Tag Archives: a table for two

Regular readers may notice one or fifty little changes around The Hungry Australian today. Yes, my blog has had a makeover!

We’ve been working quietly behind the scenes for some time now to make The Hungry Australian much more user-friendly. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for so long and I’m really happy with the results. What do you think?

Behind the scenes there have also been some other big changes that I’ve been dying to share.

Firstly, my blog is now part of the Servved network by Sydney Stockholm. I’m  honoured to be sharing this space with Billy, Cyn and Peter – I’ve been crushing on all these guys’ blogs for years so to be sitting alongside them on Servved is incredible. *pinches self*

When I started The Hungry Australian in June 2011 I could never have imagined all the wonderful opportunities and friendships that blogging would bring into my life. It has been absolutely life-changing for me, in all sorts of extraordinary ways, and I am just so grateful.

One unexpected bonus of publishing my blog is that it’s led to my current career as a freelancer and consultant. Nowadays I work on all kinds of food-related content —  recipes, freelance or copy writing, styling and photography — and digital publishing projects for clients all over Australia and beyond. I’m thankful that my paid work is now at a level that my parents have stopped asking me when I am going to get a real job. They now understand that I have a real job, as odd as it may seem to them.

As my work has grown, so too has the challenge of juggling work, this blog and my two kids – let’s just say that I rarely go to bed before midnight and I have to dose myself with a strong pot of tea in the morning.

So I’m thrilled to be working with Sydney Stockholm who will be managing the commercial side of the The Hungry Australian from now on. Yes, I now carry advertising — you’ll have noticed the single banner at the top of my blog — but it’s contextual and nicely designed. Sydney Stockholm also managed the great redesign of this blog (with a lot of input from me) and look after the technical side of things. This leaves me free to focus on what’s most important to me – the content. I love creating new stories, recipes and imagery to share with you.

So will my blogging style change from now on? Probably. Hopefully. It’s changed over the 21 months since I started this blog and I hope it continues to evolve. What won’t change, however, is my editorial control of my blog. Regular readers will know that I am an unashamed control freak. So while my blogging style will develop as I do, I will always retain 100% editorial control.

Similarly, my personal ethics and integrity remain the same: I will always disclose any sponsorships and I will always blog honestly and from my heart.

I am so grateful to all of you who read this blog and those who take the time to share or comment on my posts. Thank you for your tremendous support. Your feedback and your own food stories inspire me every day.

The Hungry Australian has always been about the pursuit of a delicious life. So I do hope you’ll continue to join me on this food-filled journey – we have lots of exploring and eating to do!

Billy Law is that guy from MasterChef Australia. Or that guy from popular Australian food/photography/travel blog, A Table for Two. Yes, that guy, the cool Asian-Australian with the cheeky grin, infectious energy and fondness for checked shirts.

But now Billy Law is also that guy who published a cookbook.

Have You Eaten? is Billy’s first book and it covers his culinary journey from growing up in Ipoh, Malaysia, to landing in Sydney, Australia and learning to cook. It’s a gorgeous book full of mouth-watering photography, eye-catching design and Billy’s trademark enthusiasm.

Like Billy, my father was born in Malaysia (Penang) and came to Australia to study. So Billy’s book was a poignant read for me as it featured so many great Western dishes as well as Malaysian favourites like Curry Laksa, Har Mee (Prawn Noodle Soup), Nasi Lemak (Coconut Rice) and Char Kway Teow (Fried Rice Noodles).

Curious to learn more about the man behind the book I recently asked Billy a few questions.

Congratulations on your first cookbook, Billy! How did it all come about? 

Thanks Christina! Remember I first met you earlier this year for Tasting Australia in Adelaide? I met my publisher Paul McNally exactly at the same event two years ago and became good friends. I didn’t tell anyone that I was on Masterchef last year, then he saw me on TV cooking up a storm and next thing I know I received an email from Paul asking me whether I’d be interested to write a cookbook with Hardie Grant. The rest is history. It all happened very fast; we started the project in Oct 2011 but then everything has to be put on hold during Christmas season. In Jan 2011, that’s when everything was going ahead in full swing and it took me five months to write, cook, test, photoshoot everything until is finished. It was hard work but rewarding, especially when I have to cook at least 15 recipes a week!

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