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Food & Travel

Mama Mia! Fabulous new Italian restaurant opens in iconic Wollongong location

It’s been a remarkable month for two of our region’s most loved restaurateurs. July kicked off with Maria Luciani and Keana Lufe winning the 2025 Outstanding Restaurant Award at the Illawarra and South Coast Local Business Awards. On Saturday night...

All aboard to enjoy this Wollongong couple’s music-themed holiday of a lifetime

Everyone has their own dream of undertaking the trip of a lifetime. A luxury cruise perhaps. A wildlife safari. Getting close to nature at the pristine Galapagos Islands. The Illawarra Flame has uncovered details of the most remarkable ‘themed...

Hundreds to join urban growing boom on Illawarra Edible Garden Trail

Garden gates will swing open across the region this spring as the Illawarra Edible Garden Trail returns for its third year.

Tyneesha Williams

UOW professor enlists Food Warriors in gardening program for students

Thirroul’s Professor Karen Charlton is on a mission to make the food systems of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven “more sustainable, healthy and equitable” for growers and consumers.

Tyneesha Williams

Kiama Farmers’ Market set to move over winter

Kiama Farmers’ Market is preparing for a temporary move from its prime location at Surf Beach to allow Kiama Council to rehabilitate the damage done by tidal storm surges in early April. “The park was a mess of sand, debris and fish on the...

Food, recipes and friendship exchanged at Unanderra Crop Swap

Monthly crop swaps across the Illawarra are connecting locals with more than free fruit and veg. Ester Neyers, who runs the Unanderra Crop Swap, says the events are a great way for people to connect with their local community.

Tyneesha Williams

Wine is still Australia’s most popular alcoholic drink – but many producers face an uncertain future

This trend isn’t confined to Australia; it is global. The decline reflects cost-of-living pressures, growing health concerns about alcohol, and Gen Z questioning traditional drinking norms

The Conversation

Impact Hour group toasts to local, sustainable food at Tarrawanna meetup

On Tuesday, May 6, Impact Hour Illawarra hosted a sustainability meet-up and ideas exchange at Reub Goldberg Brewing Machine, Tarrawanna. About 40 people attended the event, eager to learn about local, sustainable food.

Tyneesha Williams

Community-run food co-ops can reduce food insecurity and boost healthy diets, research shows

By co-ordinating their orders, members can reduce food costs, limit packaging waste, and avoid supermarket markups. Co-ops can also help lower transport emissions by reducing long supply chains

The Conversation

The Brooke Bellamy accusations join a long tradition of cookbook scandals – from Belle Gibson to bone broth formula

Issues with recipe plagiarism have been around for a long time. In the 1980s, a legal stoush ensued between Richard Olney and Richard Nelson

The Conversation

Thirroul Co-op volunteers share their passion

By Mark Fetterplace On a blustery but beautiful summer’s day, the Flame Tree Food Co-op had a morning tea get-together of their wonderful volunteers on the grass behind the Thirroul Surf Lifesaving Club. There was a fantastic community spirit...

The Illawarra Flame

Earth Walker & Co: From cafe to cultural haven

By Emma Maggs A cafe in the heart of Coledale, Earth Walker & Co. is embarking on an exciting new chapter under the creative vision of founder Ciara Kulmar. Many locals in the area have borne witness to the changes and are enjoying the new...

Around the world in Wollongong: 11 foodie favourites to visit this Harmony Week

This diversity of culture has contributed a rich variety to local cuisine and the Illawarra is home to specialist supermarkets to purchase ingredients for home cooking.

Here’s who topped the rankings in this year’s scorecard for sustainable chocolate – and which confectionery giant refused to participate

The Gender award went to Mars Wrigley – which produces Mars, Snickers, Twix and Malteasers – recognising the company for work supporting gender equality

The Conversation

Cosa Nostra sale will mark the end of a local dining era

The big news on the Wollongong restaurant scene this week is that one of the city’s most popular Italian restaurants, Cosa Nostra, is on the market. After decades, cooking and serving meals in Wollongong, Cosa Nostra owners, Neve and Giorgio Piras...

Pagan loaves, Christian bread, a secular treat: a brief history of hot cross buns

In some ancient cultures, bread was more than just food. It was a symbol of faith. Ancient Greeks baked small round loaves marked with crosses to honour their gods. According to some historians, these marks could represent the four seasons or four...

The Conversation

What’s the difference between Hass and Shepard avocados? It’s not just the colour

We now know that a majority of this fat is oleic acid, a monounsaturated (healthy) fat that helps to reduce cholesterol and improve heart health

The Conversation

Thirroul’s Flame Tree Food Co-op to open at 9am weekdays in 2025

Flame Tree Community Food Co-op is a community owned non-profit food grocer in Thirroul, on Lawence Hargrave Drive close to the train station. Our aim is to source local organic produce, support local growers and producers, offer high quality fresh...

The Illawarra Flame

Top Thai chef returns to Black Duck Bistro

After a year off, Aksarapak Chotikasathira (known to everyone as Kay) has recently made a welcome return to the kitchen at The Black Duck Bistro at Wombarra Bowlo. “I had cancer, and last year I dropped all my work to concentrate on getting...

The Pines Kiama opens pop-up farm shop

After years of frustration, Mahlah and Kel Grey of The Pines Kiama are finally able to open their dairy farm to the public thanks to changes to state rules promoting agritourism. “We’ve always wanted to be able to have people visit our farm to...

Lili J Cafe sisters plan pop-up nights in fresh space

Evolution continues at Lily J Sisters Raquel and Meni Jaque are excited by the opportunities that are now possible at their much-loved Lily J Café. Originally confined to two rooms of an old florist shop on Corrimal Street, April saw them finally...

Julia Child’s France, pig slaughter in Portugal and a culinary detective: 5 delicious food writing classics

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article

The Conversation

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