As an historian, you spend a long time by yourself, with musty old books and papers, looking for something special, something important, something no one else knows. 

Most days you find nothing, but the day you do is so exciting it makes it all worth it. When I chanced upon the First Australian Continental Cookery Book I knew I had found something significant. And when subsequent research uncovered that it was the first Italian cookbook published in Australia by Italian migrants who were determined to change Australia for the better, I knew I had a cracking story to tell. And I wanted to share it with as many people as possible. 

As I flicked through the book, and found recipes for dishes like pizza, arancini, panettone and lasagne, recipes that most people would not expect in a 1930s Australian cookbook, I remember thinking how cool it would be to have a dinner based on these recipes. I thought wouldn’t it be great if I could tell the story of the migrants behind the book, and we could eat from the book itself? 

Fast forward quite a few years, and together with the RACV Club and Co.As.It Melbourne, that’s exactly what we did on Saturday night. Executive Chef of the RACV Club Jason Camillo reinterpreted the recipes, adding inspiration from his own Italian family, and cooked a spectacular three course meal for myself and 240 of my closest friends. And we were joined by opera tenor Michael Petruccelli in a celebration of all things Italian and gastronomic. 

To say it was fun is an understatement. I had an absolute ball, met so many lovely people, all with so many stories to share about their own Italian migrant backgrounds and love of food, and I honestly can’t wait to do it all again.