When a passion for porridge pays off

She’s a researcher in epidemiology and public health who mostly looks at alcohol and the brain as well as dementia. But for Rachel Visontay, it’s food that’s the real passion. 

“It’s fair to say that it runs through my veins,” Visontay told The AJN. 

Visontay can trace her love of food back to her grandparents, who had a delicatessen in Sydney’s Kings Cross. 

“My overriding memory from childhood is of sitting in the back of my Mum’s station wagon while she criss-crossed Sydney in pursuit of industrial tubs of Persian feta, fresh bagels, hunks of Parmigiano, artisanal hummus, smoked wagyu beef, and enormous quantities of smoked salmon,” she explained. “With that kind of background, there’s no way I was going to end up being someone who didn’t take cooking and eating very seriously.” 

So seriously, in fact, that she mills her own flour for bread and pasta, grows vegetables with Adamama, and last year even hosted an olive oil-themed party for Chanukah. 

Food is such a huge part of Visontay’s life that she recently entered a porridge-making championship and won the creative category. 

And it all started with a documentary. 

“Last year I saw The Golden Spurtle documentary, about the world porridge championships in Scotland, and was absolutely enthralled. Finally, here was a film full of characters and a cinema full of viewers who loved oats as much as I did,” she recalled. “Plus, it was the first time I’d seen a cooking competition where fun, camaraderie, and quirkiness seemed to dominate, as opposed to overwhelming stress.” 

So when the opportunity arose in Australia to take part in the porridge contest, it was an opportunity too good to refuse. 

For Visontay’s award-winning Mediterranean porridge recipe, the foodie took her inspiration from figs, explaining to The AJN that she loves the fruit so much, she has a newsletter dedicated to them. And naturally, figs work beautifully with Mediterranean flavours. 

“It was about adapting elements that I knew worked well with regular porridge to fit that flavour profile,” Visontay said. Peanut butter became tahini, honey became date syrup. For Visontay, the dish is all about the quality of the ingredients as well as the flavours themselves. The olive oil used was an imported Italian high quality extra-virgin olive oil that, according to the foodie, really brings out the best in the porridge. And the tahini came from an Iraqi bakery in Sydney. As Visontay explained, while the tahini and date combination are flavours definitely encountered in Israel, the overall feel and flavour of the dish is pan-Mediterranean. 

While the competition was fun, Visontay still said there were plenty of nerves and adrenaline running through her veins on the day itself. 

“Between the heats, finals, and winners’ announcement it was a long and intense day. But for the most part, it was just enormous fun,” she said. “The organisers had gone to great lengths to decorate and corral townsfolk into attending. There was a giant papier-mâché spurtle (porridge stirrer) hanging from the roof, and I’ve never had so many enthusiastic conversational partners to talk with about the ins and outs of oats.” 

So what did it feel like to be crowned the winner of the creative porridge award? Visontay said she was shocked and thrilled all at the same time. 

“Some of the other entrants were professional cooks and were churning out incredible dishes,” she said. “It was very stiff competition.” 

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