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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • cooking • 25m
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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • cooking • 25m
G
In the rock-and-roll Barnes family, cooking and music have always been lovingly inseparable.
“My family is very food-based,” says Elly-May Barnes, singer, cabaret star and daughter of music legend Jimmy Barnes. “To us, food and music go hand-in-hand.”
As the 35-year-old tells SBS, the two creative influences of cooking and music have shaped her life. When she was young, her entire family would often join their dad on tour. Elly-May and the family got to travel to many destinations and experience a broad range of flavours at restaurants. However, when they weren’t on tour, parents Jane and Jimmy made a point of cooking diverse meals at home, from Thai to Italian. Together, the Barnes family ate and listened to music.
“As my parents broadened our musical palettes, our food palettes were broadened as well,” Elly-May tells SBS.
“Sometimes, at our family feasts, there would be people singing around the piano. Once, we had a Mexican feast and our friends who played in a mariachi band came over. We honestly had such a lucky upbringing when it came to music and food.”
Elly-May, who appears on SBS’ , says everyone in her musical family are great cooks. She was taught by her mum, Jane to make a Thai green curry from scratch. As a teenager, her big sister Mahalia helped her to make a (a dessert she's made on The Cook Up). “Who doesn't love bananas, cream and caramel, right? It's just a delicious dessert and a happy food.”
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Banoffee pie
Then there’s Elly-May’s father, the iconic Jimmy Barnes. Elly-May says he puts just as much passion into his cooking as he puts into his music.
“My beautiful sweet darling dad – I have so many intertwined food and music memories spent with him. There’s nothing better than enjoying a wholesome roast made by my dadda, sitting by the fire with my family and having a beautiful night. He also makes the best gravy in the world.
“There is really nothing like a meal cooked by your parent – it’s a meal cooked with love and heart. There's no one with more heart than that man, my dadda.”
Food: a language of love
The food influences of Elly-May’s youth left an impression on her as an adult. “I’m a feeder. Food is my love language. I am always cooking.”
She regularly makes elaborate weekday breakfasts for her 10-year-old son Dylan, complete with a laminated menu. School-day breakies have included waffles with berries and ice cream; a breakfast wrap with egg, cheese and hash brown; and homemade crumpets. “I just want him to start his day feeling really special.”
I’m a feeder. Food is my love language. I am always cooking.
Apart from being a pure act of love, cooking also serves as a necessary distraction. Elly-May, who lives with cerebral palsy, explains she regularly experiences severe pain.
“I live with quite significant pain and spasms, including in my stomach areas. The mind can be half the battle when it comes to this disability. So cooking, for me, is a therapy in a way, because it can shift my focus away from my body that’s screaming in pain.
“When I put my heart and soul into making a beautiful meal for someone, I end up focusing on something that’s really positive. Even if it’s a temporary distraction, that’s a really special thing.”
Elly-May believes that cooking and music, together, are grounding forces. They're also powerful vehicles of healing, joy and celebration.
“We're just all pushing through life. In doing so, there are so many things about food that we forget to recognise.
“Like the fact that food is powerful and is more than just what put in our mouths. Food is something that deserves to be focused on. We all deserve to take time out to celebrate our life with food with music.”
