Economist – Home

Acupful of knowledge mixed with a handful of passion and a pinch of experience are just some of the ingredients that have made foodie Coralie Riordan’s career a success.

The home economist and food consultant is serving up some expert advice to eager cooks at the Sydney Seafood School at the Sydney Fish Markets.

“I really like the Sydney Seafood School because of the diversity of people,” she says. “Some people come along and they have never picked up a knife and other people are quite good: they know exactly what they are supposed to be doing.

“But it’s getting around and dealing with that different skill level and helping people develop knowledge, confidence and the enthusiasm for cooking that’s the really rewarding part.”

Riordan started her career as a home economics teacher in Adelaide, before moving to Sydney in the mid-1980s to work with David Jones in its catering division.

She has worked for Family Circle Magazine, developing the recipes and styling food for photos, and has also developed some recipes for a number of corporate clients including Ayam, a large manufacturer of food products for the Asian market.

Riordan moved to Singapore in the late 1980s and spent some time there undertaking a number of cooking classes to hone her skills in every aspect of Asian cuisine. She says: “That gave me an opportunity to travel and expand my skills and knowledge of ingredients and techniques with Asian cuisines, particularly Thai.”

Riordan returned to Sydney and took up a teaching opportunity at the Sydney Seafood School and has been there for 15 years.

Under her expert guidance, students learn about selecting seafood from the retailer, storage, basic preparation and cooking techniques such as pan-frying, steaming or chargrilling.

Riordan says the secret to her success is being well-prepared for her classes and then providing an inspiring teaching environment.

“Students’ satisfaction is amazing. They get surprised that they can now cook a piece of fish and it really tastes terrific or cook a paella or salt-and-pepper prawns.”

How to be … a home economist To become a home economist you should study science or health science at university with a major in food and nutrition. For more information call the Home Economics Institute of Australia 1800446841 or log on to visit www.heia.com.au