Meet Brunswick Kitchen

A few strides off Sydney Road—Melbourne’s vibrant shopping strip packed with eclectic boutiques and buzzing cafes—you’ll find a cooking school reminiscent of a home kitchen. Named after its creative home suburb, Brunswick Kitchen is a comforting escape from the city where you can learn the art of simple cooking. 

Founded by local chef Tracey Lister, Brunswick Kitchen pays homage to her past and current ties living and working in the suburb, as well as her travels in between. Having spent 13 years in Vietnam, Tracey has dedicated much of her life to teaching hospitality to people from all walks of life.

Now she is back in her old stomping ground with new worldly knowledge of food and living in what feels like a full-circle moment. Tracey teaches locals and visitors alike a combination of Vietnamese cuisine and Aussie favourites.

After years of keeping pace with culinary trends and mastering complex recipes, Tracey is eager to share the one thing people always comes back to—simple, seasonal food.

Brunswick Kitchen was born out of a desire to…

“Do something local. I live in this area, I meet people here all the time, I understand what their interests are and I know the kinds of things they want to learn about food. It just makes sense, plus it saves me driving across town!”

Cooking and sharing food with others is…

“The most wonderful experience. Food is such a personal thing, it's such an intimate thing. But it's also a beautiful way to bring people together.”

During a cooking class, you can expect to…

“Loosen up! I love seeing what comes out in the classes and what people talk about. You slow down by doing that kind of activity together and the process of cooking together is a really lovely way of bonding with somebody. It’s not a competition so I don’t think it has to be any more complicated than that.”

Locals will love cooking Vietnamese cuisine...

"It really works in Australia because we love the barbecue and often things are grilled in Vietnamese dishes. Then it's balanced out with all these wonderful aromatics, fish sauce and of course, spices. I just love that style of eating.”

My favourite part of teaching is…

“The community it creates. Quite often people will come back for another class or they will send me photos of what they made. There's a lot of follow-up that goes on and I love it when people show me what they've cooked at home after the class.”

Cooking classes provide what recipes and books can’t…

“Through personal connection and all the little details. You can discover how something feels and how something smells and at what point that happens.”

My top tip for beginners in the kitchen is…

“Keep it simple. Food doesn't have to be complicated. I really love good quality ingredients, bringing the best out of those ingredients and enjoying the meal in a fairly informal setting. And that’s exactly what we do here.”