In 2019, renowned Celebrity Chef Mark Olive brought Indigenous cuisine to the forefront of Regional New South Wales’ foodie scene by launching Wollongong’s first indigenous pop-up restaurant – ‘Black Olive’. Mark was very keen to offer working opportunities to local Indigenous youth and together WorkPac and JobTrail in partnership with Campbell Page proudly supported ten youth from the Illawarra region in their aspiration to break into the hospitality industry.

Throughout the project, Mark Olive was generous in sharing his knowledge on the native bush ingredients used in each dish with all participants, who have been eager to soak up Marks’ extensive knowledge. “It’s great to work with young indigenous kids and hopefully be seen as a role model for them,” Mark said to the Illawarra Mercury.