Where it all began

I grew up in Ireland, where my grandparents took great pride in their vegetable gardens. From an early age, I learned the importance of good food - not just in the recipe, but in the ingredients themselves. Spending time in the garden picking vegetables I discovered that good food starts long before it reaches the kitchen. Fresh, homegrown produce tasted different. Better. That early connection to food is what eventually led me to become a chef.

My grandfather Tom watering his cabbages, County Meath, Ireland

From Ireland to Sydney kitchens

When I moved to Australia, I worked in some of Sydney’s most produce‑driven restaurants: Rockpool Bar & Grill, Cornersmith, Two Chaps and Pizza Madre. Those kitchens cemented something I already knew: provenance matters. At Two Chaps and Pizza Madre, two restaurants that serve no meat at all, there was no spicy salami to make the flavour pop. We were just working with vegetables. The produce had to shine. And it only shines when it's grown and selected with care.

The original Vege Box team

The Vege Box began in 2011 with Amanda and Shane Roberts, a pair of produce merchants who supplied both home cooks and some of Sydney’s best independent cafés and restaurants. I met them while cheffing at Cornersmith, and they quickly became my trusted providores, the people who always knew what was in season, what was special, and what I would love to cook with.

When I moved on to Two Chaps and Pizza Madre, they kept finding me the most interesting, heirloom and hard to find produce. Their work made my work better.

How I came to take over

After stepping out of the kitchen, Shane asked if I knew anyone who could help him at the markets.
I said, mate, I'll do it.

It turned out to be everything I loved about food; the produce, the people, the seasonality, without the parts of restaurant life I no longer wanted. When Shane and Amanda told me they were moving overseas, I told them I wanted to take over The Vege Box.

That's how I went from cooking with their produce to choosing it myself.

What The Vege Box stands for

With The Vege Box I work in the same way I did as a chef:

  • Choosing the best produce I can find
  • Supporting small farmers who grow with care
  • Preserving heirloom varieties and rare seeds
  • Celebrating seasonality in every box
  • Letting vegetables be the hero of every meal

My goal is simple: to help you cook the most delicious, interesting meals you can, using produce that tastes great and lasts.

Sustainability

I want the Vege Box to help care for both our community and the planet. I’m always working to make a more sustainable business - the box supports Australian farmers, contributing to low food mileage and strengthening our community of small farmers; our boxes are 100% reusable, every time we drop off a box, we’ll pick up the old ones; and the box’s seasonality means we’re always working on nature’s schedule.

A personal touch

As a small business, we treat each box like our own. There’s a personal touch in everything we do - from curating your box of produce to the care we take in packing and delivering it. Food is about connection: to the people who grow it, the land it comes from, and the shared joy of cooking and eating together.

Our promise to you

When you choose the Vege Box, you’re getting more than just fresh produce - you’re getting a handpicked selection of the most vibrant, seasonal produce in Australia. While the supermarket produce comes from a farm, to a packing facility, then to a distribution centre - this is farm-market-you. It’s fresher, it lasts longer, it’s more flavourful and it looks beautiful.

I hope you like it as much as I do.

Kim x