The saying keeping it in the family, couldn’t be more spot on with what’s going on in the Yo’ (Banyo for those who aren’t hip and cool enough) at the moment.

First we had the new decor and gift shop Ideology open up (thank goodness!) and now we have a wonderful deli, cafe, restaurant, cooking school and just general cool place to hang.

A few weeks ago celebrity chef Dominique Rizzo opened Putia Pure Food Kitchen, Pantry, Cooking School at Banyo (across from the train station) which is mighty handy when I’m grabbing early morning coffee).

To celebrate the opening of her new deli, I had a chat with the lovely Dominique about her new venture, why Banyo and what is in store…read below. Very exciting stuff, and did I mention the yummy focus on gluten free items…

Why Banyo?

Well I live just off St Vincents Rd. My brother lives next door to me with his wife who owns Ideology (next door to Putia) so it is a bit of a family vibe.

I love the suburb and love that it is so handy to everything. I have been living here for about four years now and it is so convenient for me for travel, work, and now I am five minutes from my amazing new place.

Also I love all of the parks, Nudgee Beach, the wetlands, there is so much around here you just need to scratch the surface a little and the community and locals are so friendly.

What is the idea/concept for the store?

The concept of “Putia” is a multi purpose space for dining, learning and creating. I will be running cooking classes and a series of fantastic lifestyle workshops that include food, gardening, health, nutrition, art, eating for vitality, vegetarian, Spanish, Italian and all sorts of other cuisines.

We will also be open for breakfast and lunch from Wednesday to Sunday and dinner on Friday and Saturday nights leaving the other evening for private dinners/events, workshops, cooking or tasting events and demonstrations. I also have a fantastic backyard area that will also be able to be used for hire, functions, weddings, Christmas parties and where we will be setting up the “Farm to Table Outdoor Kitchen”.

The kitchen space will also be able to be hired out for cooking/kitchen productions for advertising, cooking videos and also food styling and photography. I have an amazing team of creative photographers, stylists and chefs so really this is an every changing space that I purposely built to cater for many different avenues of food.

Tell me the meaning behind the name Putia.

Putia is the old Sicilian dialect word for family run or corner shop where you would buy food and food products. It comes from the Spanish word Bottega which is where you would buy food and wine. The name reflects my Sicilian heritage and my passion for taking tours to Sicily, which I have been doing for the past three years. My love of Sicily and the diversity of the influences on the food and cuisine, which include influences from Spain, Greece, France, Morocco, North Africa, Arab and the Americas so the name really encompasses many details about my culture and the foods I love to cook.

You have so many facets to what you do, ie cooking appearances, tours, cooking schools, travel groups etc What is your favourite? OR do you still prefer or feel the happiest when cooking at the stove?

Well to be honest about 14 years ago, I decided to focus and work in the areas of food that I love the most. All of the facets to my working life, that you have listed, are what I love doing so it isn’t really work at all.

They are all entwined into each other and fulfil me in so many different ways, but yes I missed the aspect of working with a team with a common goal and being the creator of something that has a deeper meaning using food and creating something that I can share with others.

It is the greatest gift to be able to share something your have with others especially when it brings such pleasure and joy.

For me the joy of cooking is behind feeding people that I love and cherish, why did you first get into cooking?

I started at the age of 21 and it wasn’t something that I had always wanted to do. I just kind of fell into the path and then I allowed it to lead me and even now it leads me. I just keep following and creating more avenues to flow into. I created a motto or saying when I first started my business “Pure food cooking – through the sharing of food you share life and one is never lonely or hungry”… and this is what drives me.

I love sharing what I do with others.

Tell me what you have planned for the store?

Next year will be really exciting with new retail lines. I have my own range of kitchen/garden hand and body scrubs coming out, which I can’t wait for and will keep you posted on the rest – you will have to sign up for the newsletter to find out.

How has your cooking or recipes changed when you first started out?

Well, now of course, I am quicker and have more ideas, and I am really focused on making recipes easy for people to replicate at home, giving them simple ideas and inspiration especially to include more salads, vegetables , grains, seeds, spices and herbs into their diet.

Anything else you want to add?

I have a wonderful Sicilian food tour I am running in 2016, which is a sublime tour of Sicily sampling all of the amazing food wine, sights and sounds of Sicily and the Aeolian Islands. If anyone is interested, contact me on my email info@dominiquerizzo.com.

Check out her great website for more details www.dominiquerizzo.com.

Photo borrowed from Dominique Rizzo