The Origins Foundation Podcast

Episode 613 – Jo Barrett || The Best Pie You Will Ever Eat!
Date: December 30, 2025
Host: The Origins Foundation
Guest: Jo Barrett (Chef, Hunter, Co-Founder of Wild Pie)

Episode Overview

This episode features renowned chef, master pie-maker, and hunter Jo Barrett, co-founder of Wild Pie and Discovered Wild Foods. The discussion centers around Jo's unique journey into hunting, her mission to connect Australian wild game food systems with both conservation and culinary excellence, and the ongoing efforts to change public perceptions about hunting and wild-sourced meat. Through storytelling, Jo and the hosts delve into barriers, opportunities, and the transformative power of food to foster understanding and drive systemic change in conservation and consumption.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction to Jo Barrett and Her Culinary-Hunting Journey

• Jo’s Background: Jo grew up outside of Melbourne in a family that was not just non-hunting, but "pretty anti-firearms" and not adventurous in their meat consumption. She became a chef “wanting to be the connection between land and food” ([06:30]).
• Early Career & Philosophy:
  • Started questioning food origins early, puzzled by “boxes of chicken breasts” and what was missing from the food chain ([06:43]).
  • Awarded a scholarship in Canada, where she questioned “why aren’t we cooking the food from here?” ([11:02]).

2. Australian Wild Game in the Culinary Scene

• Challenges of Wild Game:
  • Early attempts to use kangaroo met backlash, sometimes from indigenous communities who felt ownership over such ingredients, and sometimes just due to general lack of public interest ([12:16]).
  • Vast numbers of wild animals are culled annually, but only a fraction is used for food. “We’re only eating probably 20% of that” regarding kangaroo culls ([12:48]).
• Perception Gaps: Hunting in Australia is often associated with "bogan" (Aussie redneck) stereotypes, and Jo herself was once “scared of firearms” ([15:01]).

3. Discovering Hunting as Food, Not Sport

• Jo recounts her “deep dive” into why so many animals culled by the government go unused. Her turning point was the realization that “why are we killing them and not using them? That’s protein” ([15:10]).
• First hunt was with the Broadside crew; her preconceptions about hunting as reckless were shattered when she saw respect for conservation and food among hunters.
• “It was so the opposite of what I thought around shooting anything. It was all around, I’m going to shoot that animal because it’s the right age and it’s what I’m looking for” ([18:07]).

4. Connecting Conservation, Community, and Wild Food

• Systemic Food Waste & Education:
  • The challenge isn't just hunting; it’s getting wild meat “from the wild and serving it to people the hardest possible way” ([21:32]).
  • Wild Pie is used as a “gateway drug… hey, we can have deer in a pie and you won’t even know” ([24:21]).
  • Barriers exist in consumer knowledge: “People don’t know how to cook at all and how to plan their menu if they’re not sure what’s in their box” ([25:33]).

5. Transformation and Traceability

• Discovered Wild Foods enables traceability “from the shooter to the catchment, the watershed… and then we could point the pie to who shot that and where it came from” ([22:28]).
• The approach leads to “zero waste” in the business—using all parts of the animal and matching or beating butcher prices with their meat boxes ([23:45], [23:53]).

6. Public Perception & Societal Shift

• Far from facing hostility, Jo now sees widespread support, including offers from landowners inviting her to hunt (“look at all this access!”) ([31:43]).
• Even Jo’s “pretty anti-firearms” family is now supportive after hands-on education and tasting experiences ([32:20]).

7. Continuing the Mission: Education, Accessibility, and Growth

• The next steps focus on breaking down distribution and export barriers—and looking to international markets where wild game is a privilege, not a pest ([34:12]-[34:27]).
• The host proposes public food experiences to demystify hunting: “Food is the entryway, is the gateway to having conversations that I want to have about… do you actually know what hunting is?” ([35:12]).
• Jo’s vision is succinct: “No one should go hungry and that there’s enough food for all great people. The public need access to the food that’s here and we need to work on making sure that they have access to it and that they understand that it’s actually good” ([37:27]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Australia’s Perceptions of Hunting:
  "Hunting has always seemed to be a pretty bogan activity in Australia... a redneck, you know, they go out hunting, they're just killing things, drinking, leaving rubbish in the forest, in the bush."
  — Jo Barrett [15:10]

• On Wild Game as Gateway Food:
  "We kind of think of the pie as a bit of a gateway drug. So you try, try the barb and go, oh, I can eat venison. And then maybe go, I might cook a piece of venison."
  — Jo Barrett [24:34]

• On Traceability:
  "We could point the pie to who shot that and where it came from."
  — Jo Barrett [22:45]

• On Family Acceptance:
  "I always use [my parents] as a bit of an identifier of what's happening in the general public and to see if I can alter their… understanding. And then you just, with a bit of education… I cooked. He cooked his first venison rump steak the other day and he's like, I loved it."
  — Jo Barrett [32:20]

• On Public Access and Education:
  "The public need access to the food that's here, and we need to work on making sure that they have access to it and that they understand that it's actually good."
  — Jo Barrett [37:27]

Highlighted Timestamps for Important Segments

• Jo introduces herself and shares her background:
  [04:55] – [05:12]

• Jo discusses moving from kitchen to hunting/food systems:
  [10:15] – [12:04]

• Talking about misconceptions and the pivotal first hunt experience:
  [15:01] – [19:58]

• Traceability and processing workflow:
  [22:11] – [23:53]

• Discussion about wild pies as a vehicle for education and acceptance:
  [24:21] – [25:37]

• Public perceptions: breaking stereotypes and family conversion:
  [31:43] – [33:38]

• Host and Jo brainstorm about future public events and food-driven change:
  [35:12] – [37:43]

• Closing vision: ensuring no one goes hungry in Australia
  [37:27] – [38:05]

Tone, Style, and Language

The tone is conversational, warm, and passionate, deeply rooted in personal storytelling, humor (“They kind of think of the pie as a bit of a gateway drug,” [24:34]), and a spirit of shared curiosity. Jo is candid about her own learning curve, the misconceptions she faced, and the transformative power of connecting to food and land.

Conclusion

This episode delivers an engaging narrative that blends culinary arts, conservation, and societal change. Jo Barrett’s journey—her shift from “anti-firearms” roots to leading a wild game food revolution—embodies the Origins Foundation’s mission. Her work with Wild Pie exemplifies the potential of food as an agent for public education and cultural transformation, showing that the best pie you’ll ever eat might also be the first step toward a better understanding of hunting, sustainability, and our place in nature.