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Dale is an Indigenous woman, born in Dirranbandi in SW Queensland - Kooma tribal lands, and a fully qualified chef.
Dale has been in the Food Industry most of her working life mainly in the Sunshine Coast region for nearly 25 years. From French cuisine to contemporary Australian, Dale’s experience is varied but she is most passionate about bush tucker and has promoted its use for a number of years through her own business known as The Dilly Bag Bush Tucker Products and Learning Programs which she set up in
2000 with nothing more than a few dollars and a little dream.
Today, Dale’s expertise as a Bush Tucker Chef is greatly sought after - to lecture and demonstrate her special melange of ancient Australian foods and contemporary cuisine in her own unique Indigenous style. In October 2004, and again in January/February 2006, Dale was invited to the French Riviera [the Nice College of Hospitality] to teach the French to cook using our own native bush tucker products and to impart some of her Indigenous cooking techniques and recipes.
As a chef and teacher with Aboriginal roots, Dale’s goal is not only to introduce these unique foods and tastes to the public but also to re-introduce her People to using bush tucker again. |
Dale Chapman
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She considers traditional food to be an effective weapon in the fight against heart disease and diabetes, 2 of the major health problems affecting many Aboriginal people today.
Dale conducts numerous Bush Tucker Workshops and Training Sessions as and when required - just use the "Workshops" page on this site to communicate your needs.
The workshops are designed for the participants to become aware of the unique array of flavours and textures of bush tucker and how easy it is today to incorporate in our daily lives.
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Click on the book
to print this page.
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Dale also caters to private classes, larger groups and community events. Dale’s range of products include the Dilly Bag brand of Native Lime Marmalade, Bush Tomato Relish & Sauce, Davidson’s Plum Jam & Chilli Sauce & Lilly Pilly Jam as well as a selection of dried native herbs [Dorrigo Pepper, Mountain Pepper, Aniseed & Lemon Myrtle, Roasted Wattleseed, Native Mint and Bush Tomatoes] Dale’s Cookbook is due for release in December 2004.
Dale's Totem: the emu.
Dale Chapman:
Why I stared the Dilly Bag:
"It was dream of mine to have my own business and the concept of sharing my traditional teachings with my contemporary training as a chef. Was the way to go, and a positive way of informing the wider community about the oldest living culture in the world, Australian Aboriginal culture and its people.
Sharing of food and yarning about the past and the future is a positive step to reconciliation and understanding.
My main focus is working towards and improved lifestyle for the Indigenous people they are my main focus, I want to share my trade and knowledge with all the future generations so that together we will grow strong and achieve true equality for all Australians.
Bush Tucker –“ It's Everyone Business” ...
It will provide sustainable land and waterways shape a better future of all people and ensure a healthy united Australia
The Dreaming is an understanding that explains all aspects of life and living to many Aboriginal people. It means the past, the present and the future. What has happened in before now shapes the events and behaviours in the present and these actions will mould the future world and the environment.
The Goals of
The Dilly Bag are to employ as many indigenous people as possible and provide a quality product and service delivery of which all Australians can be proud.
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Dale - from Australian
Bush Tucker
to
French Chefs in Nice ..
Jimmy Little
Dale, Ruby Hunter
& Archie Roach |
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Dale & Friends
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Dale Chapman -
ABC Article:
"I always new I would be a chef one day.
My name is Dale Chapman Scott my family name is Chapman, born in Dirranbandi, Kooma Tribal Lands.
I started cooking at the age of four with mums help, of course. As I grew my passion for food didn’t stop; I still have my first learn to cook book I received when I was 10years old. Like so many indigenous kids we moved around a lot and my sisters and I went to 13 schools before the end of grade seven finally coming to rest in Queensland on the Sunshine Coast completing year twelve at Noosa District High.
I was offered an apprenticeship at the age of 15 years but decided to keep going on to complete my senior certificate, just in case I wanted to go on to university at a later stage, at the age of 18 years indigenous and a female I set off to the BIG SMOKE Brisbane and landed myself and apprenticeship, at the Greek Club (opposite Musgrave Park) in South Brisbane, two things were on my side, my age (which I thought would be a hindrance) and my Aboriginality.
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The government helped support my way by providing me with guidance, a tool and uniform allowance. They were looking for a mature person who liked to cook and wasn’t afraid of hard work.
