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It depressed me that along most country roads I'd see these thin strips of bush, no more than 20 metres wide and behind this were vast distances of cleared land or single crops. Often the topsoil was easy to see because it was blowing around in the air, in willy-willies (eddies) like mini-tornadoes. I knew that a lot of this fertile soil (which is severely limited in Australia) ended up in our rivers and creeks and eventually, in the oceans.

I'd often see farmers in different parts of Australia, sitting in their air-conditioned tractors ploughing land from which they or their predecessors had bull-dozed away healthy eco-systems of a huge number of edible fruit trees and bushes, vegetables from forbs, creepers and other plants, herbs, spices, nuts and seeds not to mention the habitats they bulldozed killing native bees and dozens of other of gourmet delicacies including lizards and other reptiles, tortoises and terapins, kangaroos and their relatives, a wide array of birds from emus, turkeys, bustards and pigeons to cassowaries, geese and ducks.

Now don't get me onto my opinion of the fairness of taxpayer support for farmers who, despite the easily obtainable information on good farm management, have still operated over the carrying capacity of their landholding up to the time when El Nino drove home the folly of their ways. If I make stupid business decisions does the government have a subsidy for me?

Anyway, my thoughts often turned to considering that there must be a better way to grow our food. I had made a study of the herbs and spices, the fruits, seeds, nuts and other foods native to Australia since way back to my teenage years and even studied environmental biology to learn more about botany and ecology. While studying for my Bachelor of Applied Science degree in the 1970s at what is now the University of Technology, Nicole Kidman's father, Anthony Kidman (who was my lecturer in biochemistry years before) bumped into me in the hallway sometime in 1975 and said "Are you still here. Vic? How about getting a job? I have one on offer at the University of New South Wales in the Dept of Pharmacology and Physiology."

Well, after 4 years of a mix of full and part time study and another year part-time to go to finish a triple major (environmental biology, biochemistry and industrial microbiology) I was pleased to get a paying job (such as it was in science research in this country). What followed was 6 years in clinical pharmacology working on the brain reactions to various neuro-transmitters and drugs. It proved to be excellent training for my current focus on food safety issues, evaluating the functionality of our wild resources and introducing Aboriginal bush medicines into the mainstream.

The grant money at the UNSW was ultimately not renewed in 1982 and after a brief 3 months on the benches with the unemployed, I applied for a position undertaking scientific analytical research into the nutritional value of native foods at the Human Nutrition Unit at the University of Sydney.

The foods came in from around the country, predominantly supplied by Aboriginal communities and through my own collecting. In 1983, some of the left-overs (after analysis) were supplied to chefs and although I didn't recognoise its potential impact at the time, the possibility of an Australian cuisine had begun. I started my first wild food trading company, Bush Tucker Supply in 1987. It went through various changes in name and suffered all the trials and tribulations of small business and directorships with embezellment by one co-director and a take-over attempt by others. Finally, I had to start all over again after walking away from directors who thought they could run my supply business from an office in Sydney's CBD.

Vic Cherikoff Food Services Pty Ltd, the rare spice company

Today, I run a new start-up business with a small but highly capable team who keep Cherikoff Rare Spices (Vic Cherikoff Food Services P/L) leading the way for the future of Australian cuisine:

Sara Pennisi is the administration backbone and has her finger on the pulse of our distributor's needs and the nuts and bolts of the vast amount of literature we send out; from product glossaries, menu ideas, specification sheets, safety data sheets and a host of specialised information we generate. Sara also looks after our export orders and all the documentation required in shipping our products around the globe.

Jorge Jaures and Lee Barnett are the guys behind the scenes but who keep the wheels turning as orders are packed and despatched around Australia and out to the world. Jorge and Lee also over-see stocks and warehouse management and up keep. Without them, not much could happen at Vic Cherikoff Food Services P/L and they supervise and support my part-time staffers - Annie and Harry.

I distribute my products through general, mainstream food service distributors into 28 countries as well as nationally around Australia so ask your current food service supplier whether they already stock or can access Cherikoff products. You'll find most can and do - they just often don't advertise the fact since they carry so many lines. For my retail cutomers, I maintain an on-line store and welcome your visit although many specialty food stores are waking up to the demand for quality authentic Australian herbs, spices, seasonings and such.

And now to reach out to the world

While I have been described as a scientist, author and entrepreneur with a vision for the place for Australian native foods in the future of the Australian cuisine. I can now add to the job description; television cooking show host and Executive Producer with the production and launch of my new cooking show as well as promotional chef. Together with my colleague and chef, Benjamin Christie, we run Dining Downunder™ Australian cuisine promotions with events every month somewhere around the world.

I have persistently chased my goal for nearly 20 years with the conviction that success is guaranteed if you never give up.

Credited with pioneering the development of a uniquely Australian cuisine through my commercialisation of a selection of indigenous species as ingredients for innovative restaurants here in Australia I have focused on distribution around the world and VCFS continues to spread globally through a wide range of products, international promotions and exports.

There is little doubt that these ingredients signal the continuing spice trade as a pioneering movement in today's culinary world.

Predicting the future of Australian cuisine by creating it

As the author of two books on native foods; The Bushfood Handbook and Uniquely Australian, A wild food cookbook (out of print) and co-author of the Dining Downunder Cookbook, I hope I have spread my enthusiasm for native foods to gardeners and professional growers, foragers and foodies, cooks and chefs. If it is recipes you want on this site, then visit here for dozens of them.

Now, through school and trade curricula which I have written, Australian native cuisine is being taught to both experienced and apprentice chefs. I have personally trained over 600 chefs in my scientific approach to the incorporation of native flavours into other, more conventional cuisines. I also hope that I have inspired many more.

The motivation and untiring commitment behind Vic Cherikoff Food Services P/L is a vision that anyone who appreciates good food will soon learn to seek out and appreciate those wild and unique flavours which make our modern and distinctive, Australian ingredients the one influence unifying the many food fads of contemporary, multi-cultural Australia.

Additionally, I see the spread of Australian native flavours around the world as simply the result of a twenty-first century spice trade exploring the new and exciting flavours that this ancient continent has to offer the culinary world.

I am proud to have initiated it.

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Copyright Vic Cherikoff Food Services Pty Limited
rear 167 Kingsgrove Rd Kingsgrove NSW 2208 Australia
ph: +612 9554 9477 email: email us