Oct 13 2024 36 mins
Ben Shewry
Chef Ben Shewry strives for truth in life and perfection in his new memoir, Uses for Obsession.
This year marks 19 years for Ben Shewry’s Ripponlea fine-diner Attica, a restaurant whose legacy was built on imagination and creative fearlessness. It also marks the release of his second book, a memoir aptly titled Uses for Obsession. “Ultimately,” says Shewry, “this book is about using imagination and creativity to solve problems”.
Uses for Obsession is Shewry’s second book. Despite containing three recipes for Bolognese ( love) and the 10 commandments that make for a good one, Shewry insists it isn’t really about food. “It’s also about the search for the meaning in everything,” he says. “Really this book is not just about food; it is about an acute dislike of bullshit.”
I come from a long line of storytellers, and in my childhood, the way we communicated was through stories. It was how we coped with the difficult things that were happening, how we brought light and humour to those moments, the way we connected. Sharing ridiculous situations and turning them into humour was a source of entertainment for our extended family. To bring to life a story is to feel that you are not alone.
I was also motivated to write a book that defied the tough-guy energy that is unfortunately still so often associated with chefs – okay, male chefs – at the top of their game.
The pitch to the publisher was… My incredible publisher Murdoch Books pitched to me. They visited and asked me what I’d like to write about, and I said, “Well, definitely not a cookbook, and it could be this or that”. I then went and wrote something totally different to what was discussed, which I think is appropriate when writing a book; writers should go where the process takes them, but this requires a high level of trust from a publisher. I feel fortunate to have the immense support of a group of people who totally believed in my ability to deliver something meaningful to them, to an audience of readers, and audiobook listeners. (By the way, I narrated my book, which was really important to me and a total thrill.) The main thing I learnt writing it was that having courage and telling the truth is the most important thing an author can do. Truth is what writing deserves, nothing less. WithUses for Obsession, I have tried to honour that truth. That requires a writer to go down rabbit holes, and to sit with deep discomfort for extended periods of time to reflect upon their actions, and of the things happening around them. Even more so when an author has been critical of power structures and systems, in the ways that I have. To write an honest book requires a level of fearlessness, owning your own culpability, and an ability to see the world as a bigger place than something that just serves any one individual’s needs.
Deborah's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/what.ive.learnt/
Mind, Film and Publishing: https://www.mindfilmandpublishing.com/
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/what-ive-learnt/id153556330
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3TQjCspxcrSi4yw2YugxBk
Buzzsprout: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1365850