Trish’s story: connecting through food
Trish Serratore grew up surrounded by the healing power of food. Born into a big Italian family, her dad owned a bakery and worked as a delivery man for one of the first Italian cheese factories in Melbourne.
“Like many Italian families, we were always obsessed with food,” Trish says. “It’s fun, it’s delicious, and it’s just a joyous way to come together.”
Trish was working as a chef when her brother-in-law, a counsellor at the YSAS Birribi Residential Rehabilitation, mentioned that a kitchen supervisor position had become available. “He thought I’d be good at it because I’m a people person, happy to engage with anyone,” she says. “I’m the type of person who would talk to a stranger on the train.”
Nineteen years later, Trish is now an iconic member of the YSAS Birribi team, responsible for meal planning, purchasing and preparation. “I spend 70 per cent of the day behind the kitchen bench, so I get to talk to the young people a lot,” she says. Trish also runs groups and programs where young people help with cooking. “It’s all about imparting life skills, and making sure that people are fed and watered on budget.”
Her role extends beyond food. “Sometimes it’s the first time these young people get to experience that sort of family table, where staff will sit down and work stops,” she says. “It’s about modelling what it’s like to share a meal together in a safe environment. It brings people together.”
Cooking is also about giving back. “When we do the cooking groups, what they are making is feeding the community,” she says. “You can see the real sense of achievement about it.” It’s also a grounding physical activity: “You’ve got to be focused, because you don’t want to hurt yourself.”
Trish values the warm relationships she builds with young people at Birribi. “I’m in that sort of space where I don’t have to have those hard conversations, but I’ve been so privileged to hear so many stories, to hear about their headspaces,” she says. “There is no pressure in the kitchen, so everything happens organically and on their terms.”
Many return as adults to thank her. “We had young people come back as adults to visit recently, and they spoke about their life now and having Birribi as like a golden moment,” she says.
“One young person said, ‘thank you Trish for not only feeding me but teaching me’.”
When young people become dysregulated, Trish focuses on validating their feelings while maintaining routine. “It’s creating that sense of normalcy,” she says. “All this is happening but we still have to prep dinner because at the end of the day, you are still going to get hungry. I just stay really present and available.”
After 19 years, Trish can’t imagine working anywhere else.
“I adore the work, I like working with young people, and it’s a beautiful place to work on a sixteen-acre bush property,” she says. “They’ll probably carry me out of this place.”