Chef to host cooking workshops, pop-up restaurant at Brayton, Southern Tablelands
A much-loved Marulan chef is sharing her passion for cosmopolitan cooking with foodies in an inspiring paddock-to-plate project.
The Bowral News
Don't miss out on the headlines from The Bowral News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Much-loved Southern Highlands and Tablelands chef Dee Ibrahim-Milligan will offer the community more of her soul food when she hosts cooking workshops and a pop-up restaurant in a converted farm shed at Brayton.
Goulburn Mulwaree Council has recently approved plans for the chef, who runs successful catering business Flavours By Dee and food stalls at the Bowral, Bundanoon and Exeter Markets.
The culinary tutorials and restaurant will be held in a rustic setting in a former shed at 20 Canyonleigh Rd.
The exciting venture will have food lovers experience the tantalising flavours of Ibrahim-Milligan’s modern Asian cuisine, giving them the opportunity to learn how to make the recipes from scratch.
Participants can take up the activity for a special occasion or learn how to make Asian fare with the right techniques and basic preparations at home, during group classes to be held at the weekend and potentially during the week.
“For everyone who wants to learn about the flair of mixing spices – my forte – this is for you” Ibrahim-Milligan said.
The pop-up restaurant will open once a month, but it may increase over time, and will take bookings only.
Ibrahim-Milligan will source her herbs and spices from the vegetable gardens on the property.
The paddock-to-plate practice is already familiar for Ibrahim-Milligan, with produce from her own garden picked to make pastes and sauces, which are then bottled and sold online and markets across the community.
Ibrahim-Milligan said her pastes and sauces were traditional and did not include preservatives, colourants, sweeteners, thickeners or other chemicals.
“I collect them (spices and herbs), and crush and blend them, to create all these traditional pastes and sauces with my own twist,” she said.
“People who buy my jars say the pastes smell beautiful but don’t see how I make them from scratch – now I can actually show them.
“It’s nice to know where the food comes from and how it’s being created.
“I would love to share my heritage and history through my cooking with the community.”
The Marulan resident has enjoyed cooking her whole life thanks to her upbringing.
Ibrahim-Milligan was born in Malaysia and is of mixed-heritage, which she credits for inspiring her diverse dishes.
“My mum is half Chinese, and her other half is a mix of Arab and Malaysian. My dad was half Pakistani and half Indian,” Ibrahim-Milligan said.
“Our cooking at home has always been interesting, with bursts of flavours and loaded with fresh herbs and spices.
“My mum makes everything from scratch. She would start by digging things out from her herb garden like galangal, lemongrass, turmeric, kaffir lime leaves, and chilli just to name a few.”
Ibrahim-Milligan also developed discipline in the kitchen thanks to her family.
“I grew up watching my mum cooking and baking, she is a very talented lady, and continues to inspire me even today,’’ she said.
“My mum’s excellent cooking comes from my grandmother – I can’t tell you how strict these two women were in the kitchen. Everything had to be chopped, cut, peeled in certain ways based on the different types of cooking and meals — extremely fastidious — I must say. But that diligence and attention to detail has made me the chef I am today.”
Her upbringing and accumulated knowledge then inspired her to take on a career as a chef.
“Cooking is like falling in love, you should enter fullheartedly or not at all,’’ she said.
“Everything I do in the kitchen is done with an abundance of love and patience and then I transfer that love into the taste of my pastes and sauces.”
The concept behind Ibrahim-Milligan’s cooking is etched in sustainability, and the food from the property is promised to generate minimal waste.
She is also excited to “add value” to the community and is looking to support other local businesses through her work.
Pain game! Stairway to rugby dream for Waratahs young gun
It’s a time he hated with a passion but this painful interlude in Waratahs young gun Henry O’Donnell’s life could well pave the way to his future success in the game. Tahs v Brumbies squads
Major ins/outs at each club: Macarthur RL signings tracker
In the countdown towards another Macarthur Rugby League season we track the keys signings and departures at each club, starting with Campbelltown Collegians.