STACEY Gordon knew early on she wanted to be a chef.
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Having grown up in her family’s butchers shops, Gordon said she could tie sausages and pre-pack meat by about age 8.
“My family always had butcher’s shops and we always had lots of food-oriented gatherings,” she said.
“Food is a celebration; it brings people together.
“You share a part of yourself with people through making food.”
She finished high school on the Border before starting her chef apprenticeship at The Commercial Club in Albury and working in Tasmania and overseas.
She joined in the kitchen at Wodonga restaurant La Maison Cafe – where she is head chef – a little more than a decade ago.
At the time she was a new mum to Tahlia, now 10, with her husband, John.
“The business is small and intimate and everyone gets a go of everything,” Gordon said.
“We have a lovely culture and environment and that goes all the way from the kitchen to the dining table.”
What's your favourite spring dish?
I like fresh salads coming into spring and anything with South East Asian flavours any time.
What's your favourite season?
Spring
What are the staples in your pantry now?
Garlic, ginger, chilli, fish sauce, oyster sauce and hoisin sauce.
What is your earliest cooking memory?
Big family gatherings for birthdays, Christmas and Easter. I have a big, extended family. The food was nothing fancy but always honest. Big roasts and barbecues. In winter there was always a pot of soup or a pot of jam or a pot of something on my grandparents' wood stove.
Which ingredients do you grow yourself?
Always herbs; I'm a herb junkie. Chilli. My dad grows kale and beans.
Which six people would you invite to dinner?
My family.
What is your favourite foodie ritual?
Before family, I'd like to find a good restaurant and have a good bottle of wine. Now I enjoy cooking with my daughter; I'm pretty much her kitchen hand!
What are you bingeing on TV? If anything.
The Vampire Diaries
What did you have for dinner last night?
Crispy-coated chicken and salsa in wraps
What are you drinking at the moment?
I had an amazing finger lime tea I found at the Fine Food Australia trade exhibition in Melbourne.
Details:
La Maison Cafe,
40 Lincoln Causeway, Wodonga
Phone: (02) 6023 1122