How Food sensation Nagi Maehashi from RecipeTin Eats fame is changing FIFO diets

Food sensation Nagi Maehashi says her quick and easy recipes have become a hit with WA’s FIFO community, who are sick of what is served up in the dry mess.

The RecipeTin Eats blog star shared her surprising fan base as she touted WA’s restaurants and natural food produces after touching down for a star appearance at The Good Food & Wine Show at the Perth Convention Centre on Thursday.

Maehashi, who, along with her famous sous chef retriever Dozer have clocked up a million followers, said a FIFO worker stopped her at Perth airport to reveal they are now eating fresh food because of her portal.

“I really love my readers in Perth because there is such a big mining industry,” Nagi told PerthNow.

“There are a lot of people in the mining industry that use my recipes. I add freezing instructions and transportability. The FIFOs are loving that. Some people will prepare food in advance or love the quick and easy recipes because of minimal cooking facilities in accommodation.”

The star, who won Book of the Year and Illustrated Book of the Year for her debut cookbook RecipeTin Eats: Dinner, added, “It still allows them to cook great food. I love hearing stories like that. I bumped into someone at the airport that was telling me that. They said, ‘I have been making your food, the simplicity of it!’”

Nagi touts WA as inspiration for her simple recipes.

“My corporate job at head office was in Perth. I used to come quite regularly,” she said. “I have to be boring and say everybody knows that the wine here is the best in Australia.”

She added, “You know you have the best barramundi in WA. Absolutely. I made a trip down the Fitzroy River through the Kimberley. A three-week paddling trip with some friends before COVID. It is so untouchable. Every day we were catching barramundi. Every day at sunrise and sunset, there would just be rushes of Barra coming down the river, so we ate fish and Sashimi for breakfast. Fish for lunch and dinner. It is, to this day, the best fish I have ever had in the world. I have travelled to Japan quite a lot, and I have had delicious sushi. There is nothing like the Barra from the crystal clear waters of the Kimberley. It’s incredible. We will never forget that.”

She is also taking home ideas and inspiration from our restaurant scene.

“Last night, I was at Lulu La Delizia — an Italian restaurant in Subiaco. It had this beautiful artichoke starter. I don’t even know how to cook artichokes from scratch. It was so simply prepared and beautiful, and I will now go home and teach myself how to cook an artichoke,” she said, adding her ideas, “It can be anywhere. This sounds daggy, but quite often, I will be in the grocery store at the end of weekends and see the frozen prepared meals, the pies and the curries, and I will look it and go home and make it. It’s disgusting. Just go home and make it! It’s so easy. I do get ideas from grocery stores. It’s just not the same if you buy it frozen.”

The Sydney-sider said the expo is “my chance to chat to local producers and discover some new things, learn about produce here.”

Explaining the event to foodies and non-foodies, Maehashi said, “It’s a great day out to discover local produce, new produce and a chance to try them as well. Everyone loves free food and drink. You get to do a lot of tasting. They have little stands where you can learn things like knife skills, different ways to use cheese, and hot sauces that are made locally. It’s great for getting new ideas for cooking things in the kitchen. There’s a baking stage and another stage where they have demos from chefs all day. It’s so great to watch the pros. Non-stop action.”

She’ll be busy noting down her own fresh ideas.