Mark Leahy
NATOORA
A longtime friend of the store and an integral part of Melbourne’s food culture, Mark Leahy is the kind of person who connects worlds: from heirloom tomatoes to selvedge denim, from orchards in Tasmania to the coolroom at Natoora.
Mark’s work brings him close to the people who grow, cook, and celebrate food in its purest form while his style and approach to clothing reflect the same values: durability, integrity and timelessness.
Through Natoora, Mark champions an idea of “radical seasonality” — eating food at its peak moment when flavour is most alive and soil health is respected. It is a philosophy that not only shapes what ends up on your plate but also challenges the way we think about culture, sustainability and even clothing.
We caught up with Mark at his Collingwood location to talk about food systems, climate and the parallels he sees between farming, fashion and everyday life.
Interview :
When most people think about fruit and veg, they picture the supermarket aisle. How is Natoora’s approach completely different from that? – We weren’t the first to work directly with growers and outside of a centralised wholesale market, that was supermarkets. However, our ethos is to work with flavour and soil focused growers. Ones that bypass high yield, storage capacity, chemical reliant and uniformity crops for heirloom varieties, traditional growing methods and emphasising soil heath. Resulting in great flavour and nutrient dense produce, grown in a way that repairs landscapes and helps mitigate the ongoing effects of climate change.
Natoora talks a lot about “radical seasonality” – What does that mean to you personally? – Saying something is ‘in season’ does not explain the whole story. All plants shift and change throughout their season. Radical seasonality explains this, categorizing a crop’s life cycle into its early, peak and late stages, where yields, flavour, appearance and culinary uses can all differ.
A lot of food systems are built on convenience. What’s the hidden cost of that, and how is Natoora trying to flip the script?
Convenience is important and Natoora is making flavour-focused produce convenient to consumers. In Melbourne, we currently only offer wholesale options direct to chefs and restaurants but in the UK and New York produce is available to households through brick and mortar stores and delivery ‘peak’ boxes.
In modern times, convenience has become synonymous with being available all year round, resulting in extended food miles and produce that is modified to storage well. We look at convenience differently, as this all comes at a cost and that cost is normally flavour.
What Natoora is doing is making the best tasting and nutrient dense produce at any one time, convenient and available.
A lot of food systems are built on convenience. What’s the hidden cost of that, and how is Natoora trying to flip the script?
Convenience is important and Natoora is making flavour-focused produce convenient to consumers. In Melbourne, we currently only offer wholesale options direct to chefs and restaurants but in the UK and New York produce is available to households through brick and mortar stores and delivery ‘peak’ boxes.
In modern times, convenience has become synonymous with being available all year round, resulting in extended food miles and produce that is modified to storage well. We look at convenience differently, as this all comes at a cost and that cost is normally flavour. What Natoora is doing is making the best tasting and nutrient dense produce at any one time, convenient and available.
Which ingredient or grower has surprised you the most since working at Natoora?
I am constantly blown away by orchard fruit growers. Most of these crops will not fruit for 5–7 years and are quite susceptible to changing weather patterns. There is a real art to mastering these crops. A big shout out to a few growers we work with: Matt and Cor, Geeveston TAS (heritage apples), James and Cass, Strathbogie Ranges VIC (heritage cherries and peaches), Hugh and Katie, Harcourt VIC (heritage apricots, plums, apples and pears), Rob, Adelaide Hills SA (heritage cherries and figs).
Food accounts for a third of global emissions. Do you think the responsibility to change lies more with farmers, chefs, or everyday eaters?
It’s on everyone but it really starts with everyday eaters – demand drives supply. One step further, government bodies are responsible. More funding needs to be made available for sustainable agriculture so it can be an attractive profession with longevity and healthy produce can be available to more people, especially those in lower socioeconomic communities.
Climate change is already shifting growing conditions. What crops do you think future generations in Melbourne might lose — and which ones might thrive? – There is a fair amount of manipulation that can be done with market garden produce, allowing them to withstand climate changes – things like tomatoes, lettuces, cucumbers, carrots, cabbages etc. What is really in danger is orchard fruit and especially the extra delicious traditional heirloom and heritage varieties. What would thrive if Victoria continues to warm – Southern Mediterranean varieties – dates, capers, chilies and peppers.
Do you feel closer to the Earth working with food every day, or does it sometimes make the fragility of it all more overwhelming? – Through Natoora, I feel closer to people who farm and who have taken the responsibility upon themselves to steward the land and our earth. We need to support the people doing the right thing as our health and the earth’s health is in their hands. Learning about the importance of soil has definitely made me feel closer to earth.
In food, Natoora pushes for radical seasonality. If fashion embraced the same philosophy, what would that look like? – With textiles not being perishable like food, seasonal windows seem less important but what I would like to see more of, is transparency on sourcing these textiles. Where are they coming from, how are they farmed and the production methods to get from plant or livestock to a garment.
