Having worked as a professional chef for more than two decades, Nornie Bero knows her way around a kitchen. But it was growing up on Mer Island in the Torres Strait that taught her the most enduring lessons about food: the value of living in harmony with the land, the versatility of native produce and the creativity inherent in cooking. Now the owner of the Mabu Mabu company and its renowned Melbourne restaurant Big Esso, Nornie continues to spread the word about the bounty of Indigenous ingredients that Australia has to offer – and how they benefit our palates, our pantries and our understanding of who we are.

CARODY CULVER: Your upbringing was central to your relationship with food. Can you tell me what it was like growing up in the Torres Strait with your dad and the role that you played as a kid in nurturing and preparing produce?