Meet the Just Food team

Carol Perdigão (she/her)
Treasurer & Co-Founder

Carol is a Brazilian foodie and a comms polymath. She has worked in the film industry, as a chef, managing her own content marketing agency and sharing vegan recipes on her former blog and Instagram. ⁠She's obsessed with all things food and can be a bit snobby when it comes to coffee and bread - but only cause she knows the importance of buying from ethical suppliers and giving food the attention it deserves.⁠
She has graduated from her third degree (a Bachelor of Food Studies) and is now doing a Masters of Social Work. Carol can talk for hours about how it's all interconnected, and we'll need to think systemically to address the biggest challenges of our era.⁠⁠

Vicky cooks in a backyard garden

Vicky Bishop (she/they)
Fundraising Coordinator

Vicky comes to Just Food with over 10 years of hospitality experience - specifically in specialty coffee all over Melbourne, and as a chef in both Melbourne and London. Working closely with food and coffee has led Vicky to question the cultural dissonance between its universal adoration and the general disregard and devaluation for the people and systems producing it - this led her to begin the Food Studies degree where she met likeminded people with similar concerns at Just Food Collective. Vicky loves a bit of food trivia, and cycled through just about every type of cooking obsession in her adolescence. These days find her at a local eatery trying to convince ma and pa shop owners to charge way more for their love-filled elaborate cultural dishes and advocating that food should be made available for free everywhere by governments.

Patrick McMillin (he/him)
President & Co-Founder

Patrick is a German-American who now calls Melbourne home. He obsesses over food for its gastronomic pleasures and power to do good. With over 10 years of hospitality and foods experience, Patrick knows the many problems of our modern food system firsthand. Today he is a Food Studies graduate, President of Just Food, avid researcher and writer, and is determined to make a tangible difference in this space. Find him at RMIT, South Wharf, or Melbourne Town Hall as he leads the Well Fed project together with Savannah.

Carl Watson (he/him)
Board member and Co-Founder

Meet Carl, a graduate with a Bachelor's in Food Studies and a co-founder of Just Food Collective. With a decade of diverse experience in the food sector, from farmers markets to hospitality and events, Carl is dedicated to addressing food security and fostering conviviality within the food system. He also believes that celebrating and learning the art of food fermentation holds the key to tackling some of these challenges.
Carl is presenting at the July Symposium of Gastronomy and we can’t wait to see him shine in this space, bringing together the food systems and gastronomy. You can often find Carl at Schulz Dairy’s farmers market stalls in Naarm.

Amy Tacey (she/her)
Secretary & Co-Founder

Amy flipped from the wine bar and hospitality scene of Melbourne to thinking about the collaborative and tangible contributions to a better food system. She loves hosting elaborate dinner parties, a bit like Mirka Mora would have, but also combining that passion with serious effort into re-designing food environments to be more equitable, convivial and supportive.
She has a degree in Food Studies and
is currently the Food Hub Coordinator at Common Ground Project. She’s always willing to get involved in aligned projects, in food, farming and social justice. Reach out and say hi!

Savannah Supski (she/her)
Vice President & Co-Founder

Savannah is food obsessed and her greatest skill is most-likely knowing what she’s going to eat next - something that drives her to think about if other people know what they’re going to eat next too. Her fierce passion for food justice and security sees her spending free time advocating for food security and during work hours creating local government food security policy. She’s always up for a new collaboration! Savannah is currently co-lead of Well Fed, a law student after graduating from Food Studies, and is working for FYA in Hepburn.

Lucy Beveridge (she/her)
In-House Nutritionist

Lucy is a dedicated clinical nutritionist with over a decade of experience in the health industry, where she discovered her passion for the intersection of food and health. Committed to community building and mutual aid, Lucy advocates for free and accessible food for all. She actively participates in unconventional sourcing methods like dumpster diving and alley fruit shopping to redistribute. Her journey led her to the Just Food Collective, a group she joined to broaden her reach and provide nutritious food and a sense of community to a wider audience. Lucy also has a deep appreciation for dining, particularly when she can taste the chefs' commitment to high-quality, ethically sourced ingredients

Marcelo Paternoster (he/him)
In-House Videographer

Morgan McDonnell
Member

Persia Blaise (she/they)
Co-Founder

Hailing from Melbourne's West, Persia lives and works on unceded Wurundjeri land that Always Was, Always Will Be Aboriginal Land. They recently completed their undergraduate degree in Food Studies and have previous certificates in Hospitality and a Diploma of Screen & Media. They love the intersection of all things food and art, working both as a picture framer and completing the student internship with Just Food in 2023. Their involvement with Just Food projects such as the Fed Up Campaign stems from a desire to break down the stigma of food insecurity experience and bring attention to injustice in the food system more broadly. This means connecting food to conversations about  intersectionality, sustainability and colonisation. 

Jay Fong
Member

Hailing from sunny Singapore, Jay is a creative foodie with a keen interest in funky ferments. Growing up in a densely urbanized region of South-East Asia and with a decade of experience in the food industry, Jay has developed a deep appreciation for sustainable food systems and a longing for alternative foods. As a fermentation workshop host, Jay passionately explores and shares the rich cultural heritage of traditional fermentation practices. She believes in the power of food to connect people across different ethnicities and backgrounds, creating a shared space for learning and appreciation. Inspired by a desire to experience alternative ways of living and accessing food, Jay chose to settle down in Melbourne, where she has been enjoying the vibrant community and cultural diversity. Her journey reflects a commitment to fostering interconnections between people and promoting a sustainable, inclusive food culture.

Sara Guest
Member & Research Advisor

Luke Pringipas (he/him)
In-House Graphic Designer

Gio Rojas
Member

Our members come from all walks of life and participate in our meetings and actions. If you want to be a part of Just Food and learn more about how you can take action, just shoot us a message.

Partner Organisations

These organisations support us with active contributions to our actions and projects. If your organisation is interested in supporting Just Food, please get in touch.

We’re super grateful and proud of our partnerships, and will make sure they continue to provide benefit to all.

William Angliss Institute