Elena Giannini.
The MFA DE&I Council would like to see an industry where everyone can thrive, feel heard, supported, and safe to do their best work. Let’s meet the Changers who are sharing their own lived experiences to inspire us all to change for the better.
Sharing your culture is extra special when you’re surrounded by a supportive network – people who are not only curious to learn but also deeply respect the traditions that define you.
For the past few years, a group of just these kinds of people have been making their way down the M5 to my father’s house to learn how to make tomato sugo and salami twice a year. And while this would have been something I shied away from when I first started in media, it is now a ritual I am honoured to share.
Dad came to Australia in the 1950s, like many others in the great wave of post-World War 2 migration. He lived in Glebe until the council kicked out migrants, moving around the suburbs of Sydney. Dad tackled the challenge of “assimilating” while still holding true to the fabric of his culture, which had shaped the first 15 years of his life. His migrant spirit and resilience helped him settle into life and work, building his family in Australia.
There are many things my family values from our cultural heritage – and sauce and salami days are up there with the best of them. With dozens of boxes of the ripest tomatoes of the season, and what feels like a whole farm of pigs to turn into Sydney’s best cured meats. The process is old school. There are no measurements; just music playing, and too many espressos and countless questions as we continue the tradition.
What really surprised me was how curious and eager my friends were – not just to buy our products, but to dive into the tradition behind them. So, I started inviting them to our sauce and salami days. After all, the best way to truly experience another culture is to jump right in. Front row and centre, with an open mind, ready to listen and learn why things are done the way they are.
Dads’ eyes sparkle on these days, he has made new young friends and gets to share his culture. He gets to be the expert, in a world that might feel slightly overwhelming for an 80+ Italian migrant living near Campbelltown.
As for me, I adore these days. They remind me me how interesting different cultures can be and reinforce the importance of always being ready to listen.
We can be guilty in the media bubble of thinking inside the box, when really outside of the box is where the richness and – if I may indulge in a terrible pun – where the flavour is.
Elena Giannini is Business Director at Avenue C
Her father:
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