Not So Guilty Pleasures

A brownie has been invented that is tackling the hunger epidemic in Australia. Brynn Davies chatted with Perry Josito and Zambrero's Dr Sam Prince about the do-good dessert. 

When you think about the global hunger epidemic it's not likely that you immediately associate it as something affecting Australia. However, a report by Foodbank revealed that one in six Australians have experienced food insecurity in the last 12 months alone. Dr Sam Prince's Mexican food franchise Zambrero opened its doors in 2005, tackling hunger head on: "It was my way of combining entrepreneurship with my humanitarian goal of helping the underprivileged," says Dr Prince.

"The recipe was inspired by my partner's brownie recipe, it's what I think a brownie should be: slightly crispy on the outside but soft and moist on the inside, not too sweet with a generous amount of nuts." 

The organisation has over 110 restaurants around the world, and its Plate 4 Plate program donates one meal to a country in need every time a Zambrero product is bought. Their most recent initiative in partnership with Foodbank Australia brings these donations closer to home. "We partnered with Stop Hunger Now for international donations and Foodbank Australia for local donations; both organisations work directly in the field with communities in need every day. The donations come in the form of a rice and soy meal fortified with 21 essential vitamins and nutrients. Communities receive these packs and then use what local ingredients are available to make meals, primarily via school feeding programs," explains Dr Prince.

The initiative comes in the form of a Mexican style brownie created by Perry Josito. "We created the Zambrero retail line based on feedback we'd received from customers — they loved that we were donating meals through the Plate 4 Plate program, but they were all being sent overseas. The retail line contributes to the same initiative of sending a meal to someone in need, but instead we donate through Foodbank to an Australian family," says Josito. The Hazillo Brownie "contains dark chocolate, whole hazelnut and a hint of guajillo chilli for a Mexican twist. The recipe was inspired by my partner's brownie recipe, it's what I think a brownie should be: slightly crispy on the outside but soft and moist on the inside, not too sweet with a generous amount of nuts," Josito enthuses.

"When you think Mexican dessert you think churros, I think there is such over-saturation of churros in the market! So I chose a chocolate brownie and added a Mexican twist with the guajillo chilli to create a three dimensional experience when you indulge in it." Never has a guilty pleasure felt so good. The packaging he has created for the brownie includes a sliding box which, when opened, contains information about how a customer's purchase has helped an Australian in need.

"For every burrito or bowl purchased in a Zambrero restaurant, a meal is donated to someone in need in the developing world and for any item from our retail line, the Forbidden Black Rice, Muesli Bars or Hazillo Brownie, a meal is donated to an Australian family," explains Dr Prince.

Josito is enthusiastic about the progress the company has made in tackling local hunger. "To date we have donated 25,000 meals in Australia and I think it's special how much Zambrero have dedicated themselves to attacking world hunger, especially in our own backyard."