Ian Hemphill can’t remember when herbs and spices were not a part of his life. The younger son of John and Rosemary Hemphill, who pioneered Australia’s love of herbs and spices in the 1950’s, Ian earned his pocket money picking herbs and remembers many a season when the family home was strewn with bunches of drying culinary produce. Ian worked with his parents for many years, managed a spice company in Singapore and was a senior manager for a multinational food company in Australia. In 1997 Ian and his wife Liz opened a specialty spice shop in the Sydney suburb of Rozelle, which bears the nickname Ian has had since school days…..Herbie’s. Herbie is now enjoying sharing his extensive knowledge and experience with his customers at Herbie's Spices. Herbie’s Spices was founded to fill a need in the community of cooks and food lovers who wanted to access hard-to-find herbs and spices, have access to reliable information and be assured of the very best quality available in the world.
In 2000 Herbie's Spices was the winner of the Gourmet Traveller Jaguar award for excellence for Innovation in Produce.
Ian’s first book “Spice Notes” A cook’s compendium of herbs and spices was launched in October 2000 and was received with wide acclaim.
In 2001 Spice Notes won the coveted Food Media Club Food Writer’s award for best hard cover food related book in Australia.
Shortly after at “Tasting Australia” in Adelaide, Spice Notes was one of eight nominees for the Jacobs Creek award for best hard cover food related book in the world.
In January 2002, the American magazine “Saveur” listed Spice Notes as number 51 in its list of 100 ‘favorite foods, restaurants, recipes, people, places & things.’
Indian Tourism awarded “Herbie’s Spice Discovery Tour to India” an Award of Excellence.
In 2002 Spice Notes was published for the American market under the title there as “The Spice & Herb Bible”.
In September 2002 Ian’s second book Spice Travels – A Spice Merchant’s Voyage of Discovery” was launched and was nominated in the Best Food Book category for the Jacobs Creek World Food Media Awards 2003.
In March 2003 “Herbie” was awarded the Food Media Club Australia Peer Industry Award for Best Overall Contribution to the Communication of Food, at the Vittoria Australian Food Media Awards 2003.
Herbaceous – A Cook’s Guide to Culinary Herbs, authored by Ian and wife Liz was launched in April 2003, and has been warmly received by herb lovers around Australia. In September 2004, Herbaceous was awarded a Highly Commended at the Vittoria Australian Food Media Awards 2004.
Spicery – A Cook’s Guide to Culinary Spices, written by Ian & Elizabeth Hemphill with Philippa Sandall, was launched in October 2004. In December 2004 Spicery was awarded Best Single Subject Cookbook – English, in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2004.
In Early 2007, Herbaceous and Spicery were combined into one edition and launched under the title “Sticks, Seeds, Pods & Leaves – A Cook’s Guide to Culinary Herbs and Spices” with over 150 recipes.
Spice Notes and Recipes – A new edition of Spice Notes with new listings, additions and over 60 new recipes developed by Ian and Liz’s daughter Kate, launched in November 2006. This new edition is also published in the USA as The Spice and Herb Bible Second Edition. The USA edition was joint winner of the Best Reference Book category at the International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook Awards in Chicago in April 2007.
In October 2007, Ian “Herbie” Hemphill was inducted into the Sydney Morning Herald Sydney Magazine’s Food Hall of Fame.
Liz and Ian work full time at Herbie's Spices, dividing their time between the “Spicery” where their spices are processed, blended and packed and their retail store in Rozelle, where they get a chance to meet and talk to their regular customers.
Herbie & Liz also take groups of tourists to India nearly every year on a Spice Discovery Tour that explores the sights, sounds, flavours and atmosphere of India. To date they have led 10 of these tours to India since opening Herbie's Spices.
Ian is Immediate Past President of Food Media Club Australia Inc. (now called Australian Association of Food Professionals), he continues to conduct Spice Appreciation Classes at his shop in Rozelle while Liz cooks tasty spiced morsels. Ian is a regular guest on ABC radio and also manages to fit in guest spots on television, various radio stations in Australia and on cable T.V.
In October 2008, Channel 9’s “Fresh” sent Herbie to South India to record 10 six minute segments which went to air mid November 2008.
In April 2010, Just Add Spice, published by Penguin was launched. Just Add Spice was co-authored with Lyndey Milan and has been received with critical acclaim by the media.
In July 2011, Ian & Liz Hemphill were presented with the trophy for Herbie's Spices for winning the Most Outstanding Providore in the ABC Delicious Magazine 2011 Produce Awards.
In 2012 Herbie and Lyndey Milan made a TV series called ‘Moveable Feast’ which aired in New Zealand in 2012 and in the Ukraine and Croatia in 2013 and Australia in 2015 and continues to be aired on cable TV in Asia and Australia.
In July 2013 www.foodandwine.com named Herbie’s Spices in their list of Best Spice Shops in the World, this only Australian spice business recognized. In the same month, Herbie’s Spices was nominated as a Regional Finalist in the New South Wales Business Chamber Business Awards.
In October 2014, the 800 page third edition of The Spice & Herb Bible was launched in Canada, the USA, the UK and Australia.
In 2015 it was a finalist in the ‘Reference and Scholarship’ Category of the James Beard Awards, which many consider to be the ‘the Oscars of the food world’.
