Food Passions: Reece Hignell and Jennifer Wong

Reading, writing and talking about food explores memory, culture and people. Our panel will share their insights, experience and stories of their food journeys.

Jennifer Wong’s book Chopsticks or Fork celebrate Australia’s unique culture of regional Chinese restaurants. The panel will be joined by special guest Kam Chen, who ran Rathmines Chinese Restaurant with her husband Francis for 30 years before they retired in 2024. Reece Hignell breathes new life into the nostalgic bakes with his vegan baking secrets in Cake Boi Goes Vegan.

• Ticket includes an afternoon treat provided by Cake Boi Reece Hignell
• Cost: $10 plus booking fee

Part of the Write Here Festival

About the Presenters:

Jennifer Wong is a writer and comedian. She is the co-author of Chopsticks or Fork?: Recipes and Stories from Australia’s Regional Chinese Restaurants (Hardie Grant), and a contributor to the anthology Admissions: Voices within Mental Health (Upswell).

Her humorous writing about food, culture, and mental health has appeared in The Guardian, ABC News, SBS Food, Monocle, and The Big Issue. She has reported on arts and books as the presenter of Bookish (ABC iview), and as a contributor to Radio National’s Books and Arts program. Jennifer is the presenter of Chopsticks or Fork? (ABC iview), and creator and host of FEAST: live community storytelling events for food and story enthusiasts.

As a comedian, she has sold out shows around Australia, most recently Jennifer Wong Has No Peripheral Vision (2023) and The Sweet and Sour Hour of Power (2024).

Reece Hignell is an Australian pastry chef, author and reality TV personallity, best known for his appearences on MasterChef Australia. Born in 1990 in Newcastle, New South Wales, Reece was inspired by his late grandmother, who taught him to bake. Although he initially pursued a career in recruitment, his passion for cooking led him to compete in MasterChef Australia Season 10 in 2018 and MasterChef Australia: Back To Win in 2020. He was also a contestant on Dessert Masters 2024, showcasing his skills alongside some of the best in the business.

Reece is the owner of Cakeboi, a bakery business he launched in 2020. His latest venture is Sonny & Betty at Mayfield’s iconic Coliseum Antiques.

In 2022, Reece published his first cookbook, Cakeboi: A Collection Of Classic Bakes, and has a new cookbook, Cakeboi Goes Vegan, inspired by his adoption of a plant-based diet.