Naomi Crisante to serve up a fresh menu at writers festival

Mount Beauty Writers Festival guest author Naomi Crisante will discuss her latest recipe book; ‘Tasteful’, at this Saturday's event. “I’ve been to the Alpine Shire area half a dozen times before, but not Mount Beauty yet,” Ms Crisante said. “I am very much looking forward to it and the road-trip up from Melbourne.” Released in 2022, ‘Tasteful’ features mostly Mediterranean food, including recipes inspired by dishes from Italy, Greece, Spain and Morocco. Ms Crisante is adept at communicating with people through food, operating throughout multiple mediums. “For 40 years now, I’ve been doing a lot of food-related projects: I’ve worked on food styling, recipe development, teaching, writing, as well as hosting master cooking events and online classes," she said. “‘Tasteful’ is really about learning to cook flavoursome food to share in style at the table. “Cooking doesn’t need to be a chore, it’s a way of awakening your senses. “It’s about connecting at the table, eating something you’re proud to present and share with your family and friends and creating food that tastes as good as it looks.” Ms Crisante explained how creating a step-by-step cookbook was a technical writing challenge, as she had to be mindful of the two styles of writing required. “One part is using writing to express my passion for food and to educate and inspire my readers,” she said. “The other part is utilising a different writing skill to convey the instruction half of cookbook writing. “You also have to be succinct: people invest their time, resources and reputations to create and share the food they make with others. “Every word that I write down needs to be accessible and understood by the reader and provide enough information for recipe success." At the moment, Ms Crisante is working on her blog ‘Daylight Dinner’, which focuses on how recipes are adapted for the change of seasons. “With Daylight Savings and the upcoming summer, meals and recipes will become lighter, fresher and the barbeque will come out,” she said. “The repertoire changes as it adapts for the seasons: salads, grilled meats and fresh fruits are incorporated. “The Mediterranean style of cooking really suits Australian palates during summer.” Ms Crisante is also working on a companion dessert cookbook to pair with ‘Tasteful’. “‘Tasteful’ is all savoury,” she explained. “It covers starters, mains, sides and salads. “I’ve been collating my photos and recipes for a companion dessert book over the past year or so. “This next cookbook should come out next year sometime.” When asked what book she was currently reading, Ms Crisante said it was ‘Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life’ written by Anna Funder. “I think this story is really interesting because it’s about the woman behind the man," she said. “She was really quite invisible, but such a huge part of his success. “And it’s an interesting perspective, highlighting the realities of a long-term marriage.” For more information about Naomi Crisante's work, visit: https://www.naomicrisante.com.au/foodcentric/

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