I'm Steve Sunk from Charles Darwin University where I'm a Master Chef and Senior Lecturer in Cookery. I live just outside the city of Darwin in the Top End of Australia.

For the past 15 years I have taken cookery courses to remote areas of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. My frequent travel between communities has earned me the nickname "Walkabout Chef".

Officially, I teach Aboriginal people about cookery and nutrition; unofficially, they teach me about bush tucker, their culture and show me some of the most amazing places in the world. I always listen to the older people because their knowledge, particularly about Australian bush food, is encyclopaedic.

In return, I teach the younger ones about western cooking techniques so they can get a job, and more importantly, cook for their families.

I have learned to incorporate bush tucker into many of my dishes. Not just because the ingredients are naturally nutritious but also they are often easier to find in remote areas. As well, food gathering is a healthy family activity.

Out bush you are more likely to come across a magpie goose than a chicken and it is probably easier, and more affordable, to shoot a wallaby or kangaroo than buy meat. If you know where to look, there is always plenty of turtle, crocodile, yams, bush tomatoes, wichetty grubs ….. you name it!

A few years ago I produced a book with Top End photographer and writer Dave Hancock. It was called "Walkabout Chefs" and dedicated to many of those older people who have taken me to special places and told me about different foods available to Aboriginal people.

In 2009 I was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for my work out bush and for developing the cookery education curriculum at Charles Darwin University. This year I established the Cook For The Family program, designed to bring better nutrition and cooking skills to remote communities.

I hope you enjoy my web site!