Wandering Cooks™ began as Brisbane’s first incubator for food entrepreneurs and has grown into a clubhouse for food & drink producers who would like to ‘roam’ a little more: established, reinventing and new producers alike.
We provide your food & drink ideas with the resources they need to grow into reality, such as licenced commercial kitchens, a community of likeminded entrepreneurs, a bar specialising in craft & low intervention bevies, training in the world of business, and showcasing opportunities.
And we also provide the public with a place to experience everything you can dream up food & drink-wise. Try us. We pretty much always say yes.
All this smack bang in the heart of Brisbane. How’d we manage that? Big dreams, a lot of nerve and a whole lot of chutzpah.
Meet the team…
Angela Hirst - Director
Ange is a qualified chef, with a PhD in Food Ethics from University of Queensland. She has cooked in restaurants in London, Paris, Hoi An and Brisbane, worked for Food Connect (a community supported agriculture enterprise), taught research students at UQ and QUT, developed her own cooking classes and catering company and reviewed restaurants for Brisbane Times and Gourmet Traveller. As Wandering Cooks’ Director, Angela has consulted on artisan food practice for QIC, received funding from Dept of Premiers for Wandering Cooks Small Batch Tradeshows (which went on to be listed by The Courier Mail as one of Queensland’s top 100 Food Experiences), and after just 2 years of trading, led Wandering Cooks to achieve Anthills Coolest Company Award for a Micro Business. She has been invited to speak about Wandering Cooks at both Harvard and Rutgers University.
Johanna Buss - General Manager
Jo is a marvellous woman – she has a mind that doesn’t forget anything and she greets everyone with wide open arms. We love her very much. Jo started with us in early 2017 as a casual bar staff member and she grew amazingly into the role of Bar Manager. Now Jo has gone one step further into the role of General Manager. A smile and a proactive mind can really take you places!
Ash Thomas - Events, Catering and Communications Manager
Ash came to Wandering Cooks in 2015 as the cleaning angel – long story short, the cleaning was on the questionable side but she had some pizazz to get to know the kitchen customers and immerse herself in their daily woe’s – communication fiend was born. Ash has grown into the role of Events and now Catering as she continues to add tools to her Wandering Cooks repertoire – let’s see how she’ll shimmy and shake her way through this year!
Olga Morawski – Bar Food Manager
To spend time with Olga is refreshing as she’s a hard worker, has an eye for detail, a taste for good flavour and is one of the best at keeping us all moving in the same direction – she is a strong cornerstone to what we’ve got going on here. Olga has been with Wandering Cooks on and off since the beginning and has found her way into holding our Charter focused Deli menu as she enjoys pairing tasty cheese and charcuterie with Ange’s chutneys and pickles – and that’s only the start.
Chippie - Head of Maintanence
We’re so lucky to have a Chippie here at Wandering Cooks as he is our resident handyman. Most of what you see around the warehouse has been put together with Chippie’s very own hands, bar a couple of points but he is pretty special.
Being Angela’s father-in-law, Brian ‘Chippie’ Atchison is a jack of all trades and you may have even had the honour of holding up the odd piece of pipe just to help him out. If you see him around the warehouse, make sure you say g’day.
Cazzie Hirst - Cleaning Angel
Cazzie works her cleaning magic every day here at Wandering Cooks as she’s armed with her steamer and a keen eye for detail. You may find her water blasting oven filters, climbing on top of combi ovens to clean or taking bulk loads of dirty tea towel home for a good wash. Being Ange’s sister, she fits right in here as she’s seen this place grow and blossom and we love having her along for the ride.
Maude – Resident Greeter
This Weim knows Wandering Cooks is her house and if you enter she’ll be sure to greet you. Look out if you’re sitting on the couches too because that is one of her favourite snoozing spots – you may just find that you have a friend accompanying you.