Churchill Fellowship information session: Food production

​To inspire your application for the 2023 Churchill Fellowship round, the Churchill Trust, in partnership with our Churchill Fellows, will be delivering virtual information sessions throughout February 2023.

​Food production

​​In this session join host Paul West and Churchill Fellows Gina Dal Santo and Cameron Matthews as they share their Fellowship experiences, impart insights on their fascinating projects and motivate you with what they have achieved since returning to Australia. You will also be able to engage in a live Q&A and gain helpful advice on how to apply.

​Meet our host for this session

​Paul is passionate about all things food and helping new gardeners experience the magic of fresh and organic homegrown food. He is the host of the much loved program River Cottage Australia, a regular contributor for the ABC, and author of the best selling cookbook The River Cottage Australia Cookbook. Paul is the co-founder of Grow it Local, a community that aims to get more people growing, sharing and eating locally grown foods. 

​Meet our speakers for this session

​Gina Dal Santo is a cheese enthusiast who’s made a career out of bringing that passion to others. A founding cheesemaker and lecturer at The Artisan Cheese Making Academy Australia (ACMAA), which operates as part of TAFE SA, Gina received the Dairy Industry Association Manufacturing Scholarship in 2011 and was a finalist for the VET Teacher/Trainer of the Year Award at the Australian Training Awards, which recognises excellence and initiative in training, a focus on learner needs, and a commitment to VET teaching and learning.

​Gina was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2015 to develop a national centre for cheese education creating a paddock-to-plate Artisan Cheese Industry. You can learn more about Gina here.

​Cameron is passionate about creating a blueprint for the Food Service Industry to improve sustainability across key areas including sourcing, society, environment and chefs’ mental health. He has held the title of Executive Chef for a range of iconic restaurants including Brisbane’s Siggi’s Restaurant and Lurleen’s, Sirromet Winery, Mount Cotton. In November 2020 Cameron followed his dream and opened his own restaurant – Winston – a chef in residency pop-up held within the iconic Wasabi restaurant space in Noosa. And in late 2021 he opened newly established Hazelwood Estate’s The Paddock Restaurant.

​Cameron was awarded a Churchill Fellowship in 2016 to research and develop improved sustainability practices for high end restaurants and food outlets. You can learn more about Cameron here.

​Applying for a Churchill Fellowship

​​A Churchill Fellowship is a life-changing opportunity to travel overseas to explore a topic or an issue you are passionate about. We encourage applications from all sectors of the community and in any field or topic of interest.

​​To learn more about how you can become a Churchill Fellow, visit our website churchillfellowships.com.au.  Applications open Wednesday 1 March 2023.