Julia Busuttil Nishimura is a cook, author, teacher and mother. As well as having written two cookbooks, Julia writes regular columns for The Design Files, ABC Life and Country Style Mag. 

Julia’s approach to cooking is based on celebrating the simple: slowing down and appreciating good quality ingredients and the primal joy of sharing food with the people we love.

Inspired by her holistic, wholesome approach, we chose Julia as January’s Conscious Curator, and spoke to her about her thoughts on wellness, style, travel, and – of course – food. 

TCS:

You’ve lived in Italy and are now based in Melbourne, where would you say you feel most at home?

Julia:

Definitely Melbourne. I’ve lived here for thirteen years now, and there’s so much that connects me to Melbourne as a place. It’s where I met my partner, where my two boys were born, so it definitely feels like home, although I do still have attachments to other places. I was born in Adelaide so when I go there it feels like home, and then when I go back to Italy – as soon as I start speaking Italian it feels like I’ve come home. Visiting family in Malta, even going to Japan…this is our base, but we have a lot of really strong connections to lots of different parts of the world. It’s nice to have Melbourne as our physical base but know that when we go to other places they can feel like home in a way as well.

TCS:

What would you say you learned from the way of life in Italy – is there anything that you adopted from the culture there and have incorporated into your life in Melbourne?

Julia:

I think that idea of seasonal eating, and really cherishing and celebrating those small joys throughout the year through food. When you just shop at the supermarket it’s so easy to not really know what food is in season, and that just means you’re so much less connected to and appreciative of the food you’re eating. I think shopping locally and cooking seasonally, that’s definitely something I took from my time in Italy. And also the importance of family: slowing down and sitting down for a long meal and sharing food with family. Family is at the centre of the Italian way of life and I think that’s something that I’ve definitely learnt and took from being in Italy.

TCS:

We’ve all spent a lot of time at home this year, what’s your approach to space-making?

Julia:

I think when we started going into lockdown especially, we began to really consider what we actually need and love. We have a small space and don’t have much storage, and lockdown made us take stock and strip back: we’re not minimalists but for us it’s important to own things that bring joy, and really get selective with what we keep in the house. It made us realise how much calm keeping a space simple can bring: it makes a huge difference to our mindset and the way we move through the day.

TCS:

A loaded question in these slightly restrictive times, but what is your relationship with travelling? Is travel something that has guided a lot of your work?

Julia:

Definitely. We go to Japan usually once a year to see friends and family, and that’s always a really important point in our year: an opportunity for us to connect with our kids culture and my husband’s culture and just spend time together. I think for me travelling is such an important part of my work. I find a lot of inspiration from traveling, and that’s not just from obvious things, it’s often those small moments that can spark the most meaningful train of thought. It could be that I’m at the market or I see something or read something, it’s not always through food that I find inspiration, often from the culture and rituals behind it. Not being able to travel has made me look a lot more introspectively at my experiences: really looking at my memories and my present day, which is nice as well. Often we can get lost in anticipation of a trip, counting down the days until we go travelling, and in that we can miss what’s happening in-between, in our day to day lives.

TCS:

Is there a certain place you love to revisit, or is there one place you’ve been to (even just once) which will always be your special place?

Julia:

For me, Italy. I love Tuscany so much, it’s really special to me. Tuscany is where I lived and worked for six months, and my experience there was so magical.  The family I lived with had their own olive grove, and we’d grow our own vegetables and drive down the road to buy ricotta from the local farm – it was an idyllic way of life. Tuscany will always be so special to me, but there are still so many places in Italy that I want to visit. 

TCS:

Where’s on your wanderlust list – any hotels or spaces in particular that you want to visit?

Julia: 

I’d love to go to Puglia, it looks so dreamy. Masseria Moroseta is definitely on the list.

TCS:

You’ve written two cookbooks and contributed recipes to countless magazines, but do you have a signature dish? If so are you willing to share the recipe?

Julia: 

I have a lemon olive oil cake recipe which a lot of people really love, or my greens and ricotta pie.

TCS:

If you could give one tip to aspiring cooks, what would it be?

Julia:

Don’t overcomplicate things, and cook what you love to eat. You can’t go wrong if you cook what you enjoy – don’t try and change based on what you think people will like,  just cook from the heart.

TCS:

Is there one food product that you use every day?

Julia:

Olive oil, if we ever run out it’s a disaster. We use a lovely local one from Mount Zero

TCS:

What is your approach to self-care? Are there any specific steps you take to look after your mind? If so, what are they?

Julia:

Finding what works for you is so important. For me, I’m still in the postnatal period and I struggle with anxiety during these postpartum times, so for me speaking to a therapist every week is so important. Ask for help when you need it. Also just talking in general – talking with close friends about everything helps me so much. I also try to meditate, and I think exercising really helps my mental health. But for me, more than anything else, cooking is my self care. I think when I’m writing recipes and creating I feel really content, and that contributes to me having a better balance in my life. When I’m at home with the boys, I can show up better with them if I’ve been able to get some work done and created something on that day.

TCS:

We like to ask our curators about style because it’s something that our audience are interested in as conscious consumers – how would you describe your personal approach to style?

Julia:

My approach to style is based on comfort. I’m cooking a lot and I’m busy as a mum, so being comfortable and wearing natural fabrics is a non-negotiable. I love easy breezy clothes.

TCS:

Do you have a favourite clothing brand or a favourite place to shop?

Julia:

Lee Matthews, and Jac + Jack are probably my two go-to brands.

TCS:

Describe your work day – how is it structured? Is it structured?

Julia:

They start off with coffee, and then checking in with my emails. I don’t like the feeling of having things hovering over me, so getting my emails done at the start of the day feels good. Then I’ll probably have a shoot on, so that will involve cooking something. Or I’ll be writing a new recipe, so that will mean getting into the kitchen and cooking, writing. Part of my day usually involves food shopping, and then I’ll go to the cafe around the corner and do more writing while I have my lunch.

TCS:

How do you find your flow when working?

Julia:

I never really struggle with motivation or finding my flow when it comes to cooking. If there’s something I want to try, I’ll be really excited by it and really motivated and I’ll just get in there and start doing it. Writing can be trickier, especially with books. It’s a marathon not a sprint though, so I try to not put too much pressure on myself. I think for me, if I have a clean house I find my flow a lot easier. When I feel calm and clear, I feel like I can write and work and get things done.

TCS:

What are you excited about at the moment? This could be a current project, something in the pipeline or a far away future dream.

Julia:

I’m working on a third book which is exciting, so I’ve been plodding along with that. And then… my husband and I are working on something really exciting. I can’t really say much, but we’re hoping to open a space. We’re very much still in the early stages, but it’s been a dream of ours for a while to open a space where I can teach my pasta classes and Nori can cook  – to have our own project come to life.

Spots at Julia’s pasta classes (which she runs in Melbourne) sell out reliably, so this is a space to watch. In the meantime, you can purchase Julia’s first book Ostro and her second book A Year Of Simple Family Food through Pan Macmillan. Julia has kindly shared the recipes for her Lemon Olive Oil Cake and her Ricotta and Greens Pie on The Conscious Space website, and you can find more recipes over at julia-ostro.com.