y u m. | z e s t by r o n b ay
A zest for life {
cr e ating spic y d is h e s wit h v e rsatil e flav o u rs } Words Michelle Dryburgh
A rich, spicy curry is the perfect way to warm up on cold winter nights. Perfecting a truly authentic flavour can be difficult, but Shelley and Pob Sellors have done exactly that. Their Zest Byron Bay curry bases received the highest praise at Melbourne’s recent Good Food and Wine Show. “We had Indian, Nepalese and Sri Lankan customers come up saying ‘these are our flavours’, and telling Pob ‘son, you’ve done very well’,” Shelley says. “We’ve always had confidence in our product, but having people from all over the world telling us our recipes are authentic is really amazing, it’s given us a whole new sense of pride in what we do.” Shelley and Pob took over Zest five years ago, with their twoyear-old son in tow. They rebranded the existing dry spice mixes and spice pastes, and developed the popular curry sauces, including Rogan Josh, Butter Chicken, Vindaloo and Kerala Blend.
Inspired by Pob’s experience as a chef, the products are entirely gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and vegan. Production has quadrupled in recent times, and Zest continues to draw attention from conscious foodies throughout Australia. “The consumer has become more educated, they are making more choices with their food now,” Shelley explains. “I credit MasterChef hugely. That show has been a gift to me as an Australian brought up on meat and three veg, and it has opened the average person’s eyes up to what they can do with food.” While Shelley and Pob provide recipes on their website, they say there are no bounds on what can be created with the versatile flavours. “The most important lesson I’ve learned is not to be afraid of flavour. I’m not a cook, I’ve never been a cook, so it was a clever decision to marry a chef. But when it is my turn to cook, I usually pull out a sachet of Zest.” www.zestbyronbay.com.au