COLLABORATION

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” (Henry Ford)

This quote just about sums it up for me. I believe that connecting, sharing ideas and collaborating and awakening our passions, are all ingredients essential to life. Over many years of working with dozens of groups, organisations and business’, these principles have never changed for me.

There is so much happening at The Food Affectionist right now. I am a guest presenter on The Cooks Pantry (Channel 10) and My Asian Banquet (Channel 7), an advisor and in-store pop-up presenter for numerous well known supermarkets and shopping centres. I am also actively working with NDIS students and their families to help make the preparation and cooking of food accessible, joyful and life changing (I adore this work). And, when I’m not doing all that, on any given weekend, you’ll find me sharing my love of culture and cuisine with thousands of eager foodies at some of Melbourne’s largest indoor and outdoor festivals and events.

A big THANK YOU to my support networks. The organisations, brands, program partners, community groups and extraordinary individuals who really are the co-creators of what I do.

Australia has embraced Asian food like no other country. In a very short time, the flavours, ingredients, recipes and cultures of China, Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Indonesia have flourished. Asian Inspirations celebrates this growth and aims to be a hub for lovers of Asian food and culture by sharing recipes, knowledge and experiences. https://asianinspirations.com.au/about-us/ 

Teaching, sharing and witnessing people fall in love with food and cooking is what it’s all about for me. The experiences I’m sharing with these remarkable men and women has revolutionised my outlook toward teaching and food.

I’ve been a program and event partner for Knox City Council for over seven years now. The events staged for the residents of Knox are world class. Thank you to Knox for your continued trust and partnership.

I’ve been working closely with Outer East Food Share whose values align closely with my own. Their mission is, ‘to provide recipient organisations in Outer East Melbourne with better access to a variety of free or low-cost quality food including fresh fruit and vegetables, so that organisations can provide a food service to people in need.

Founder Agatha Ioannou began Emporia Marketing Consultancy in order to help small to medium size businesses identify innovative opportunities and drive profitability.Agatha’s business is all about seeing other businesses grow. It is always good to have a loyal friend who goes above and beyond to invest in your growing business.

There is a small, merry band of friends, family and business support personnel who every day offer their love, wisdom and knowledge, reminding me to be ever grateful for what I have. I am a forever student and I love the food, the time, the recipes and the stories that are being shared with me by this circle of loved ones.

I am currently part of a working committee for a project planned at Westfield Knox. It’s going to be great once it’s all up and running.

Higgs & Co and the Food Affectionist are long time collaborators. We both share a passion for fresh, locally sourced produce that is healthy, nutritious and delicious. The founder and chef behind Higgs & Co. has a heart of gold.

My workshops with Foodie Trails is all about making food a magical cultural experience. You can really travel the world in your own backyard. https://www.foodietrails.com.au/about-us 

Love Food Hate Waste aims to raise awareness of avoidable food waste from Victorian households. Each year Victorian households send over 250,000 tonnes of avoidable food waste to landfill, presenting a financial loss for households and also impacting on our environment. I have been an active supporter and advocate of this program for close to two years now.

Knox Community Gardens Society is a haven in the eastern Suburbs of Melbourne where members can enjoy gardening in a stunning landscape and socialise with many friends of like interests. Here I am a baby green thumb with a keen interest of growing my very own crop of edible weeds, herbs, and whatever seedlings I am given by other friendly fellow plotters. They are great supporters of sustainability and of my baby plot. I am forever grateful to have these garden plotters as my friends from the ground up.

PARENTS OF NDIS STUDENTS

ALISON JOHNS

What a great day when Lillie started teaching my son Ian, who has an intellectual disability, how to cook. She started teaching him how to cook healthy meals when he moved out of home and into independent living. Lillie put a lot of thought and work into giving him step by step recipes with words and photos to follow to make it easier for him. Once a recipe is decided upon she takes him shopping for the various ingredients and teaches him how to shop economically. With Lillie’s great patience and dedication his cooking skills have improved immensely.

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JAN HANOS

Lillie, Just have to tell you the difference you have made to Laura!! She is now on cooking duty, Monday and Wednesday. She chose the recipe, bought all the necessary ingredients and cooked and served it all by herself!  Last night I came home to a completed winter casserole and couscous!! Delicious! You are a star. 

Thank you.

___________

 CHERYL M.

Continue on making a difference as the food angel.

Thank you for everything you have done for Ben (and us) while you’ve been working with him - the skills, the confidence, the arresting of anxieties, the good manners, the balance. You’re more than a cooking teacher - you’re a holistic mentor. Thank you for being a huge part of his achievements thus far. He’s learnt so much from you in so many facets, and I’m sure he’ll continue to draw on all that learning.

FROM OUR COMMUNITY

Heather McTaggart

It has been our pleasure to work with Lillie over the last few years.
She has endeared herself to many students in our cooking courses and inspires them with her outstanding cooking skills and beautiful nature.
Where Lillie shines the brightest is with her strong sense of community support and commitment to assist those less fortunate. Her kind heart and generosity has seen her work with us at emergency relief centres in Knox supporting vulnerable community members utilise donated food hampers to cook healthy and affordable meals.
In recent times she assisted our organisation to provide meals to residents in the Dandenongs impacted by the horrendous cyclonic storm. Lillie then went above and beyond and rallied her own volunteers to create thousands of meals for these communities in need.
Lillie is a superstar and we are so proud to work alongside her.
HEATHER MCTAGGART JP
Manager - The Basin Community House.

