FOR THE FOODIES Chef & Author of Home Food Elizabeth’s Top Restaurants: This dish has been described as a marriage of the famous Roman pastas— cacio e pepe, amatriciana, carbonara and alla gricia, with a little sausage cameo. Cafe Paci It never disappoints. The food is creative, bold and full of unexpected combinations that just work. It has a great atmosphere, brilliant service, and every meal feels memorable. 131 King Street, Newtown @cafepaci Joe’s Tavern The food is delicious with just the right touch of nostalgia, the service is exceptional and I just love sitting outside with the atmosphere of the other restaurants. 206 Australia Street, Newtown @joestavernsydney Firedoor I love the simplicity and confidence of cooking over fire. It’s a reminder that incredible food doesn’t need to be complicated—it just needs great ingredients and skill. 23/33 Mary Street, Surry Hills @firedoor_surryhills 08 Elizabeth Hewson’s obsession with food goes back over a decade, sparked by her debut cookbook in 2013 and cemented during a year in Northern Italy, where she completed a postgraduate degree and fell hard for pasta in the process. She spent years as Head of Creative for hospitality group Fink, shaping the profiles of Quay, Bennelong and chefs like Peter Gilmore and Lennox Hastie. Then, her Saturday night pasta ritual, born from a need to quiet an anxious mind, grew into a full-blown movement. Three cookbooks and a pantry range later, her latest book, Home Food, is all about cooking that restores rather than depletes. Your new book Home Food is built around real lives, so what does dinner look like in your house on a typical weeknight? With a 3 and a 6-year-old: chaotic! Some nights it’s a beautiful pasta dish that I’ve thought all day about, other nights it’s something thrown together because everyone is tired and hungry. There’s a lot of pasta, one-tray meals, chicken, mince, canned beans and meals where I can prep something quickly and then get on with the evening. I’m a big believer that feeding people well doesn’t need to mean making something elaborate every night. How did living in Piedmont Italy, shape your approach to cooking? I lived there for a year studying my masters, and it was where I really understood the role food plays in everyday life. That cooking isn’t about perfection or performance; it’s about connection, generosity and bringing people together. That Italian approach still shapes everything I do. I love food that feels generous and achievable. I’m not interested in complicated recipes for the sake of it; I’m interested in food that makes people want to get into the kitchen and cook. Food for the soul. What’s the biggest mistake people make cooking pasta at home, and what’s the fix? I think people underestimate the importance of the pasta water. That starchy, salty water is what helps bring the sauce and pasta together. The fix is simple: salt your water properly, cook your pasta until it’s molto al dente, and always finish your pasta in the sauce rather than just pouring sauce over the top. That final minute of cooking is where the magic happens. If you could teach home cooks one foundational skill, what would it be? Taste as you cook. It sounds obvious, but learning how to adjust seasoning, acidity, salt and texture is the thing that takes someone from just following recipes to actually cooking. Recipes are a guide, but your senses are your best tool in the kitchen. At The Table With Elizabeth Hewson Nikki To @elizabethhewson elizabethhewson.com.au
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