9
Introduction
Do you ever feel anxious? I do.
It’s so easy to fall into the trap of anxiety –
that all too familiar, all-consuming and
often paralysing state of being.
Like many people, I have struggled with
work–life balance throughout my career.
It is a complex matter, especially for those of
us who live to work, rather than work to live.
Emotional attachment can make work a major
part of your identity. That’s not necessarily
a bad thing, but the danger is allowing it to
take over your identity completely.
Whether we like to admit it or not, self-doubt
and the need for approval from others can
take over if we are not careful. For a long
time, my sense of self was based on my
performance, my productivity and how others
perceived me. Anxiety was the result – and
it still comes in moments. Writing this book
has found me once again asking myself,
‘Am I good enough?’
I thought I had these feelings in check until
a couple of years ago, when again I felt that
I was losing control. All of a sudden, a
stressful work situation exacerbated my
anxiety, leaving me crippled by a constant
state of worry. I would panic and overthink
situations to the point where I lost my
condence. I would wake up throughout the
night with my mind racing. Even getting out
of bed in the morning became a challenge,
my head lled with trepidation at the thought
of the day that lay before me. I found myself
turning to all the recommended methods of
coping – exercise, yoga, I even bought
a puppy to try to calm my nerves. But in
the end, what it took was the simple act
of making pasta.
_
I have always counted myself lucky to
have discovered my interests early in life,
establishing a love for food and restaurants
while at university. This appetite pushed me
to seek out a job where I got to work with
some of the most creative minds in Australian
hospitality. I thrived and it drove me to be
productive and ambitious, always hungry to
learn more about food. But I was also restless,
Iwanted to experience more and so decided
to broaden my horizons.
I have always felt a strong connection to
Italy– its soul, warmth, traditions – and it was
a culture I wanted to immerse myself in; a spirit
I wanted to absorb. Never one to do things by
halves, I signed up to do a year-long Masters
degree in food culture and communication
at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in
Piedmont, the birthplace of the Slow Food
movement. I packed my bags and headed to a
small town in Italy’s northwest, leaving behind
a great job, my ancé Tom and a comfortable
existence. For some reason, a leap into the
largely unknown felt just right.
The course was comprehensive, exploring
food through multiple lenses, such as law,
sustainable agriculture, philosophy, tourism,
anthropology, chemistry, history and