Frances' Foodie Forays, November 2022

I came to Wagga Wagga expressly to do a cooking class at Food I Am. I have been to quite a few cooking classes and I have to say, today's Seafood Masterclass at Food I Am was one of the best. Head chef and fishmonger, Hannah Blackman, explained in meticulous detail how we were going to prepare, as a group, four dishes:

- White Bait Fritters, with Roast Garlic and Lime Aioli, and Traditional Tartare Sauce;

- Chargrilled Greek Octopus with Ouzo Sauce;

- Singaporean Chilli Crab; and

- Barbecued Whole Snapper in Banana Leaf, with Grape Tomato Salsa.

There were 17 of us, and at four tables we prepared first of all the ingredients for all the dishes. Then we did the cooking, again as a team effort.

The white bait fritters were our entrée, which we enjoyed with a pear salad, and wine, before it was back to the work stations to finish cooking the octopus, crab and snapper. Once cooked, we all sat down again to enjoy the feast (accompanied by bread and more wine), in the appealing adjoining open air dining area, which, perched right on a hill, overlooks Wagga Wagga. The rain clouds actually cleared for a bit so that you could see way into the distance. Spectacular!

Not only was the menu great, but so was the professional and thorough presentation and organisation of Hannah and her team; and the purpose-built venue is like no other.

Food I Am not only does cooking classes, with celebrity chefs, but it also caters for private functions and leads food tours. They also make and sell their own award-winning produce (chutneys, jams, dukkah, pastes, relishes, sauces, oils, pickles, etc). Needless to say, I did not come away empty handed. I also came away with all the recipes for the dishes we made.

Food I Am is a wonderful asset to the Wagga Wagga culinary scene. Quite a few of the people in attendance today were repeat customers and I can see myself being a repeat customer too, as there is not just Food I Am to bring me back to Wagga Wagga, for a break from Canberra. It has been a wonderful few days.