George Georgievski initially wanted to provide his two school-age daughters with a daily lunch box that was healthy, packed with nutrition and filled with the colours of the rainbow.
“I’m a simple dad who believes in love and family. If you love something with a passion, you should pursue it.”
The colourful contents of those lunchboxes would have remained a treat just for Georgievski’s girls had he not shared photos of them on social media for anyone who wanted to listen.
"It all started with wanting to provide healthy food for my two young daughters who attend primary school. It just took off from there.”
Georgievski saw interest and potential in his booming social media follower count, then took his school lunches to another level. He even created a series of multicultural lunch boxes to help kids learn about other cultures and help break down barriers at an early age.
“Stick to the formula,” he says. “Just remember this: three veg and two fruits, with a focus on the colours of the rainbow for visual appeal”.
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Georgievski says it’s his way of sharing his new found knowledge of a simple and successful formula for kids’ lunches.
Somewhere in his 10,000 followers was Jamie Oliver. The famous chef from England was keen to join forces with the inventive dad.
“The Jamie Oliver connection is like having fuel injected into my tank. It will help me broaden my reach with the work that I do.”
Aside from spending the last couple of years holding demonstrations at baby expos and local schools, not to mention loads of interviews with TV and radio networks from Australia and abroad, Georgievski has been leading the charge to clean up school canteens.
“If they’re not going to do anything about the school canteens, I want to know why,” he says. “One in four children in Australia is obese.”
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Georgievski believes that healthy food habits start at home but that they also need to be underpinned by a greater social awareness reinforced at school.
“We have children who think food comes from supermarkets and kids who have never eaten a cauliflower, tomato or cucumber,” he says.
Georgievski has been trying to get the attention of local and state politicians to legislate for a healthier alternative to current school canteens.
“On my own, I’m like a little puppy that keeps barking on about cleaning up school canteens. Joining forces with Jamie Oliver has instantly helped in capturing the attention of politicians who didn’t respond previously. Now, they want to talk.”
Becoming a Jamie Oliver ambassador gives his chances of being heard a welcome boost.
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“As soon as a state MP realised I was a Jamie Oliver health food ambassador she immediately changed her tune.”
But there's another reason why the dad from Geelong’s media profile has been recruited.
“Australia’s distance from Europe makes it challenging for Jamie Oliver to come here often. So, when a promotion or demonstration for healthy food needs to be done, I’ll be doing it.” says George.
Social media has also been a platform where Georgievski can also convey the beliefs behind why he does what he does.
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“I’m not doing anything extraordinary. I’m just being a parent.”
He swiftly adds he sees being a father as a partnership with his wife Marina and one in which they share the responsibility of raising their two daughters.
“I’m doing this for them and they’re the reason I’m not going to stop”.
In the meantime, Georgievski is keeping the ideas coming and making sure most of his food preparations are kept under a minute. He never imagined that a “dad like me” would get to where he is now.
Whenever he can, Georgievski lets people know that what he does comes from love and that’s been his most important ingredient.
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“I’m so happy that someone like Jamie Oliver has come along. I’ve been giving demonstrations right around Australia, but by being on Jamie’s team, I’ll be able to do a lot more.”
