ISSUE 15 | Three chefs talk memories and meals.

ISSUE 15 |  MAY 2026

YOUR WEEKLY PAUSE

This week we’re discussing: the power of nourishment in unlocking our memories, Erewhon’s latest collab that’s designed to power you post-run, and how to add more whimsy to your day.

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ON X EREWHON COMBINE FORCES FOR RUNNER'S HYDRATION.

Over the weekend, Swiss running brand On and LA-based grocer Erewhon teased a collaboration that’s set to span across multiple years. As a first touch point, the pair have co-created a juice for post-run hydration and nourishment. Designed to promote recovery post-run and extend the partnership beyond performance and into a holistic wellness experience.

THE GOOD FOOD & WINE SHOW HITS MELBOURNE THIS WEEKEND.

In case you hadn’t picked up on it yet - this week’s issue is focused on all things ‘nourishment’. This weekend, the Good Food & Wine Show will be landing in Melbourne’s South Wharf for 3 days. Over the last 25 years, this festival has been a way to celebrate flavour, creativity and craft. As we’ll discuss today, the link between food, our senses and memory is so strong. So why not go ahead and celebrate that?

Taste has the power to transport. Smell has the ability to take you to a memory that you’d forgotten. A Sunday roast might remind you of your mum. Freshly baked scones remind you of your nanna. But it’s not so much the act of remembering them that feels so strong, it’s a memory that appears involuntarily and you remember specific points in time that feel so present in your mind. Nourishment then becomes more than fuel for life, but it becomes an anchor for memories of the past. 

The interconnection of memory, mind and our senses has long been studied by researchers and psychologists. According to the National Library of Medicine, these memories can be activated by the senses, and they can be the most influential and potent for a person to experience. This is known as the ‘Proust Effect’. 

The Proust Effect elicits what’s called ‘autobiographical memories’ as a result of activating your senses, such as smell or taste. The memories that come as part of the Proust Effect have been shown to have an even more positive emotional profile than nostalgic memories created by other means. It’s also been shown that scent-evoked and food-evoked nostalgia help unlock enhanced self-esteem, feelings of social connectedness, and deeper meaning in life. 

Physiologically, neurologically and psychologically (quite the tongue twister to say out loud!) food creates a connection to underlying feelings of nostalgia, and that’s why we often return to favourite dishes at family celebrations to honour the memories of home. Unconsciously, we use cooking as a way to connect with our pasts, and to bring us back to our homes. 

We asked three chefs for their view on nourishment connecting their memories to home, and how it’s such a powerful tool to ground our emotions with positive memories. Aley Weymouth is a private chef and the creator behind @boujee2basicbites. Nourishment for her is about taking her back to her ‘safe space’ in life. “For as long as I can remember now, the kitchen and food that's prepared in it has always been the beating heart of my home and the homes of others I now cook in as a private chef.

At home, the kitchen is my safe place. The rhythm I slide into when I'm cooking is a form of comfort and therapy for me. If I've had a good day, cooking is a way to unwind. If I've had a bad day, cooking is a way to forget. To the person who views cooking as a chore this might sound at best - strange, at worst - crazy, but I believe it's more than just a necessary evil to fuel our bodies, it's an artform and an act for the soul.”

For chef Jimmy Chews (aka James Stewart), food is a vehicle for driving memories of loved ones around the dinner table. “Only recently this summer my family and I cooked dinner together and one of my cousins remembered my late grandmother's honey soy chicken recipe, a super straightforward dish with basic noodles that we all ate as kids. I haven't eaten it in 15 years. As soon as we saw it on the table it instantly brought us all right back to being in her house, eating an abundance of food with her and our grandfather. It brought back so many hilarious stories we’d all forgotten, which gave a night of laughter together.”

But across families, memories and home, for chef and dietitian Mandy Maiorano, nourishment elicits a memory of all these facets. It’s also a way to connect with culture. “Growing up in an Italian household, the dinner table was the centre of everything, and that's never really left me. It's that time to sit down with the people you love, away from the busyness of the day. No phones, no distractions, just being present. Food creates that sweet spot where the plates are empty but nobody has moved, the conversation is flowing, and nobody wants to be the first to stand up and bring everyone back to reality. Because yes, as with everything, the dishes still have to be done. But for those 30 minutes, sometimes even just 10...things slow down, and connection grows. All thanks to food, and to the act of cooking for someone.”

For when you’re searching for a memory that fills you with feel-good nostalgia, we say, turn to your kitchen. Revisit those dishes that tie your memories to the present moment. It is so often that we focus on food being a source of fuel - protein, fibre and nutrients - but rarely do we place our attention on the way food can fuel our positive feelings. Remove the expectation and let the nostalgia hit.

This might be the easiest cheesecake you ever try to make. Perfect for birthdays, dinner parties or for when you’re wanting a dessert to impress. 

This is Mandy’s nonna’s recipe and is refreshingly simple to make.
Sometimes, simple is best.

Crispy, saucy and visually stunning. This boujee2basicbites recipe pairs perfectly with a fresh focaccia to to mop up the delish sauce.

LISTEN: STAYING REAL ON THE INTERNET.

Everyone wants to grow online. Very few people talk honestly about what it does to your brain. Our Content Manager, Madeline Daffara, recently joined the #Seen podcast and shared thoughts on the pressure of constantly being perceived online, why authenticity still cuts through more than polished content, the mental toll of comparison culture.

READ: LOW COST WAYS TO ADD DAILY WHIMSY.

If you’re online, you may have seen trends around ‘adding whimsy’ to your day. In short, adding ‘whimsy’ is all about creating moments that intentionally inject playful, imaginative, and unexpected elements into your daily routine or environment. We loved this carousel from Two Broke Chicks, which focuses on all things whimsy on a budget.

READ: HOW TO COME BACK TO YOUR SENSES.

This blog from Psyche gave us the perfect reminder of how to reconnect with your senses when you’re feeling disconnected from the world around you. We loved this quote:
“People underestimate how deeply involved all of our senses are in making us feel real and connected to others, and how the different spaces we move through daily help us to know ourselves better.”

BACK TO BASICS: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.

Sometimes, we need the reminder of the most basic wellness principles. If things are feeling heavier than usual on your mind or in your body, take notice of it. Listen to what your body is saying to you, and take a beat. Use this moment to remind yourself that there is power in rest. 

JOURNAL WITH INTENTION:

We’re approaching our journalling ritual with another theme this week. You guessed it, we’re focusing on nourishment.

Reflect on the best meal you’ve ever had in your life. Where were you? Who were you sharing it with? How often do you revisit this memory? 

IT'S OK TO FEEL 'BORED'.

We need to be more okay with feeling ‘bored’. In our overstimulated modern world, we actively avoid boredom by reaching for screens. But embracing quiet moments allows the brain's "default mode network" to activate - which lowers stress, consolidates memories, solves complex problems, and sparks creativity 

MANAGE YOUR PREFERENCES