For starters, a Brandy Sour. Then Ugali from Kenya, followed by the renowned Egyptian dish, Molokhia and, after that, BBQ chicken and mango juice. Rose water and pistachio Turkish delight to round things off.
This was the event menu as VBO Australia played host to a live audience recording of Three Food Memories with host, Savva Savas, introduced by Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran. The special guest of the evening was Yasmine Ghoniem, Director of YSG Studio.
Ghoniem explained her food choices, beginning with the Kenyan Ugali dish: “My host family in a Manyata hut in the Maasai Mara served this to me my first night when I was volunteering – age 27.”
With Egyptian heritage, Molokhia was a clear standout. Served over shredded chicken and rice, she says, “[it] always made me feel like I was home in Egypt – my aunt makes it the best.” Meawhile, BBQ chicken and a carton of mango juice refers to the “first meal my dad prepared when we moved from Australia to Kuwait after the Gulf War (age 11).”
Well-known designers from across the industry were in attendance for the night, including panellists from the Habitus and V-ZUG Milan event, Charlotte Wilson (SJB) and Jo Lawless (Lawless & Meyerson).
Camilla Block and Qianyi Lim in conversation with the Powerhouse