After a near-death motor vehicle collision in December, blind cook Penny Melville-Brown has emerged after weeks in a coma, months in intensive care and more time in specialist rehabilitation.
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Ms Melville-Brown had to learn to walk, talk and think clearly enough to complete the video series of her Baking Blind world tour.
The tour included a visit to Gerroa’s Seven Mile Beach, which also had its own dramas, when two of the crew had to be rescued after taking a post production dip.
Alan Baxter-Piggford and Toby Melville-Brown were dragged 200 metres offshore after being caught in a rip between Shoalhaven Heads and Gerroa.
“It has been a long hard struggle but now I’m able to work on more than 50 videos showing how outstanding professional chefs and amazing home cooks across six continents broke down any barriers about disability – just with our passion for cooking,” Ms Melville-Brown said.
In 2017 Penny won the international Holman prize run by San Francisco’s LightHouse organisation enabling blind people to showcase their ambition.
What started as a simple cook’s journey became an emotional trip from tears and terror to the fun and joy of wonderful food and people.
- Penny Melville-Brown
She was chosen from more than 200 contestants from 27 countries and completed the majority of her travels in America, Costa Rica, China, Australia and Malawi at the time of the accident.
“Everywhere I’ve been, whether people were showing me Michelin-style dishes or the simplest home recipe, the fact that I can’t see at all was forgotten in minutes. We just became enthusiasts sharing our knowledge and skills,” she said.
“The videos follow me every step of the way, from fine dining in San Francisco and a chaotic jungle kitchen, to the cuisine of prestigious hotels contrasted with the simple authenticity of African village cooking.
“There were plenty of other dramas along the way: A high risk drive through a tropical storm, being marooned in China, an air-sea rescue in Australia and more.
“What started as a simple cook’s journey became an emotional trip from tears and terror to the fun and joy of wonderful food and people.”
You can see the videos on Penny’s Baking Blind YouTube channel and find the recipes on her website www.bakingblind.com
