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Aunty Dale knows you’re hungry for knowledge. She’s got plenty to share
A champion for Indigenous businesses, Aunty Dale Chapman is changing the conversation around bush foods and cultural equality one dish at a time. By Riley Wilson
21 years ago, Aunty Dale Chapman – then a successful chef and educator in the southeast Queensland region – made a decision to work for herself, and champion First Nations producers and businesses towards success. She created My Dilly Bag in 2000, launching a range of bush food ingredients grown and harvested sustainably alongside Aboriginal communities. In tandem she created a platform to develop, market and distribute Aboriginal products and Indigenous-owned businesses, empowering communities to celebrate tradition and culture, and establish sustainable businesses.
“It's been a long, tough road some days but it’s worth it seeing smiling faces that bring happiness and evoke memories of their childhood; the spark of light that pops into their eyes – an ‘ahh’ moment,” says Aunty Dale, a Kooma / Yuwaalaraay woman.
A qualified chef and senior fellow in agriculture at the University of Queensland, Aunty Dale – who is based on Gubbi Gubbi country (the Sunshine Coast) – lectures on bush foods for third year science students at UQ, covering plant structures, flavour profiles, cultural lore and the issues related to the commercialisation of bush foods in Australia. She says that the “careful management by my ancestors, caring for [Mother Earth] for hundreds of thousands of years” means that “we can all now enjoy the benefits”.
“But we still need to understand the cultural practices and love for Mother as our people before us,” she says. “The average consumer is hungry for this knowledge and creating sustainable crops and future economic benefit to the traditional custodians is imperative for a healthy united nation [in Australia] and our global future.”
“A yarn and a mutual benefit to the cause, too,” she says, “I like it when my ethics align with another business.”
The My Dilly Bag (a name paying homage to a dilly bag, or traditional woven bag used to carry goods and items) range includes dozens of products that can be purchased both online and in store at the Forest Glen location. Dale curates the bush-food pantry based on the availability of ingredients, whether or not she likes the flavour, if it’s a cost-effective purchase for the customer, and her own tried-and-true recipes. Dale also runs workshops and events, including garden tours and bush-food explainers. My Dilly Bag products are part of various Curated with Conscience hampers, showcasing bush spice seasoning blends, earthy dukkahs with native nuts and herbs, and bush-blend tea. Dale says that the two businesses established a relationship after a yarn one day.
For the quirky aunt or uncle with a passion for great food…
Three cheers for the aunt or uncle who always volunteers to handle Christmas barbecue duties. They’re more than deserving of enjoying great kitchen antics all year long, and the curated Beer and Bar Snacks food hamper will help them do just that. Better yet, this hamper supports First Nations-owned businesses, including Sobah Beverages and their alcohol-free beer as well as My Dilly Bag’s wattleseed and butterscotch popcorn, and covers the remit from salty to sweet. Before you know it, they’ll be cracking a cold one, nibbling on nuts and winding down – post-grill session – with a choccie.
