Juanita’s Journey

A love of food, a little bit of travel, lots of curiosity — and a very strong dislike of broad beans!

My love of food started very early. I’ve always loved eating, cooking and discovering new flavours. There are plenty of things I’m passionate about, but this is the part of my story that explains how Juanita’s Kitchen came to be.

It Started at Home

My food journey began with my mum, Jeanette, and my dad, Ljubomir.

Mum was — and still is — a fantastic cook, as well as an amazing artist. Dad was Croatian, which meant our home was filled with the simple pleasures of home-grown fruit and vegetables, fresh food and homemade wine.

Crushing grapes for Dad’s wine was always a fun family tradition. Dad eventually had his own vineyard, and we loved getting together to help pick the grapes. Dad passed away in 2020, but those family traditions and memories remain a very special part of my food journey.

I think my name, Juanita, somehow came with an early fascination for faraway places and cultures. As a little girl, I remember dancing around to mariachi music and daydreaming about Spanish courtyards while chasing kittens through the vegetable garden. Some things, apparently, never change!

Fishing, Family & Learning to Cook

Dad grew up connected to a beautiful little island off the coast of Croatia, one of the Dalmatian Islands. Fresh fruit, vegetables and, of course, plenty of fish were part of that way of life.

He passed his love of fishing on to us. Before he had a boat, we'd fish around the lakes and dams near Ballarat, where we grew up. Eventually, Dad bought his first boat and our fishing adventures moved to St Leonards, where we would camp right on the beach over Christmas.

Fishing wasn't just about catching the fish. Dad taught us how to bait the hook, clean, scale and cook our catch — so I suppose my food preparation training started pretty early.

A lot of what I learned about food started with Dad: fresh ingredients, making the most of what you have, and the joy of sharing food with family.

My First Kitchen Job

At 16, I got my first job cooking in a café, and it confirmed something I already suspected: I loved working with food.

There was something incredibly rewarding about seeing people enjoy something I had cooked or prepared.

I also discovered that I had a bit of a flair for it. I became known for making what I still think was the best ginger fluff (a beautiful old-fashioned sponge cake).

My boss did have one small problem with me, though…

I never really followed recipes.

For me, cooking was always more about feel, taste and instinct. I still cook that way today.

Finding My Way Back to Food

Life took me in many different directions over the years — from clothing retail to working as a ward clerk — and eventually I became a mum.

While my girls were young, I didn't work outside the home. With three little girls, including twins, life was certainly busy enough! But I continued running home-based businesses and studying, particularly around food, natural remedies and nutrition.

All three girls had various food allergies, which sparked an even greater interest in ingredients and the way food affects how we feel.

I knew that, somehow, I would eventually find my way back to working with food.

Discovering West Africa

After moving to Melbourne from Ballarat, my food journey took an unexpected turn and I discovered the incredible flavours of West Africa.

What began with myself and two partners — one of whom was West African — grew into a business providing ready-to-eat food at festivals and events around Australia.

We cooked in complete kitchens set up at events, sometimes feeding hundreds of people and, at events like WOMADelaide, thousands.

It was hard work, but it was also an amazing education in flavour, food and cooking for people on a very large scale.

Eventually, that experience evolved into the range of sauces, pastes and cook-at-home products that became the beginnings of Juanita's Kitchen.

Then Came Mexico

Then a Mexican man came into my life — and with him came new experiences, travel and, most importantly for this story, a whole new world of food and flavour.

Mexican food just seemed to make sense to me. The chillies, spices, roasting, toasting and layers of flavour felt completely natural.

My love of Mexican cooking grew alongside everything I had already learned from my family, my travels and my experiences with West African food.

And somewhere along the way, all those influences came together.

Juanita’s Kitchen

My aim has always been to share the flavours and ingredient combinations I've discovered, stumbled across and fallen in love with over the years.

But I never wanted to create products that simply tasted like something "out of a jar."

I wanted them to be as close as possible to home cooking.

The idea is simple: you do the cooking. I just give you a little help.

My sauces, marinades and pastes are designed to be flavour enhancers, rather than instant meals. Add them to your own ingredients, experiment, make them your own — and hopefully convince everyone that you spent hours in the kitchen!

And please don't feel you have to use them exactly as I suggest. I love discovering the clever and unexpected ways people use my products. If you come up with something brilliant, tell me!

Today, everything I make is still driven by that same love of food that started in my mum's kitchen all those years ago.

Whole ingredients. Big flavours. Lots of passion. And a little help from me.

I hope you enjoy cooking with them as much as I enjoy creating them.

Love,
Juanita ❤️