A Conversation with Stephanie Alexander

Next date: Sunday, 09 November 2025 | 01:30 PM to 02:30 PM

Western Port Writes is delighted to welcome much-loved cooking icon Stephanie Alexander in conversation at Coolart Observatory on Sunday 9 November.

Join us to hear Stephanie chatting all things gardening and cooking with Jaclyn Crupi – an author, cook and gardener who has also established her own kitchen garden on the Peninsula.

Stephanie has inspired generations of home cooks and fundamentally transformed the way we think about food in this country. Her unparalleled career in food has spanned five decades, as the force behind Stephanie’s Restaurant, and author of 18 books, including The Cook’s Companion, the kitchen bible for Australian cooks. In 2001, she launched the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program, teaching children about growing, preparing, cooking and sharing delicious, fresh, seasonal food. Next year, Stephanie's famed book The Cook's Companion will have been in our kitchens and on our bookshelves for 30 years!

Jaclyn Crupi is an author, a book editor, bookseller, gardener and cook. She has written for both children and adults, and her acclaimed books include Garden like a Nonno, Nonna Knows Best and Pasta Love. Her latest book, Planting for Native Birds, Bees and Butterflies, is out in July 2025.

This special event is part of the Somers Open Garden Day. We hope you can join us!

Tickets to the Open Garden and Conversation with Stephanie Alexander are on sale now. Funds raised will go the Coolart Community Garden at Somers.

Your ticket includes entry to the Somers Open Garden Day. Visit five private gardens open in Somers, and enjoy live music in the Coolart Gardens from 12.30pm with songstress Anna Smyrk. Food vans and coffee onsite at Coolart.