The food produced by 2019 West Australian Good Food Guide Chef of the Year Melissa Palinkas has been lavished with praise by reviewers, who describe her food as “inventive, fun, smart, original and drop-dead gorgeous.” Melissa prides herself on running a sustainable kitchen at her restaurant, Young George Bar & Kitchen, making the best use of every part of vegetables and meats and minimising waste and plastic use. Her ‘nose-to-tail’ or ‘root-to-shoot’ approach to cooking means that nothing is wasted – the trimmings of vegetables and meats are used in stock, leftover vegetables are fermented or used for preserves and spent fruit rinds are converted to cocktail bases and house-made cordials. In 2019, Melissa eliminated 95% of single-use plastics at Young George and her new venture, Ethos Deli & Dining Room, opening in 2020, will be 100% single-use plastic-free and feature a zero-waste menu.
Here’s a quick five with Melissa Palinkas to enjoy before checking out the episode of At Home by The West Australian Good Food Guide, that Melissa recently featured in.
1. What are 5 ingredients your pantry is never without?
Tinned tomatoes, lentils and other pulses, salt, pepper, olive oil.
2. What’s your favourite comfort food from your childhood?
Rouladen, a German recipe my mother got from my grandmother.
3. What flavour are you currently obsessed with?
Vegetable ferment liquors with butter. I love using them as a seasoning for my dishes.
4. What do you want someone to cook for you on a night off?
I want my wife Susan’s cooking. She has a repertoire of about 10 dishes, my favourites being her broccoli and cauliflower cannelloni or her eggplant and lentil moussaka. They’re so good!
5. Finish this sentence. It’s not a night in a kitchen without …
The knock off drink at pack down after a massive service! Can I say that?
