Since graduating as a dietitian and working in the area of eating disorders and supporting folks improve their relationship with food, I found sourdough supported me in finding creativity in my life alongside this important work.

Food was never a happy place for me and the Hanngry Italian was actually born at a stage in my life where my relationship with food really suffered and I was trying to find a way to love food again. This time was incredibly difficult, long and painful however as cliché as this will sound, going through this time really shaped who I want to be as a human and how I want to show up in this world.

Firstly, let me tell you why I chose the ‘Hanngry Italian’ as my name. My background is Italian (on my dad’s side) however this rich history lwas ost when my great-grandfather moved to Australia. I feel through cooking and baking is when I feel most connected to this part of our family history. As for the hangry, I think my family could vouch for me when I say that during this difficult time with food, I was a very hangry person to be around and was not at ease with food. So really, I suppose this name is a way of healing through these times for me. Now I feel at ease and connected through food, however still get hangry when I don’t eat every few hours!

Growing up I always loved baking, however this mainly looked like cakes, biscuits or the humble cornflake cups. My mum is an amazing baker and creates beautiful cakes with such patience and care. I always love watching her create. However as much as I love to eat cake, creating cakes for me didn’t land the way it did with my mum.

n 2020, I found sourdough. Like most passion projects, this was also born out of the pandemic. I needed another outlet for myself amongst dealing with lockdowns and finishing my final year of uni.

First was creating the starter and then trialling my first loaf. And let me tell you - it was utterly terrible. Rock hard. Inedible. But we persevered. Learning through each loaf. This was without a doubt my favourite part and still is. I love seeing how each loaf will turn out and going through the process of trial and error. Whether that be different methods, flours, hydration or temperatures.

My favourite part is still opening the lid for the steam release and seeing how it is turning out. I don’t think this will ever change.

Fast forward to 2022, my love for baking sourdough grew immensely and I wanted to share this with others. This turned into me starting my little side project making sourdough on my days off my job as a dietitian. This was such a privilege being able to bake and share my sourdough with others. 2023 saw the arrival of my first bread oven, the stunning B40 Rofco! This was extremely exciting because it allowed me to increase my baking capacity from 2-12 loaves at a time! I spent this year again baking from our tiny apartment kitchen but I loved these 2 days of my week. At the end of 2023 into 2024, my venture shifted and my partner (Michael) and I, with Sia, set out to travel around Australia. I was still able to bake beautiful sourdough on the road in our weber BBQ (after much trial and burnt bottoms haha). Not only did we have fresh bread on the road but it allowed me to have some familiarity when each day is different! This trip also led to our next chapter where we changed our pace after travelling and moved to Tasmania!

Tassie has always been a favourite place for both me and my partner and on our travels, we came across a gorgeous cottage, including a shed perfect for a bread space. We feel incredibly grateful and privileged to land in a space where we feel safe and grounded. So, watch this space! The bread shed will soon be coming to life and I am so excited! My vision is to not only continue baking for you but also connect with others who want to learn and make bread great again!

Thank you for being here and allowing me to share my passion with you. I hope you can connect back to your love of food through creating and having fun in the kitchen and enjoying what you have created!

Courtney xx