Where it all began

I grew up in Ireland, where my grandparents took great pride in their vegetable gardens. I grew up in Ireland, where my grandparents took great pride in their vegetable gardens. From an early age I learned that good food starts long before it reaches the kitchen. Fresh, homegrown vegetables tasted different. Better. That early connection to flavour 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 including Rockpool Bar & Grill, Cornersmith, Two Chaps and Pizza Madre. Those kitchens cemented something I already knew. Provenance matters. At Two Chaps and Pizza Madre, where no meat is served at all, the vegetables had to shine. They only shine when they are 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 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, and friends. They 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. When Shane and Amanda told me they were moving overseas, I told them I wanted to take over The Vege Box.

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

What The Vege Box stands for

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. I want to help you cook the most delicious and interesting meals you can, using produce that tastes great and lasts longer.

Sustainability

I want The Vege Box to care for both our community and the planet. The box supports Australian farmers, keeps food mileage low and strengthens our network of small growers. Our boxes are 100 percent reusable. Every time we drop off a box, we pick up the old one. And because everything is seasonal, we work 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 are getting more than fresh produce. You are getting a handpicked selection of the most vibrant, seasonal vegetables in Australia. While supermarket produce travels from a farm to a packing facility and then to a distribution centre, this is farm to market to you. It is fresher, it lasts longer, it has more flavour and it looks beautiful.

I hope you like it as much as I do.
Kim x