Five minutes with Belinda Neame, The Forage

Who are you?

I’m Belinda Neame, the founder of The Forage. I’m the Mum to two adult children and wife of an ACT Fire & Rescue worker, and I have an 85 kg English Mastiff called Gus.

How did you get involved in the hospitality industry?

I had a little cupcake shop called Cherry Seed in the historic Ginninderra Village. I opened it in 2007 when my kids were little, and I was looking at getting back into work. I’ve always been very creative and always loved to bake.

Tell me about The Forage

It’s Canberra’s original street food market. I’d started to think about different ways to get local businesses like mine a real-life platform to advertise their product directly to the foodie market. Foot traffic was a bit of a struggle in that area, and I’d also been inspired by the street food scene in Adelaide, so in 2014, I decided not to renew the lease on Cherry Seed and create a street food market!

Did you have a dream job as a kid?

I wanted to be an English teacher, but I was a shocking student – I think a lot of creative people struggle with the mainstream curriculum. It doesn’t suit people who are practical learners and have a creative mind.

What’s an underrated Canberra venue that you love?

I’m all about those hidden gems. One that we love for takeaway is Spice Affair in Casey. It’s just the best: we probably get takeaway at least once a fortnight! They have really amazing chicken madras and beef rogan josh, and their naan is to die for!

Who do you admire in the Canberra food scene?

I’m a huge fan of Andrew Duong from Miss Van’s. It’s such a wonderful story connecting back to his Grandmother and you know the food there is coming from the heart. He’s also a really great guy. He’s been so supportive of me and gives me a kick up my bum when I need it!

I also really love Kim and Jay from Lolo and Lola – two of the most genuine people, and their restaurant also connects back to their family and culture. When you walk into that place, the atmosphere blows me away, and they bring their community wherever they go.

I feel bad picking favourites, but those three have been such a massive part of the Forage story since the beginning.

Where’s the best place to have a drink in Canberra?

Dear Prudence at Verity Lane. My family often meet there after work for a really great wine and my husband Tim gets a beer.

Who is your dream dinner party guest, and what would you make them?

I always wished I had the opportunity to get to know my Grandma as an adult – she passed away when I was a teenager, and I never really connected with her. I remember her making pastry from scratch for an amazing apple pie. And she loved a good, strong cup of tea, but it was always really hard to get it right.

So, if she were here, I’d love to make dinner with her, learn her pastry recipe and finally get that cup of tea right!

What is your current food obsession?

I’m currently addicted to a really good smoked salt with chilli in it. I’m literally using it on everything: roasting veggies in a salad, and it’s great on a steak with a bit of pepper.

What’s the best thing you ate this week?

My parents are semi-retired, and they cook for us once a week when we’re busy. It’s pretty funny. They give us a sheet with dishes to choose from, and there are all these rules: “You must be in by Sunday night, or you miss out!” So Tuesday night was Dad’s curry, which was bloody great.

When you can’t be bothered to cook for yourself, where do you go and what do you eat?

There’s a little place called Pop Pizza at our local shops in Fraser and their pizza is ah-mazing. We just order online and walk down to collect it. I’m glad they seem to be doing well even though they’re not that well known outside the suburb.

I’m a huge fan of Canberra’s suburban shops, and it would be great to see some more come back to life. It’s actually the only shop open in Fraser at the moment.

Where have you been travelling recently?

We just spent a weekend in the Hilltops at Young and Boorowa. We love going on road trips to little historical towns like Carcoar near Orange, which is the most beautiful destination: tiny and unassuming but beautifully kept, and the local restaurant Antica is amazing.

Tell me something you love about living in Canberra

I really love the community here. I remember running an event a few years back with three Canberra chefs as well as a guy from Sydney who was blown away that we had all these people from different businesses collaborating: he said that would NEVER happen in Sydney because there was just so much competition.

I love that people are so ready to work together here: you just need to put yourself out there and see what happens.

What are you watching right now?

We’re pretty sports-mad, especially basketball. We don’t watch a lot of TV but the Olympics was a big thing for us. So we’re definitely looking forward to the Paralympics.

An easy one to finish – what’s your go-to coffee order?

Just a straight latte.

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