Melissa Leong

“For many of us, milkbars gave us our first taste of the concept of saving and spending, treats and indulgence.”

“Not all of us were lucky enough to be born into a huge Lebanese family, where visiting relatives and being stuffed with copious amounts of pickles, hummus, felafel and kibbeh is not just a way of life but a birth right.”

“If there's somewhere that in no way resembles Eastern Europe, it's Australia.”

“India's obsession with food and its cultural importance in nourishing not just the body, but community and spirituality too, goes some way to explaining why Indian home cooking is hard to beat.”

“No matter where you live in the world, the contribution that Chinese migration has had on food culture is undeniable.”

“For those of us who are lucky enough to not worry about where our next meal is coming from, it can be difficult to consider a life where the choice and supply of what you eat is extremely limited.”

“I always want to be - and appear to be - competent. When I don't achieve that, I don't respond well.”

“It's amazing that you can use your own body weight to exercise, and it's something everyone can do with no need for a huge budget.”

“I've been mentored by editors who encouraged me to be constructive and never cruel.”

“I always want to celebrate inclusivity wherever I can.”

“To be fair, restaurant culture has always been about bragging rights - such is the elitist nature of food. It's just that social media makes it that much easier for everyone to play the game.”

“One of the best things about 'The Chefs' Line' has been seeing how these generations-honed recipes fare when they go up against professional ones.”

“It takes a lot of guts to pull up stumps from a successful career, surrounded by the people you love.”

“As a food writer, it's my job to know each and every cuisine on this planet as well as I can.”

“It's hard enough for most restaurants to create and present a single menu that makes sense to the diner, let alone two.”

“I'd like to see a return to old-school values, classic service and the old-world glamour of what dining - going out - is supposed to be.”

“If the experiences in my childhood have helped me become strong, then I can articulate those experiences and perhaps tell people out there that have gone through the same thing that they're not alone.”

“To be a white man calling out racism is important.”

“Given that southern Italian pasta-making doesn't incorporate the richness of egg yolks like they do in the north, even the basic hero of Italian cuisine - pasta - is vegan.”

“There's no sugar coating it: drought isn't sexy. Nobody wants to hear about it, and many of us who live an urban existence don't know much about it, if we're honest.”