Peter Kenyon

I’m Peter Kenyon. I explore, record and tell the stories of our food culture. I live with my partner on a two-hectare farm near Beechworth, in Victoria’s North East. We have a big old garden and a small young orchard. And I’m writing a book about apples.

The word culture – from the Latin cultura, ‘a cultivating, agriculture’ – came into use in the Renaissance and expresses the act of tilling land for crops. In other words, strong cultures are created through physical connection to land through the growing of food. In a similar way, I seek to tend a strong, resilient food system that sustains and builds our communities. I also want to help society really see where food comes from and understand why that’s important. Perhaps that makes me a food culturalist.

Bountifully common yet richly diverse, the apple is a lens through which I’m exploring our modern food system: its origins, people, culture, science, trade, risk and opportunity. Threaded through this are stories of Stanley, a small horticultural community in Victoria’s North East, home to the famed ‘King Cole’ apple. As my research continues, you’ll be able to read, hear and view some snapshots here on unpeeled and my social media. There are also some diversions into the wider food world where I live – talks with North East food producers, makers, chefs, cooks and eaters about what local food culture could be.

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