The Asian Shopping Trek with Sally Lynch

The shopping treks are a chance to discover some of the intimate culinary secrets of the city. The guided tour will take you to the best markets for different kinds of food, giving you ideas for recipes, some insider knowledge on who gets what from where and some useful advice about the best choices for your menu. You'll learn to find the best deals in the best locations.

We explore either Sunnybank, The Valley or Inala. Three fantastic shopping meccas you have in front of you. They are fascinating market places full of BBQ'd meat shops, fish, dessert cafes, drink shops - guaranteed to get all your senses pumping. We will finish the trek off with an authentic Vietnamese lunch and you will definitely want to come back!

The Asian Shopping Trek Starts at 10am and runs on a Tuesday. Check the schedule for these treks.

Sally grew up in the countryside of North East Victoria on a farm where food was grown and harvested daily. She spent her holidays sitting in mulberry trees eating her fill on the branches and picking fresh almonds from the trees.

She started her journey catering for film crews and production houses in Melbourne's inner South. As her passion and intrigue into the world of ingredients developed (as well as her ticking entrepreneurial brain) she set off to start her first foray into the business world, setting up a couple of small restaurants within existing hotels in South Yarra. This led to “Ridgeydidge” a home delivery meal service where gourmet meals were delievered to your door.

Then with a friend she converted an old butcher's shop in Melbourne's up and coming neighbourhood Bentleigh to a funky café/catering/cooking school called The Spotted Dog.

In 2002, Sally got married, sold her business and moved to Brisbane, and this is where The Loaded Larder was born. The Loaded Larder was initially a production kitchen, developing dips and tapenades for sale in delis, supermarkets and for wholesale to restaurants and caterers nationally. A shop followed naturally enough and developed into another business supplying cafes and coffee shops with wholesale café foods.

Now Sally is pursuing her passion for good food and travel....what fun!