LIFE TAKING YOU FULL CIRCLE

Jaci is sharing her inspiring story of "life taking you full circle, from South Gippsland to the world and back and from media to cooking and back to media".  

Founder of Jacican Cooking and Food Studio

Jaci grew up on a dairy farm in South Gippsland outside the town of Loch. As a young girl, her time was spent reading the cookbooks that her mother kept in the bottom kitchen draw. She was always looking for a new recipe to try, a new food idea spending many childhood weekends making rainbow cakes with as many colours as possible. Not much has changed - have you seen her IG feed - she is still searching for recipes that she can cook using what she has on hand or is growing in her kitchen garden.

At the age of 16, she announced that she wanted to leave the farm and travel the world. She believed that there was a career for her in television that combined both sports and being technical. There was, as a broadcast engineer working in outside broadcasts for Australian television.

As all 16 years old’s, 30 seemed a long way away. After a career, she already knew that she would move back to Gippsland to grow vegetables and cook. Fast forward 20 years, and Jaci returned to Gippsland to start Jacican Cooking and Food Studio in Mirboo North to follow her passion for growing food and cooking.

Before returning to Gippsland, Jaci re-trained as a Chef (Cert 3 in Commercial cookery, William Angliss Institute of Tafe), worked in catering, hotels, and small businesses, both in Melbourne and Gippsland, before starting Jacican in 2012. Her small business journey led her to graduate with a Bachelor of Business and Commerce (Monash University).

Undertaking a Graduate Diploma in Journalism (RMIT), Jaci has found life has brought her full circle. The skills she has gained through life has led to her combining her love of all thing’s food and Gippsland, with her initial passion, media.