the heart of food is now a little over a year old, having first started on February of 2009. The birth of this blog is in some part thanks to Helen, from the prolific Sydney food blog Grab Your Fork. She was the one that inspired me to start this whole blogging thing, as she has with a number of other Sydney food bloggers.

Over this past year, there have been quite a number of amazing food experiences. One of the things that stands out in my mind are the birthday celebrations of various food bloggers.

Please join me for a review of the food experiences regarding birthdays and birthday-related posts over the past year, including some new material and images. Read more »

Hi there! Just a quick post to wish a Merry Christmas to those of you that may have missed my Twitter message wishing everyone merriment for the day of Christmas. Feel free to follow me on Twitter, if you haven’t already done so.

With the family members jetsetting around the globe (or at least out of Sydney), I’d spent my Christmas with the family of a close friend, who are effectively my family away from my family. Read more »

Imagine, if you will, the following scenario.

It’s a wonderfully moderate Summer’s day with a nice, cool breeze. You make you way out to a park, perhaps to walk the dog. Before you, a large gathering of people (you estimate around fifty) are having what looks to be a picnic. Rugs laid out on the grass, as well as a generous spread various foods, both savory and sweet, which remains otherwise untouched. People sitting or standing around in small clusters socialising & seemingly enjoying each others company. The person whom you presume to be the host, gathers everyone’s attention in order to say a few words. A moment later, forty odd digital cameras, ranging from a basic camera phone, point & shoot compact cameras, through to pro level camera equipment worth thousands of dollars, suddenly appears from seemingly no where & proceeds to fire away. The focus of their photo frenzy is not aimed at the group as a whole. Not even an individual. The food is the epicenter of their attention, & continues to be that way for the next ten minutes or so.

I’d imagine it would be quite a surreal sight to bear for the person walking their dog in the park. Believe me, as one of the fifty odd attendees of the Sydney food blogger’s Christmas picnic in Hyde park, it was surreal even for me. Read more »

You take your place at a table with friends, situated on an elevated platform that overlooks lush vegetation & picturesque water views. A sea of green & blue, as far as the eye can see, slowly fades to black as the curtain of night is drawn slowly over a fabulous Spring day. A gentle breeze carries wonderful aromas of seafood, chorizo, saffron, paprika and other spices, drawing your attention to a professionally prepared pan of paella. The chef, and host for the evening, takes his place at the table and motions for the guests to begin eating.

You could easily mistake this for an alfresco dining experience at a chef’s table at some fabulously expensive restaurant overlooking water views. Oh no, it’s far better than that. This is just dinner at Lex’s place. Read more »

Ok, I’ll level with you. The little birds nest creation above looks nothing like what this month’s Daring Bakers challenge is meant to look like. This creation was born out of the need to improvise; part inspiration and desperation alike.

This is in fact meant to be a reasonably well known Italian pastry. Can you guess what this month’s challenge is meant to be? Read more »