The iconic artist and food truck kingpin are in their snack and seltzer era.
Beci Orpin describes herself as a creative practitioner and Raph Rashid as a cook (“although I always just wanted to be a hustler, which is a great way to do food”). The truth is, they are Melbourne icons. Individually, they’ve brought inspiration, joy and goodness to the city for decades with their creations on the art and food scene. Beci’s designs and illustrations have decorated buildings, festivals, stores, homewares and clothing; and Raph, a pioneer in the Melbourne food truck scene, is responsible for Beatbox Kitchen, Taco Trucks, All Day Donuts and Juanita Peaches. Together, they are parents to Tyke (19) and Ari (15), really nice people, tastemakers and, as we found out, excellent neighbourhood hosts.
Brunswick is lucky to have them, and the feeling is mutual. “We’ve been here about 15 years now,” says Beci. “Obviously we love the food and food culture, but Brunswick has a longstanding history of being home to immigrant communities and makers, and that’s still really strong.” For Raph, the beauty of Brunswick is that it maintains a steady mix of residential and commercial. “There are still Mediterranean markets and factories, people making stuff. It hasn’t quite reached full gentrification. That mix is important to me.” But it’s mostly about the community. “It’s a community-based suburb where we know lots of people and there’s lots happening within the suburbs,” says Beci. “I started my businesses in Brunswick with the trucks and got a lot of support from the community, and have continued to,” Raph explains. “I see All Day Donuts and Juanita Peaches as neighbourhood restaurants, they could be destinations for some people, but we run them for the neighbourhood”. When five kilometre COVID lockdowns were enforced, the couple realised everything they did day-to-day (school, work, friends and food) was already within two kilometres.
Home essentials
- Q.What kind of home cooks are you?
RR: “We try to have a bit of a schedule, but we tend to get ingredients on the day, and it really depends on how many kids will be home. Plus their friends are always showing up, too. We’re always ready to extend a meal if there are extra people. It usually just makes the whole thing better anyway.”
BO: “Our kids will often have their own things to do. Our 15-year-old has just got a job and is just 100% out on weekends, but family meals together have always been really important and we try to make sure we have them through the week. What we eat is pretty varied, but we’ve got our staples too, your spag bogs like every family.”
- Q.What kind of entertaining do you like to do?
RR: “We’ve always been the hosts. Always.”
BO: “Yeah, we’re always the instigators and organisers… Well, I’m the social planner, Raph provides all the food. But having friends over at our house is my favourite thing to do.”
RR: “I’ve probably gone past the mega productions. It will kill you on the dishes and just everything else it takes. And it’s not going to be any fun if you’re completely stuffed by the time everyone turns up. I’m a lot more into snacks than meals too, but generally it will come out of something I’m trying out for work. So I like to make a few tasty salsas, turn on the hot coals and cook.”
BO: “It’s very freestyle and will often come from Raph saying, ‘I’ve got heaps of food, invite some people over’, or that he’s just fermented or confited something that he wants to use.”
RR: “I really don’t like food going to waste, and when inspiration comes, you really want to share that. It’s very spontaneous and we’ve got lots of local friends who are just keen to come and eat food.”
BO: “Also, we don’t have a dishwasher and haven’t for 15 years, so we have a rule: The first time you come to our house, you don’t have to wash the dishes, but after that you have to help.”
- Q.What drinks are always in your fridge when you entertain?
RR: “I pretty much stopped drinking about a year ago. The non-alc beers are great because the flavours are developed and still have the qualities of a beer. I can't really even tell the difference any more! Bridge Road Brewers Free Time Alcohol Free Pale Ale Can is slightly fruity, but not OTT, and goes great with BBQ.”
BO: “I like a tequila-based cocktail, and it goes with most of our food. We’ll grab seltzers – they are liked and easy – as well as nice soda water. In terms of spirits, I always have Montenegro because I love a Montenegro Spritz. I always have gin and vodka, and I quite like all the natural amari.”
- Q.What’s the secret to great event styling?
BO: “I definitely always have flowers, and I have a great collection of serving plates that get rolled out. I love napery and tablecloths. I’m always buying things for the house, and mostly they’re for the kitchen. So if we have an event that gets to that level of forethought, I put lots of effort into pulling those things out and layering them together.”
RR: “We don’t really do themes, but we like to surprise people with what we present. And I think you can do that by just putting in effort, people appreciate that and feel that thought. That can just be a few candles and dressing the table up nicely, if you’ve got the time and energy.”
BO: “You want people to feel comfortable and at ease, so the house is clean, there’s nice incense burning and the cooking smells. All those touchpoints make it feel special. The catch is that it has to look effortless. Which the styling is for me, I really enjoy it, but that’s also why you make sure you're doing what feels comfortable and not taking on too much.”
Notable mentions
- Q.Go-to drink order?
BO: “Mine’s a Margarita for sure – straight up or spicy, not sweet like a Tommy’s – with a salty rim.”
