What’s My Story? Flavours of Freo

Whatever else you don’t do, don’t miss these Flavours of Freo Dinners. Book now!

As students in the Theatre Arts program at John Curtin College of the Arts (then just a senior high school), my friends and I would meet regularly for coffee at Papa Luigi’s on South Terrace. Back in the early 80s, Papa’s wasn’t ‘old’, it was the original. And it was the place to meet and be seen, to soak up some Mediterranean culture and enjoy a little bit of the alfresco lifestyle that would eventually spread through the rest of Fremantle and Perth.

In the years that followed, which took me to London, Papa’s was my standard as far as good coffee was concerned. In all of London I was amazed I could only find one Soho café that stood up to that standard!

Fremantle for me has always been a place where food culture is an obviously fundamental part of the broader culture. Seafood, olives, pasta, coffee – these are now staples of Fremantle life, both at home and in public places.

Sharing culinary stories has therefore always been a part of what I hoped to do with Totally Lit. Food – whether it’s on the plate, in books, in kitchens and homes, or available to forage in the environment – has so many stories to tell.

In this first Totally Lit festival (because, of course, we hope there’ll be more festivals to come) we have a culinary storytelling focus on two quintessentially Fremantle ingredients – seafood and spice.

I’m not sharing any new news when I say Fremantle and seafood are synonymous. The port city’s connection to the river and ocean are, quite literally, fundamental to its identity and so it was a no-brainer that Totally Lit should amplify these relationships through both the written word and stories shared on the plate.

I couldn’t be more thrilled that WA’s acclaimed Chef Paul ‘Yoda’ Iskov and the Fervor team accepted our invitation to be a part of the Totally Lit experience and to bring their culinary magic to the festival, with two ‘Scale to Tail’ degustation dinners on 3 and 4 October. Both evenings, taking place on the balcony of the Maritime Museum, will feature dishes inspired by Scale to Tail, the book Chef Paul has co-authored with marine biologist Jordan Goetze. Sustainable seafood is at the heart of both the book and the meals. Carefully paired with wines from Plantagenet Wines and a pre-dinner cocktail from Republic of Fremantle, these will be evenings destined to be talked about.

‘Spice’ is another strong theme running through Fremantle’s history and, therefore, through Totally Lit. In the early days of the Swan River Colony the Port of Fremantle was the gateway to the Asian spice trade, regularly welcoming East India Company ships, such as the brig Emily Taylor. To celebrate these connections Totally Lit has invited one of Surabaya’s most exciting chef/entrepreneurs, Chef Derian, to join us for one night only, 28 September at Emily Taylor Bar & Kitchen,to create a specially curated meal telling stories of the food that connects Western Australia with our nearest neighbour.Chef Derian is a true storyteller and, without doubt, his menu will demonstrate this.

So selamat makan, bon appétit, and tuck in!

By Sharon Flindell, Totally Lit Curator/Producer