Buy the Book: Uses for Obsession

This year marks 19 years for Ben Shewry’s Ripponlea fine-diner Attica, a restaurant whose legacy was built on imagination and creative fearlessness. It also marks the release of his second book, a memoir aptly titled Uses for Obsession. “Ultimately,” says Shewry, “this book is about using imagination and creativity to solve problems”.

Uses for Obsession is Shewry’s second book. Despite containing three recipes for Bolognese and the 10 commandments that make for a good one, Shewry insists it isn’t really about food. “It’s also about the search for the meaning in everything,” he says. “Really this book is not just about food; it is about an acute dislike of bullshit.”

Here’s Shewry with the particulars.

The inspiration for Uses for Obsession was… I come from a long line of storytellers, and in my childhood, the way we communicated was through stories. It was how we coped with the difficult things that were happening, how we brought light and humour to those moments, the way we connected. Sharing ridiculous situations and turning them into humour was a source of entertainment for our extended family. To bring to life a story is to feel that you are not alone. 

I was also motivated to write a book that defied the tough-guy energy that is unfortunately still so often associated with chefs – okay, male chefs – at the top of their game. 

The pitch to the publisher was… My incredible publisher Murdoch Books pitched to me. They visited and asked me what I’d like to write about, and I said, “Well, definitely not a cookbook, and it could be this or that”. I then went and wrote something totally different to what was discussed, which I think is appropriate when writing a book; writers should go where the process takes them, but this requires a high level of trust from a publisher. I feel fortunate to have the immense support of a group of people who totally believed in my ability to deliver something meaningful to them, to an audience of readers, and audiobook listeners. (By the way, I narrated my book, which was really important to me and a total thrill.)

The main thing I learnt writing it was that having courage and telling the truth is the most important thing an author can do. Truth is what writing deserves, nothing less. With Uses for Obsession, I have tried to honour that truth. That requires a writer to go down rabbit holes, and to sit with deep discomfort for extended periods of time to reflect upon their actions, and of the things happening around them. Even more so when an author has been critical of power structures and systems, in the ways that I have. To write an honest book requires a level of fearlessness, owning your own culpability, and an ability to see the world as a bigger place than something that just serves any one individual’s needs. 

I work with a lot of great Victorian producers, but a few of my absolute favourites include… Two of my favourite Victorian suppliers feature in my book. Firstly, Gary McBean, our butcher and long-term mate from G. McBean Family Butcher at the Prahran Market. My book includes an 8,000-word rant about the pleasures and crimes of Bolognese and lasagne, with includes three recipes for Bolognese, a ‘lasagne manifesto’ and The 10 Commandments of Bolognese and Lasagne. I also invite readers to join my ‘Bolognese cult’. On 5 and 6 October, Gary and his team are making a lasagne recipe using my Obsession Level Bolognese and bundling it for sale with a signed copy of my book. I’ll be at Gary’s Prahran Market shop on the Saturday morning to meet people and personalise books. Keep an eye on Gary’s social media for more details. 

My other favourite supplier in the book is Lance Wiffin, of Sea Bounty mussels in Portarlington. In Uses for Obsession, I detail how I met Lance at a critical time in my life, and how his example and friendship helped me far beyond the chef-supplier relationship. Lance is a gem, and his mussels are some of the finest in the world. 

And my favourite food books that aren’t cookbooks are…

• Dark Emu by Uncle Bruce Pascoe. The book that changed the way many of us view food and agriculture in Australia, written by one of the most important writers this country has ever known.
  
• Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard is another. While it’s not a food book per se, it talks about ethical business, sourcing of materials and culture, and there are lessons there that can apply to running restaurants and caring about food. It’s also essential reading for anyone thinking about going into business. The example of Patagonia is one we should all be following. 
• Karkalla at Home by Mindy Woods. Okay, yes, this is a cookbook, but it’s also much more than a cookbook, it’s the heartfelt story of Mindy’s food and her Bundjalung culture. Told with immense generosity, this book is the real flavour of our nation. 

If you could take one thing away from Uses for Obsession, I hope it is that everyone single one of us has more power in this world than we can possibly imagine. It can be as simple as lighting up someone’s world with a huge smile, kind word, or a well-thought-out expression of gratitude. As I write in Uses for Obsession, a little bit of kindness doesn’t cost a thing, but has the potential to change mentalities and even revolutionise a workplace. 

Is that a cliff on the cover? What does it represent for you?
The cover is a crucial detail. When conceiving this book, we designed it in a holistic sense. Not only the writing, but how the book feels in the hand, and, of course, the image and what it represents. The cover is a painting called Glacier 29 by acclaimed artist Paul Kremer, who is from Houston, Texas. It relates to my favourite line I wrote; most climbers are killed on the descent. It also resets the expectation that this is not going to be a standard chef memoir.

I wanted to write a generous book, hopeful and helpful, and that’s why having a real work of art as a cover is important to me – not just a design, as most books have. Many people will never own a Paul Kremer painting but can own a small one in print form by buying my book. Paul graciously allowed me to use his artwork, and now my wife Kylie and I are great friends with Paul and his partner Rebecca. It’s always about the journey, as the saying goes. 

Finally, of the 10 Commandments of Bolognese I outline in Uses for Obsession, the absolute most important is: no lumpy Bolognese. Lumpy Bolognese is a sin. Fortunately, if you do make lumpy Bolognese, I have just the book to help you overcome this character flaw.