come and enjoy this experiential panel discussion featuring two incredible women passionate about food; Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo OAM, "a highly respected Gamilaroi Elder, chef, educator, mentor and community leader. An expert in First Nations bush foods, Aunty Beryl has shared her knowledge with chefs from around the world." (SBS)

AND AND Lisa Goldberg - the 'chief pot stirrer' and co-founder of the Monday Morning Cooking Club, co-writing five cookbooks that celebrate food, family and community. In 2023 she produced and hosted Walking Up an Appetite, a YouTube series eating, walking and talking her way across Sydney.

Also includes some tasting and sensory experiences of Indigenous ingredients and Jewish cooking.

EXTRA SURPRISES: There will be giveaways and more surprises in true Mama Creatives style, all to celebrate the power of coming together in a safe space for women to gather, inspire and support each other. 

PLUS the wonderful folks from Gertrude and Alice booksellers will also be joining us so you can buy some amazing cookbooks for yourself and just in time for end of year gifts.

Having access to this type of face to face experience from such experts is an incredible opportunity and value.

About Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo OAM

Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo is an Indigenous Elder and educator, whose career has spanned more than fifty years. She has been an early champion of ‘bush tucker’ cuisine and is now a go-to person for some of the world’s top chefs, including Noma’s Rene Redzepi, who has sought her advice on ways to utilise native Australian ingredients. (SBS News).

After running the cafes Gardener’s Lodge and Biri Biri, Aunty Beryl decided to shift her focus to catering full-time. In 2008 Aunty Beryl launched a catering company Yaama Dhiyaan and now also runs its sister catering company Biri Biri, which launched a few years ago to focus on modern Indigenous cuisine.

Living off the land, "everything was done on the river,” Aunty Beryl explains. “We caught fresh fish, like yellow bellies and river cod and bream. Crayfish – they call them yabbies now. That was our thing. We went swimming in the river, we bathed in the river, we did our washing in the river, and we cooked on an open fire by the river. I remember my mum taking us down to the river to do the washing and me pushing the pram for her. I was the eldest, so I would help with the younger siblings. That’s how we grew up. We grew up with plenty of love, and good health because we lived off the land.” (The Australian Women's Weekly).

Aunty Beryl (below), cooking in her kitchen at NCIE. (See full video from Harris Farms)

Aunty Beryl was recently honoured with a National Gallery portrait, which also honours her work in education and leadership in Sydney's Redfern community.

Aunty Beryl's Cookbook - Heartwarming recipes and stories of First Nations food. A charming and generous cookbook that celebrates culture, community and home cooking.

'As you read and cook from this book, my hope is that you will sense even a fragment of the deep wisdom, laughter, patience and love I have found in Aunty Beryl's company.' Kylie Kwong

Buy Aunty Beryl's cookbook, Murdoch Books

About Lisa Goldberg

Lisa Goldberg is the 'chief pot stirrer' and co-founder of the Monday Morning Cooking Club (MMCC). She grew up in Melbourne, studied and practised law and, after moving to Sydney for love and starting a family, realised she preferred food courts to judicial courts.

Rolling Borekas

Swapping legal briefs for wooden spoons, Lisa has poured herself into MMCC, co-writing five cookbooks that celebrate food, family and community, and building a connected virtual kitchen with her community on social media.

In these difficult times, Lisa has also become a voice for our community on Instagram, using words and videos to speak to the moment, alongside the food.

In 2023 she produced and hosted Walking Up an Appetite, a YouTube series eating, walking and talking her way across Sydney.

EPISODE 1 - HOT BRISKET SANDWICH: Extraordinary Bites from Bondi to Potts Point feat. Sammy Jakubiak

Lisa lives in Sydney with her husband, occasionally feeds their four adult kids and partners, and proudly answers to 'Bubi' from her three grandchildren. You'll find her on social media — mid-bite, mid-recipe, or mid-conversation.

Follow Lisa Goldberg on socials:

Website: Lisa Goldberg

Instagram: heylisagoldberg

Youtube: heylisagoldberg

Website: Monday Morning Cook Club

The Jewish Independent offers thoughtful analysis, intelligent debate and new ideas about life through a Jewish lens.  Their core values are courage, curiosity, diversity, integrity, and justice. These values guide their journalism, community action, and events. With so much news available they offer insightful analysis and quality journalism about Australia, Israel and the Jewish world that breaks through the noise. Read more online, subscribe to their weekly newsletter, listen to their topical podcasts, follow them on socials, or join them at other events like this that bring community together to learn and connect. 

Follow The Jewish Independent on socials:

Facebook: TheJewishIndependentAU

Instagram: TheJewishIndependent

YouTube: The Jewish Independent AU

PLEASE NOTE: These events have all sold out in the past, please get your ticket sooner than later as there will be limited spots. 

At Mama Creatives we have organised an amazing year of events, online and offline - we can't wait to see you!