We produce far more than we need and waste an enormous amount across basically every industry.
How do we get people to value what goes into growing citrus or tomatoes or livestock… the journey food takes to get on their plates, the pairs of hands that touched every garment in their wardrobe?
Telling the story about the process of how things are made and the skill of the producers behind them. Allowing people to value not just the object but the skill, traditions and industry they are supporting when cooking with or wearing these things. Also making these things digestible for consumers. That is why at Natoora we speak so much about flavour, your body just knows when something is delicious. It is a universal language. With clothes this could be how fabrics feels on your skin, durability, how something naturally wears out over the years or how a fabric regulates temperature.
Heirloom produce & selvedge denim both fight against a loss of tradition. Why do you think people are drawn back to these things now?
Both selvedge denim and heirloom produce have a beautiful sense of uniqueness, no one pair of jeans or two tomato will be exactly the same.
It’s cool to be different, celebrate uniqueness and diversity and to have something no-one else does.
You grew up in Vermont — how did the outdoors and seasonal living there shape your relationship with food and nature? – I was fortunate enough to go to farmers markets with my parents from a young age and the respect for locally made, artisanal food is immense in Vermont. Vermont is the only state without billboards and a McDonald’s in its capital city.
What brought you to Melbourne, and how did you find your way into Natoora? – I grew up travelling with my family so there was always a pull to live internationally for some duration of my adult life. Hospitality brought me to Melbourne, with an incredible culture of food and drink. Prior to moving to Melbourne I studied culinary management with a focus on the beverage side of things.
Once I landed in Melbourne I met many owners, operators and creatives. Two of those were Kim Driver and Mikey Buchanan who started Northside Fruit and Veg, a small, ethically and flavor-focused produce wholesaler. I worked with Kim for a year before we partnered with Natoora and started the transition of opening Natoora Melbourne.
Has living and working in Melbourne changed your relationship with food? – It has, since living in Melbourne I have been exposed to a multitude of new cultures, cuisines and food customs. It has also been amazing to me to see some of the produce that is available in supermarkets – passionfruits and dragonfruit to name a few. I never saw tropical fruit in the grocery stores in the States.
Has your time in food changed the way you see other objects — like clothes, tools, or furniture?
Without a doubt. Learning about food, the growers and the labour that goes into cultivating it, has given me much more appreciation for the makers and communities behind anything unique and bespoke.
You were wearing URAHARA pieces in the Natoora warehouse shoot — how do you see the link between clothing and the kind of work you do day-to-day?
What we do at Natoora puts the spotlight on all the beautiful produce we work with, yet there is a lot that is less glamorous happening behind the scenes to make this all happen. Clothing from URAHARA is not only stylish but utilitarian. In the same outfit I can spend the morning managing stock in the coolroom, then visiting a grower who’s harvesting our crops in the afternoon and wrap up the day by going out to dinner at one of our customers restaurant’s in the evening.
Are there certain materials or garments you gravitate towards when you’re working with produce, or when you’re outdoors?
I really love wool. It has an incredible way of keeping me warm when I am in the coolroom or visiting a farm on a chilly morning yet breathable when I’m in the sun. It’s also wicking and naturally de-odorizing.
Do you think durability in clothing has parallels with sustainability in farming?
It certainly does. Just as growing food sustainably is beneficial to the health of both humans and the planet, the textile industry can have the same effect. Natural fibers last longer, feel better and create better garments. When these textile crops and livestock are grown or raised thoughtfully they can have incredibly beneficial results in regenerating tired and nutrient deficient landscapes, while producing some of the most sought after textiles.
REGENERATIONREGENERATIONREGENERATIONREGENERATIONREGENERATIONREGENERATION
‘Telling the story about the process of how things are made and the skill of the producers behind them…’
Best thing you’ve eaten this month –Cuddlefish noodles, duck broth, salted cumquat (Harriot, CBD).
Vermont or Victoria: which has the better apples? – Vermont, the climate is ideal and heritage varieties are more readily available. If it’s local, Tasmania would be the winner. The climate is slightly cooler than Victoria and better suited to apples, in addition to a few small producers still growing apples the old school way.
Skiing or kayaking? – Tough one but Skiing. There is something extra special about chasing the perfect snow conditions, whether that is local or in another country.
One piece of clothing you couldn’t live without? – A cap or beanie.
What’s in your fridge right now that you’re excited about? – Happy Little Accident Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir Vinegars, Chooks at the Rooke Pasture Raised Eggs and early season Mangoes.
What’s harder to sell: a funky shaped heirloom vegetable or a pair of selvedge jeans that cost five times more than fast fashion crap? – The jeans for sure.
Heirloom Tomatoes are chef crack. They will buy them in any state and at any cost, especially if the flavour is exceptionally good. They strike the perfect balance of stunning appearance, punchy flavour and easy to serve.
