Chris Jordan is a passionate champion of Indigenous cuisine. He’s playing an important role in Australia’s booming bush food industry, worth $81.5 million and counting. His journey is intensely personal, marked by the loss of his family’s history and his desire to reconnect with his Aboriginal heritage.
Jordan’s dad – Joseph, was a refugee from former Yugoslavia, and came to Australia in 1950. He died when Jordan was still an infant, leaving his son with little education on his Aboriginal heritage. As a kid growing up in northern New South Wales, Jordan’s education taught him almost nothing about his relationship to Kamilaroi Country. His grandmother was advised to say they were Italian if people ever asked about their Aboriginal background. This decision was indicative of the profound shame that the family experienced as a result of internalized societal stigma.
Jordan, though, has made tremendous strides in recent years to reconnect with his culture. He took a personal journey to connect with his Aboriginal roots. Together with his great-uncle and elders, he walked the history of their ancestors. This journey did more than give him insight into his heritage—it sparked the course of his intended career. That relationship to his culture only deepened when his studies led him to study Indigenous philosophy at the University of South Australia.
Jordan’s catering business, named Three Little Birds in honor of his father’s favorite song by Bob Marley, serves as a tribute to his father’s memory. Through this business, he hopes to empower Indigenous communities and educate others about sustainable food sourcing. On the ground he connects with and supports local growers through his co-op collective Food Connect Shed in Brisbane. Together, they discover bush food and native ingredients requiring less water and pesticides.
Beyond founding his business, Jordan is dedicated to mentoring the next generation of chefs. He works with youth through schools and programs around Queensland. In addition, he serves as an advocate for Indigenous youth who are at risk of entering the justice system. His inspiration for education comes from Aunty Dale Chapman. She’s an award-winning chef who has acted as a mentor and teacher to him throughout the years.
“And the biggest reason for me getting sober was meeting Aunty Dale. She has been in the bush food industry for 35 years and is an amazing chef, an amazing educator and someone who is passing the torch with her education.” – Chris Jordan
As a mentor, Jordan has motivated a new generation of young chefs such as Dylan Kerslake. It was thanks to Jordan that Kerslake found the inspiration and support to work his way into the culinary world.
“Chris encouraged me to become a chef and helped me to get my first job,” – Dylan Kerslake
Kerslake’s path started with volunteering in Jordan’s kitchen, where he first developed his love for cooking.
“[Knowing] where your food comes from and how to use it sustainably,” Jordan continues, “is this very deep-rooted part of our Indigenous culture. He sees introducing First Nations foods into broader diets as a crucial means of cultural preservation and environmental sustainability.
“Understanding where the plant, the fruit, the herb, the spice actually comes from is really, really important,” – Chris Jordan
Yet Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples own less than three percent of Australia’s bush food industry, as he notes. This striking statistic illustrates a needling gap that is critical and urgent.
“Less than 3 per cent of Australia’s bush food industry is Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owned, and I think that really needs to shift,” – Chris Jordan
Jordan’s social enterprise model is based on taking the profits of the business and reinvesting them into the community. This principle is behind his work with hundreds of restaurant and cafe partners.
“We need to make sure that the money goes back to the community. It is one reason we collaborate with a lot of different restaurants and cafes,” – Chris Jordan
Robert Pekin, another promoter of Indigenous cuisine, is on the same page as Jordan and wants to see First Nations foods integrated into everyday diets.
“One of our big long-term objectives is to get First Nations food into our diets in a mainstream way,” – Robert Pekin
Reflecting on his family’s journey toward embracing their heritage, Jordan expresses pride in witnessing the shift in attitudes among his extended family.
“It is amazing in my lifetime I have seen that shift, and now my extended family are so proud of who they are,” – Chris Jordan
Chef Aunty Dale Chapman was always encouraging of Jordan’s ambitions, acknowledging his part in raising native ingredients to a prominent place in the Australian kitchen.
“I am extremely proud of where Chris has started, and his journey is still happening, and it’ll go on for a long, long time,” – Aunty Dale Chapman
