Nornie Bero: Out and About
Professional Chef, Nornie Bero is a Torres Strait Islander woman hailing from the Komet Tribe of the Mer Island Meriam people. After working in prestigious restaurants for over 20 years in both Melbourne and London, she is more passionate than ever about sharing the ingredients she grew up with.
As well as being an innovative executive chef and founder of both Mabu Mabu and Big Esso, Bero strives to share First Nations food culture with the world at every possible opportunity. She also places a spotlight on native Australian ingredients through her work as a Coles ambassador, columnist for Delicious Mag, and guest appearances on a huge variety of TV shows. In fact, Bero has shown off her culinary skills on everything from Masterchef to Down to Earth with Zac Efron! She even provides professional development and workshops for schools around healthy eating and native ingredients as an ambassador for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.
With the recent release of her latest book ‘Mabu Mabu; An Australian Kitchen Cookbook’, Bero hopes to further her mission to take Indigenous ingredients out of the realm of fine dining and into the everyday kitchen. Throughout it, Bero weaves her story and knowledge of foraging into life-changing recipes. Her wisdom about sourcing and utilising versatile native ingredients is unparalleled.
Bero is a firm believer that acceptance and understanding of different cultures can be best facilitated through food, and this new book is a true testament to her culture-shifting creativity. But it doesn’t stop there for Bero. With her restaurant empire ever-expanding, and her drive to dream big, she is constantly working on new, inspiring projects that will continue to challenge and change the way we understand food. Her passion is infectious, and we can’t wait to see what she cooks up next!
Nornie Bero is an incredible entrepreneur with a powerful story, extensive business know-how and delicious culinary skills to share. Whether you simply want to know more about native spices and sustainable proteins, or be further enlightened with her insights as a First Nations celebrity chef and female innovator carving her own path in the food business, Bero is sure to educate and inspire any audience. She has so much to teach us about entrepreneurship, culture, and how food is the key to bringing us together. We can’t get enough of her new book here at ICMI, and have no doubt you will love it too!