I was so proud that first day, when I pulled on those black and white checked pants, crisp non-indigenous double-breasted jacket, and the steel capped boots; I thought I was pretty deadly! I was on my way to achieving my dream!
The hospitality industry is tough; it’s hard work and you require brains, determination, passion for cooking, organizational skills, mentoring from your colleagues and peers. Family and friends need to support you through your entire apprenticeship. After four years you can stand proud and know that you have completed your dream and that reality can take you all over the world. People need to eat and drink to survive, and you will survive.
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Dale and Friends |
Over the years that followed I worked in various areas of the of food service industry; al a Carte, bistro, takeaway, smorgasbord, always excelling to the top position as Chef and training a number of apprentices. I have always been proud of being Australia’s first people and will continue to promote and learn from my indigenous community. |
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I decided to leave the hospitality area and gained employment in the Education Department as the first Community Education Counsellor on the Sunshine Coast my role was to liaise and support indigenous students, parents and teaching staff with cultural protocols, general information and teaching strategies, this lead to more positions within the indigenous community and I worked with various local government departments, to improve the equality of life, understanding and rights of indigenous Australians on the Sunshine Coast.
This lead to the establishment of the Dilly Bag -Bush Tucker Products and Learning Programs, the Dilly Bag is privately owned and operated by myself and has a range of bush tucker products eg bush tomato relish, lillypilly jam, Dorrigo pepper, roasted wattle seed are only a few, workshops and cooking classes are offered and I deliver programs in school from pre-school to university, community groups and the government sector, we specialize in Bush Tucker Catering.
For example - the following makes a great Bush Tucker BBQ lunch ...
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Emu and Kangaroo Sausages with Bush Tomato Relish
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Damper with Macadamia nut butter
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Barramundi with Mountain pepper and lemon aspen
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Salad with Bunya nuts and Lemon myrtle dressing
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Roasted Wattle seed cheesecake
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Native mint tea & Lemon Myrtle Soda
Bush Tucker is not just food. Some plants and animals act as medicines, and are rich in vitamin C, and high in both protein and carbohydrate. Bush tucker is usually stronger than conventual’s herbs and is best used in small amounts, at least until you get use to the flavour and how best to use it in your everyday life.
Emu oil has been used for hundreds of thousands of years by the Australian Aborigines for its healing and therapeutic qualities especially to eliminate the pain of inflamed joints and wounds. Aborigines would hang an emu skin on a tree to collect the oil, or wrap the sufferer in a freshly killed skin. The heat of the sun was used to liquefy the emu fat and enhance the absorption qualities and the melted fat is easily absorbed into your skin, providing prompt relief for aching muscles and joints.
Emu Oil is non-toxic, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and
anti-microbial as well as biodegradable. No known side affects, recommended anti-inflammatory to reduce pain from arthritis and rheumatism; muscle and joint aches, swelling and bruising; growing pains in children, soothing skin irritations such as, insect bites, psoriasis, dermatitis and eczema;
Lemon myrtle is a wonderful plant the leaves are used for tea, crushed leaf is put in cakes and biscuits, and is beneficial is calming and sedative also antifungal.
Bush Tomato: Solanum centrale. Grows naturally in Australia’s, sandy soil - central Australia spreading into South Australia and Western Australia The fruit shrivels from drying to give an appearance of dried raisins or sultanas and contains small non-indigenous seed (like tomato seed). Dried, the fruit has a strong pungent taste sometimes with residual bitterness. I use it to make relish, and when crushed is great to add to pizza, pasta and salads or give a soup a lift.
Acacia trees - these are a few that we use in cooking.
Elegant wattle (Acacia victoriae) is current food industry 'standard'. Golden Wattle (A. pycnantha), Sandplain Wattle (A. murrayana) and Silver Wattle (A. retinodes). The Elegant wattle grows over most parts of Australia from shrub to a small tree. The seed used and is dry roasted and ground to 3 different levels light, medium, and dark roast. And has nutty, chocolate, coffee flavour, perfect for sweets and savoury dishes has potential for inclusion in low glycaemic foods for diabetics and other specialty diets.
You must follow your dreams to say thank you to those who have been before us and to acknowledge our past ancestors for their strength and determination to for fill their dream to give all Aboriginal people the right to attain greatness and equality within themselves."
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