About Tanja & Gen

Tanja Smith (36) and Genevieve Latham (30) developed an appreciation for food at a very young age.  Their father John (Hans) and mother Maxine used their acreage farm in the Redland Shire, Brisbane to its full potential.  Although it wasn’t a commercially producing farm, they grew and raised a huge variety of fruits, vegetables and animals for the family’s enjoyment.

Both Tanja and Gen loved to help out in any way they could and remember milking the goats and cows every morning, collecting eggs and also helping when it was time to prepare the animals for eating.  There was such a variety of animals including cows, goats, horses, geese, ducks, guinea fowl, chooks, rabbits, cats, dogs, peacocks and pigs to name a few.  Then there was the assortment of fruit trees like mulberries, tamarillos, star fruit, macadamia nuts, cumquats, lemons, passionfruit, coffee and the list goes on.

Maxine used to make jams and experiment with different puddings and preserves with the fruits, while John would use his hand built smoke house for the meat and fish.

There wasn’t a thing wasted on the farm and John and Maxine would always be making up a recipe to use whatever was left over.  The girls also helped out in the kitchen and would love to get their hands dirty, often ending up in a huge mess…but they always had lots of fun.  One of Tanja’s earliest memories was experimenting in the back yard with a bowl of flour, some eggs and some water.  Maxine would bake what she had made and although it was rarely edible, Tanja was very proud of her creations.

The whole family were also very keen boaties, and John would go out on the bay almost weekly to catch crabs and fish.  Of course Tanja and Gen would go to, and they still to this day have a strong love for seafood and a passion for boating and fishing.  Gen remembers the trips over to Stradbroke Island every year where her father taught them to cast fishing rods from the beach and how to use a dilly bag to catch fresh worms.  One thing the girls don’t miss is the pipi fritters and spaghetti that Maxine used to make with what they had found that day on the beach.

Tanja and Gen both really value the upbringing they had on the farm and feel it has instilled in them a passion for food – in cooking, eating and growing it fresh in their herb and vegie gardens.  They want to pass down their knowledge and love of food to their own children, and love to share time in the kitchen cooking with the kids.   Tanja and Gen believe that cooking for children doesn’t need to be boring and restrictive.  They always use fresh food and teach their children that food is enjoyable, there is no need to hide vegetables or disguise a type of food just because the child might not like it.

Some of Tanja’s favourite flavours and styles of food are Moroccan, Indian,  Asian and Seafood.  She loves to get into the spice cupboard and experiment.  Gen really enjoys cooking with Seafood, Asian and Italian flavours and is always baking and trying out new desserts and sweets.

Tanja and Gen often get together and cook on the weekends and enjoy working together to create something new. There is no recipe that they won’t tackle and they love the thrill and challenge of trying something for the first time!