TANIA KEREZOVIC

Lillie is truly an inspirational woman. Not only is she passionate about food and cooking but she is also passionate about helping her wider community. She makes cooking a breeze! Nothing is too hard or complex and she is one of the best teachers out there. Having done a couple of amazing cooking classes with Lillie in the past has really given me a drive to create dishes that I wouldn’t usually make. Everyone that comes to one of Lillie’s classes leaves the class feeling enthusiastic and eager to experiment with food. No matter your age or level of cooking experience, Lillie is sure to teach you something new and exciting. The work Lillie does with her community truly shows what Lillie is all about… And that is sharing her passion and knowledge with everyone. 10/10 would highly recommend cooking with Lillie and seeing what she is all about!

KNOX CITY COUNCIL

Lillie has been a long term event partner of Knox for several years now. She has been instrumental in devising and producing consistently innovative community engagement programs that inspire and uplift. The pillars of her work as an educator, chef and Community and Cultural Development Practitioner are all about building social capital, stimulating economies and generating health and wellbeing for the community. Lillie is also an absolute joy to work with.

AUSTBROKERS COUNTRYWIDE

Huge thanks to Lillie for coming into Austbrokers Countrywide for hosting a fabulous Masterchef Challenge for our Enterprise team. Lillie was so super organised, fun and highly knowledgeable. We cooked four delicious dishes with fresh ingredients and thoroughly enjoyed eating it all as well. Many of our staff members commented on what a wonderful time they had and have since been replicating all of Lillie's recipes! Thank-you Lillie, we highly recommend you!

Anne Dalton

Lillie Giang is passionate about cooking and a food master. She is a truly inspirational chef and cooking teacher. I have been a student in Lillie’s cooking classes for the past 18 months and whilst I could already cook Lillie’s classes have taken my cooking skills to a much higher level. The wealth of knowledge she has is amazing she is able to cook any type of food from all different countries and adapt recipes to all dietary requirements. She has taught us knife skills, cooking within a budget, how to use the ingredients already in your kitchen, how to substitute ingredients in recipes and how to make recipes healthier. I have learnt recipes that I would never have attempted on my own. We always have input into the following weeks recipes which allows us learn recipes we have always dreamed of making.
Lillie is well known within the Knox and local communities which is her community. She spent many weekends as a volunteer cooking for the residents affected by the Kalorama storm damage and has also been cooking up a storm during COVID making free meals weekly for Aussies doing it tough.

She is inspirational in increasing people’s cooking skills from all backgrounds and capabilities giving them the confidence to take their skills to a new level in a friendly, engaging and fun environment.

MELBOURNE VINAYAGAR TEMPLE

Lillie, thank you and your team for giving us an opportunity to take part and show case our kitchen under " DOSA VARIETIES FROM BASIN TEMPLE.” It was your perseverance, dedication and your mannerism that made us feel much more comfortable during the demo. The credit goes to you. Without you my team and I would not have made this such a success.

CURIOUS CHARLIE

This evening we were delighted to attend a 'Home Style Vietnamese Cooking' Class in the cafe kitchen of Two Kings Cafe, at Bentleigh Station, hosted by The Food Affectionist, Lillie. A chef of Cantonese and Vietnamese descent, growing up in Vietnam, she's an expert on all things fresh, delicious and balanced, while never compromising on flavour (there's no kale here :P). With 25 yrs of experience in the kitchen she just knows how much of what to pop into the pot, without measuring it - something I see as a magical skill. Lillie's an amazing instructor with plenty of knowledge and experience in asian cooking (she's been cooking for longer than I've been alive :P). We learnt so much, observed speedy knife skills (where no one got hurt) and overall had an educational but fun time.

ANNA GOULD

Lillie Giang is a passionate, warm and experienced teacher. She brings her knowledge of food and cooking to people of all ages and abilities. Lillie insists on making her classes fun and accessible. She is generous with her time, imparting skills, and empowering students. She has given me the confidence to try new recipes in the kitchen and learn by doing. I would highly recommend her.

Inspirational Chef

 When I first started Chef Lillie’s on-line Zoom cooking classes I thought of myself as a competent cook.  I regularly shared recipes with friends and had a huge range of acquired cookbooks from over the years.  However, until Chef Lillie’s classes I didn’t realise that cooking could be so much more fun, fulfilling and less stressful.  

 I also didn’t realise that there was so much to learn about cooking!  Chef Lillie oozes inspiration and provides so much encouragement to get creative, teaching you that the recipe is only a guide, make your own signature dish by taking it to the next level!  I learnt so many valuable tips!

So far, I’ve learnt: 

-       New food prep skills

-       Innovative ways to substitute foods

-       Techniques to be more resourceful

-       Ways to waste less food

Lastly, since cooking with Chef Lillie I have newly found time management skills, which give me the confidence to dish up beautiful restaurant style dishes to my family or friends!  My family have commented on how my Asian dishes are just as good from a restaurant or even better!

Chef Lillie, Thank you!  Making meals are no longer a chore but a delight to create. It’s provided me with a new focus to grow my own herbs and veggies. 

Karin Absolom

Cooking Student