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Ministry of Food
It was an amazing privilege to be asked to design Jamie Oliver’s Ministry of Food Community Kitchen in Ipswich. To have had a little tiny part of Jamie’s worldwide crusade to inspire people with the joy of cooking was a great honor. I am very proud of the ‘Greener’ Community Kitchen I created with the help of many of my brilliant suppliers and tradie mates. I could go on and on but I wrote a little message to all who use the kitchen that hangs on the wall of the Ministry that really says it all, it reads:
“The Ipswich Ministry of Food Kitchen has a bit of a story to tell. We have made a very healthy kitchen for you to cook healthy food in. By healthy we mean the kitchen is made of genius materials that have less of an environmental impact and do not let off unhealthy fumes (which sadly is not the case for most kitchens).
There are responsible, recycled, rescued and reused elements all around you. For instance, the beautiful chunky timber island bench over there has been made from retired telegraph poles from around Ipswich. Inside the cupboards are all different colours because we blew the dust off a scratch and dent pile of boards and used them, when they would normally be thrown out. The white cupboard doors look normal, but they are a fabulous chain of custody material that everybody should use in their kitchen to help protect the world’s forests. These are just some of the wonderful stories of the Ministry Kitchen.
But the most special story about the Ipswich Ministry of Food Kitchen is that it has been created out of donations of time and material. There were a bunch of companies and people who wanted to make a healthy kitchen in support of you and what you are doing here, sort of their version of ‘passing it on’. A great big thank you to them all.
The kitchen was designed and specified by Druce Davey of local firm Greener Kitchens and Bathrooms and made with the help of Philip Booth Cabinetmakers, Kennedys Classic Aged Timbers, Gunnersens, Lincoln Sentry, Glassy Conditions, Rockcote Paints, Brisbane Granite and Marble, Brady Marine and Civil, Alpine MDF, Sharps Plywood and our fabulous student designer, Hayley Witt from QUT.”
I also have to add a few people who I would like to personally and specially thank. A massive thanks to Alicia for all of her belief and support, Daniel for being the best Project Manager in history, Philip for making it happen and beautifully, Joey for his brilliant work and bag of tricks, Glynnis for making it possible, Michael for saying yes without hesitation, Laura for her kind words, my family (including Audi and Hayley) for picking up a brush with me and putting some love into it and Andrea whose encouragement was an inspiration.
To enrol in the Ministry of Food classes (I thoroughly recommend it!) visit www.jamieoliver.com/jamies-ministry-of-food-australia