RR: “I drink a lot of soda water, but I’m always keen to try something from the non-alcoholic cocktails area – anything sour.”
- Q.Best restaurant you’ve ever eaten at?
BO: “Contramar in Mexico City was pretty great. It’s a classic seafood restaurant with great people watching. The waiters wear tuxedos, but it’s still quite casual. We were with friends and it was a really memorable night.”
RR: “Locally is tough – there’s so much. For a special occasion, Etta is great. There’s also a Turkish restaurant in Moonee Ponds called Komur we went to for Beci’s dad’s birthday.”
BO: “One place we always go back to is Kaprica in Carlton. It’s pizza and pasta and we’ve taken the kids since they were little. They have memories there, and one of our kids became friends with the chef’s daughter. I order different things every time, but it’s always consistently good.”
RR: “I always get the seafood pasta and a garlic pizza. Our son Ari always gets the gnocchi, every time.”
- Q.Best event you've hosted?
BO: “My 40th was huge, and there’s definitely been birthdays when Raph's created, for example, a Thai feast for 70 people. They are the big productions we don’t tend to do anymore because it’s so much work and you don’t always get to really enjoy it. But my favourites are always the ones that happen because the weather is great and you ask, like, four people over and have a really fun time.”
RR: “I prefer to be cooking than chilling. It gives me purpose and I like to be the provider, it gives me more joy and any event is a great opportunity to do that and explore food creatively. I love having our friends around, but for me it’s more about the cooking than the socialising.”
- Q.Last event you hosted?
BO: “I had people over on Saturday night, but Raph wasn’t there so I cooked. It was a bunch of ladies, mostly vegetarian, and I’m a cookbook girl, very different to Raph, so I made a salad from The Very Good Falafel, this tahini/tomato/eggplant dish from the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen and a smoked trout salad. We had heaps of wine – everyone brought one. Lots of pét nats. Range Life Pet Nat Chardonnay is my ultimate summer wine: refreshing, light, crisp. Very drinkable. It’s one I stock up on.”
- Q.Key pieces for tablescaping?
BO: “Linen napkins. As soon as I left home, it was one of the first things I bought. It feels like an extra bit of luxury to wipe your hands on this dedicated piece of cloth, plus they are great environmentally. Conversely, I really like the bright, fun paper tablecloths you can find at party shops. You can absolutely put a paper or plastic tablecloth with linen napkins. And things don’t have to be expensive. I could easily spend a stupid amount of money on flowers, but I can also just forage in the park across the road. Natives are easy to style, but I really like colour, so a good old gerbera is fun and provides a bright pop.”
Let’s plan... an impromptu garden feast
- Q.Who’s coming:
BO: “We’ve got such a diverse friendship group and entertaining at home is such a great way to get them together. We’re pretty last-minute people, so we’ll probably ask around the day before to see who can come. Usually these events are spurred by Raph testing a new recipe so we’ll invite those with palates we trust and are keen to be tasting guinea pigs.”
- Q.The guest brief:
BO: “Let’s make the most of the sunshine and begin in the afternoon, and maybe bring something sweet.”
- Q.Drink on arrival:
RR: “Palomas using 1800 Silver Tequila, and non-alcoholic Palomas for me with the Seedlip Spice 94 Non-Alcoholic Spirit 700ml. It balances well with the grapefruit flavours.”
- Q.The main event:
BO: “Raph will be making salsas for tomato salsa tostada and beef tartare salsa verde before firing up the coals for grilled toast and anchovies, grilled squid, peppers and spring onions. We are big on condiments, and always have a selection on our table, including some ferments from Rough Rice. El Pato is our current go-to stable hot sauce and we have a selection from Mat's Hot Shop. Raph is always looking for new ones to try. To drink, we’ll have pét nat and seltzers on hand. Part Time Rangers Peach Penguins are a favourite, because we love anything with a cause (they are working to halt the penguin population decline on Penguin Island in WA to ensure we have penguins for future generations), and of course Takara Chu Hi Yuzu Citrus. The first time I went to Japan in the late 90's I was introduced to the Chu Hi and it was a revelation for me, so now it’s quite nostalgic to drink. I love that there are so many pre-mix Chu Hi cans available here these days. I love a bottle of chilled red, like Chaffey Bros Not Your Grandma's Chillable Red. I feel like I drink so much white and sparkling in summer, a chilled red is a great balancer during these warmer months for me. This one is so yum and goes great with Raph's snacks.”
- Q.The decor:
BO: “Surprise and delight is the aim, so I’ll go into my cupboards and pull out unexpected patterns and colours. For these types of outdoor occasions I like to keep it colourful and unexpected with a mix of different pieces. I purchase from all over: op-shops, Ebay & Etsy, stuff I've bought on travels. I love stores like Pogo, Hay, Mr.Kitly and Ma House Supply Store, too. ”
