Tawnya Bahr is a leading food expert, executive chef and founding partner of Straight To The Source.

She uses her 23 years of foodservice experience to educate and share her knowledge of the local and global food landscape.

Tawnya’s innate passion for food and cooking extends beyond the kitchen, through to production and agriculture. As an advocate for Australian producers she has championed them through her food consultancy, seasonal farmers’ market tours and dedicated professional development food tours for many years.

With multiple recognitions for her commitment to the food industry, Tawnya wears many hats including a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef, culinary judge, restaurant reviewer, mentor for Women in Hospitality and committee member of the Australian Culinary Federation.

Tawnya was awarded 2018 Culinary Advocate of the Year (Gault&Millau) and TAFE NSW 2017 Excellence for Innovation & Entrepreneurship. She is also an active participant on foodservice industry panels and MC for food events.

Driven by her passion for the people behind the scenes in food and culinary innovation, and a constant desire to support a thriving food industry, Tawnya is a well-respected industry advisor with a vast network across multiple sectors.

With over 20 years’ front-of-house and project management experience in the hospitality and food industry, Lucy brings a wealth of knowledge to her role as a partner in Straight To The Source.

Career highlights include owning and managing 3 award-winning restaurants in Sydney, Australia; being invited to present a dinner at the prestigious James Beard Foundation in New York; and, co-founding Appetite for Excellence in 2005, a highly regarded national restaurant industry awards program for outstanding young Australian chefs, waiters and restaurateurs.

As Project Manager of the delicious. Produce Awards, Lucy works with Australia’s leading chefs and restaurateurs such as Maggie Beer, Matt Moran, Alla Wolf-Tasker, Neil Perry, Peter Gilmore and Kylie Kwong to unearth and celebrate Australia’s finest producers and produce.

She also regularly participates in globally recognised Australian food events as a panellist, MC and host of topical food-related panel discussions with renowned food industry legends such as Marco Pierre White, Rick Stein, Andrea Petrini, Josh Niland, Danielle Alvarez and Dan Hunter, to name a few.

Lucy is an advocate for hospitality as a sustainable career choice; for young industry professionals; and, for primary & artisan food & drink producers. She brings an industry insider’s knowledge and contacts to the projects she is involved with.

Amy Colli is an advocate for local food and agritourism. In a career that spans food, wine, events, education and agritourism Amy has a passion for industry development and connectivity in regional areas, particularly the Northern Rivers of NSW. 

Completing a Master of Gastronomic Tourism in 2019 and previously a Bachelor of Business in Tourism, Amy is a critical thinker when it comes to evaluating evidence-based projects in a dynamic, modern-day environment. 

Amy’s interest in regenerative farming, locally-produced artisan products and fresh produce has resulted in extensive experience in supporting farmers to find opportunities to diversify over and above primary production. She has supported projects with organisations such as Northern Rivers Food and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

In particular, Amy has worked with the Tweed Shire for many years developing food festivals, industry networking events, chefs tours and regional engagement projects; this work was a contributing factor to the Tweed region being recognised as an 'Outstanding Region' in delicious. Produce Awards. In 2024, she co-curated the inaugural Savour The Tweed festival with chef Christine Manfield.

Amy’s passion for regional community development is also reflected in her role as Coordinator of the Women’s Giving Circle for the Northern Rivers Community Foundation - a collective giving model that supports projects for women and girls.  

Elena Duggan was the 2016 winner of MasterChef Australia. Her skill in the kitchen and passion for sustainability, waste reduction, homegrown food, support for local producers, eating seasonally and mindfully makes her a fabulous fit for the Straight To The Source team. 

Elena’s down-to-earth, kind and approachable nature, mixed with her culinary abilities have earned her thousands of followers and an esteemed reputation. A background in photography, visual arts, psychology and education contributes to Elena’s creative expression, making her uniquely positioned to be a leader for social change and work with our team to head up our social asset services.

She seeks to make positive relationships with food achievable and accessible for families everywhere. As a former teacher, she is also driven to use food as a vehicle for education and resilience in young people, as demonstrated by her involvement in several school programs.She is a proud champion of Indigenous Australian food and is a regular ambassador for organisations and brands that encompass her ethos.