Peter Gilmore is one of Australia’s best chefs, known for his innovative and game-changing dishes at Sydney’s Quay and Bennelong. And during the month of June, Sydneysiders can have his winter-perfect kimchi chicken soup delivered to their work (or home) through Two Good Co’s lunch delivery scheme.
He’s come on board for the first winter month of 2019, joining one of Australia’s most successful exports, the Sydney-trained and British-based chef Skye Gyngell (who has a number of well-regarded restaurants on her resume), who has created a recipe for baked eggplant with tarragon and crème fraîche for both Sydney and Melbourne Two Good customers. And in Melbourne only, Neil Perry’s Asian sweet-corn soup will be available for delivery. The meals are tasty enough you’ll forget you’re eating lunch at your desk – and it won’t dint your bank account too much ($14–$15).
The lunches are part of Two Good’s buy-one-donate-one concept. The meals – economically friendly, delicious and nutritious – are created using recipes provided by the chefs and then made in Two Good’s kitchens in both Sydney and Melbourne. They are then put into jars and delivered via Deliveroo to offices and businesses. Importantly though, for every meal purchased, another is given to a local refuge for women affected by domestic violence.
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SIGN UPTwo Good Co began as an ad-hoc cook-out in Sydney’s Kings Cross, providing meals for those less fortunate living in the area. In 2015, the organisation launched its “eat one, treat one” model (which was expanded to Melbourne in 2018) as a way of restoring a sense of self-worth to those affected by domestic violence, and has since delivered more than 82,000 restaurant-quality meals to refuges and shelters.
Sydney’s Kylie Kwong (Billy Kwong), Darren Roberston (Three Blue Ducks) and Matt Moran (Aria, Barangaroo House) have all contributed soups and salads to Two Good Co’s meal line-up. Melbourne’s Ben Shewry (Attica) and Andrew McConnell are also involved.
“It's important for us to have the best chefs [involved] because it’s a demonstration to people in the shelters that they are worthy of eating food by the best chefs in the world,” says Rob Caslick, co-founder of Two Good.
“In particular, Skye’s philosophy of empowering women and environmental respect resonated with us and we asked her if she'd like to come and help,” says Caslick, adding that Gyngell and Gilmore will also be cooking for the organisation at a fundraiser dinner.
The Two Good lunches are available Tuesday through Friday, but this batch of high-profile chefs are serving their winter jars from June 2 to 23 only. (Additionally, there’s a Two Good Special of slow-roasted pork with winter slaw and romesco.) Orders are placed on Two Good’s website, but they can’t be made day of, so forward-plan a lunch for you and your workmates. Each month a new batch of chefs are involved, creating new takes on the Two Good jar lunch.
As well as making delicious meals, Two Good trains women staying in domestic violence shelters in its kitchen for future jobs in hospitality.
“We started Two Good as a way to scale our soup kitchen and provide dignity and self-worth to people who are homeless around Kings Cross in Sydney,” says Caslick. “Success for us was turning Two Good into an employment pathway program, where we’re not only delivering beautiful meals, but are employing some of the women from the shelters that we serve.”
The buy-one-donate-one concept goes beyond food. Two Good has also partnered with Australian fashion label Jac + Jack on a line of apparel, as well as with Sarah Wilson (best-selling author and Founder of I Quit Sugar) on a range of (almost sold-out) throws made from 100 per cent recycled wool from Australia’s oldest and only operating wool mill, Tasmania’s Waverley Mill (opened 1874).
Two Good Co’s meal jars are available Tuesday through Friday each week, delivered to many areas in Sydney and Melbourne. Peter Gilmore, Skye Gyngell and Neil Perry’s meals are available June 2 to 23.