When actor and writer Arka Das was growing up as a kid in Western Sydney, there wasn't a Bangladeshi restaurant in sight.
Instead, the cuisine was something that was shared and celebrated at home.
"My mum didn't have all the ingredients to make the things she wanted to make, because they just didn't exist. But now, you can get anything," he said.
Back then, people didn't know much about the country where Das was born and lived until he was six, either.
"I remember in primary school in the 90s, I used to say to people that I'm from Bangladesh, and they'd be like, 'Is that a city in India?'"
But there's been a significant shift in the food and cultural scene over the past decade, and a Bangladeshi hub has blossomed in the suburb of Lakemba, Das says.
In the short-form documentary food series 8 Nights Out West, Das explores the changing culinary landscape of Sydney's western suburbs.
The hearty project was born out of working with writers and actors from an array of different backgrounds on the feature film Here Out West, who join him in separate episodes.
The series taps into his passion for eating and serves up a Chilean backyard barbecue, Burmese fare in Blacktown, Vietnamese dishes in Canley Heights, Filipino smoky grill in Rooty Hill, and an Indian spread in Harris Park, known as Little India among locals.
"I wanted to capture the change that's happening in Western Sydney and the growth that's happening there — just to capture the spirit of it," he told the ABC.
The sprouting of new cultural hubs isn't just about food — there are bookstores, community events and even a flourishing cricket competition, Das says.
"It's really heartening to see the community providing for each other."
Community thrives around home cooking
But not all cultures have a hub they can point to on the map, and community is still fostered in the home over a feast.
That's the case for Australia's Kurdish population, who are a stateless people spread across Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey.
Over a rich banquet laid out on the floor, actor Befrin Axtjärn Jackson says that means many Kurdish staples might take on a local twist, depending on where they developed.
"I think that's the beautiful thing about having such an old history as well, that our borders do move a lot," she says in the series.
"Some foods have existed for a long time that eventually, because of borders, we start marking our own little versions of them.
"The dolma's a perfect example of that. A Turkish dolma, even the way they roll the vine leaves is different … but it's still a Kurdish dish.
"So it's really enriching … it's a bit saddening as well because we have been divided obviously into four countries."
Das says one of the most surprising moments during the food odyssey was when Kurdish writer Dee Dogan unveiled an impressive dish called Zirvet.
It's a buttery, yoghurty, heavy form of peasants' food from the Babylonian age unique to her village — and one that the other Kurdish people they dined with had never seen, Das said.
He found food is also bridging the gap between younger and older generations — in the past, an older generation of migrants might start a restaurant, but their kids would often pursue another path.
"A lot of the time, maybe back in the day, they would leave the restaurant or not carry on the traditions," he said.
"But now, we actually talked to so many people in the show … who are carrying on their parents' traditions — or chicken shop, or Vietnamese store, or their Filipino restaurant — and modernising it and adapting it."
Purple hues and comfort food
When actor Christine Milo thinks of comfort food, she thinks of her grandma's sinigan with salmon — a tamarind-based stew from the Philippines.
After Das and writer Vonne Patiag treated themselves to a Filipino manicure and halo-halo — a mixed crushed ice dessert — Milo met up with them for a meal.
Milo said no-one's cooking was as good as her grandma's, but it was nice to find authentic Filipino food to remind her of home.
"It's just very warming. And I think of home when I have it. No-one makes it like her, but the place we went to was pretty close," she said.
Milo grew up on the Gold Coast, where her grandma and her friends were among the first members of the Filipino Australian community there.
She remembers taking part in cultural dances and festivals as a child.
"I really do have my grandparents and my parents to thank for keeping me connected to my culture, because I haven't been to the Philippines," she said.
She said that left her feeling a bit of "impostor syndrome" while playing the part of Roxane, a Filipino nurse in the film Here Out West who is on shift when a baby is taken from a hospital.
The character Roxane is from the Philippines and closely tied to the culture.
"This is a very different kind of Filipino experience that I have to Roxane — but they're all legitimate, they all have value and worth. So exploring that was really special."
She said it was also meaningful to be part of it because of the lack of Filipino representation in Australian film and TV.
"To be able to show that to my family and see themselves reflected on screen was an experience I really didn't think I'd get, to be completely honest," she said.
Like Das, she said there weren't many Filipino restaurants to go to while she was growing up, but that has changed.
There has also been a boom in the Filipino community in Australia in recent years, with the 2016 census showing about 250,000 people had Filipino heritage, compared to around 400,000 in the latest census.
She said if the Filipino food scene grew and generated interest in the culture, it might translate to more representation on our screens, or vice versa.
"I hope it invites people to be more adventurous in what they watch, and also maybe what they eat and share with their friends," she said.
"Filipino cuisine has a lot to offer. It's different, but it's delicious."
The short-form food documentary series 8 Nights Out West will air on the ABC over eight nights from Sunday, August 7.
Here Out West will screen on Sunday, August 14 at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
