Famous chef Nornie Bero is known for introducing Indigenous dishes, ingredients and flavours to kitchens and households across the country. Here, she shares how her culture and upbringing has influenced her attitude to business. This is a modified transcript of Rich Blak Women, a podcast sharing the stories of inspiring Indigenous women. To hear more, visit tomorrowmoney.co/rbw.  

I’m Nornie Bero. I’m Meriam, so I come from Mer Island and I speak Meriam Mer as my first language and English is second, I guess. And yes, I’m an Island girl through and through. I grew up in the Torres Strait, so that’s who I am. And I’m very lucky that I was able to be raised on the island.

Larisha: I want you to tell us about your business Mabu Mabu and how you’ve been able to introduce people to Torres Strait culture.

Nornie: Well, Mabu Mabu actually started off as a condiment business and then went into restaurants. I have a big company now, which is really I keep thinking it’s small, but there’s a lot of us now in it. Mabu Mabu is basically it’s all about bringing that nostalgia of me growing up on the islands and bringing that traditional foods element to the forefront and showcasing my upbringing and the way that I learnt about food from my father and growing up in the Torres Strait. So Mabu Mabu represents a little bit of my childhood growing up and that’s why it’s called Mabu Mabu because it means help yourself in that sort of way. When you say bon appétit, you know, you grab a plate and you go help yourself to food. So Mabu Mabu started because I love food.

Larisha: How did your upbringing and early relationship with food and produce play into how you run your kitchens now?

Nornie: I get to work with so many different nations and people in my kitchens now and it’s great to see them cooking damper and island food and teaching them how to make it. It reminds me of my dad teaching me. It’s really nice to see that cultural aspect of me growing up with all those island foods and now being able to teach like young chefs how to cook island cuisine as well. It’s an amazing achievement to do because not everybody gets to like make island food and we’re a bit unique in that sense. So, they come from all these chef backgrounds and I’m making them make damper with banana leaves and popping in the oven like Grandma taught me.

Larisha: What are the most important things to you to keep in mind as the business grows?

Nornie: I just want to always still make sure that I know everyone and I want that village, still, I feel like a village. My team is so big now. I have 80 employees in my company. I never, ever thought and one of the girls – Lily, actually – she’s been with me from the start. Now, she says, “I’m going to have to borrow a watch, I think”, because she’s like, the oldest person that’s worked with me. She’s coming up to term now. She’s been working with me for the last five years, and I just can’t believe it sometimes that how big we’ve grown. And I want to make sure that and everybody that works for me, I always say hello to them. I really want to keep that. I want to make sure that that is important to how I built the ethos around my business and really keep that island life where we’re a family.

Larisha: Do you or have you had to navigate limiting beliefs and if so, what did you do to move past them?

Nornie: I think I’ve always kind of channelled my dad. I grew up with a single father and he got sick really early on. And, you know, he never got to achieve the stuff that he wanted to and I vicariously, I have my life like, you know, and I always channel a little bit. I think I do it for him and I also do it for me. He built me to be very strong and independent and stand on my own two feet. And he had a limited time on this beautiful earth. And I think he just made sure that every time a challenge comes to me, and especially in the times like with COVID, and I was like, ‘What did he do to keep our lights on? I’m going to do that.’

You know, I’ve just always felt like I want to go forward and never go back.

To hear more from Nornie, visit tomorrowmoney.co/rbw.