About Me!

I’ve always been a kid who loved my food, many pictures when I was young scoffing my face full of pasta! Want to know where it all started? Hers a few scenarios;

My second Christmas, Santa delivered the most wonderful play kitchen! Not sure what ever happened to the kitchen itself but that pot stayed with us until it was donated to charity only a few years back.

At around 5 or 6 years old i received my first pasta machine. It was made of pink, purple and yellow plastic and boy did I love it! Making every shape possible then eating it all with the neighbours down in the cubby house.

For my 10th Birthday, my one present wish list item was my own Kalamata olive tree. 22 years later I am still yet to do anything with the fruit before the birds get to it but hopefully one day sooner rather than later.

Growing up I was lucky enough to always be surrounded by food and family. Mum spent many days in our school class rooms teaching cookery as well as at the local community houses. We would forever be assisting with her catering also, mostly hanging around to be lucky enough to be the taste tester! As I got older I would often assist mum with the cooking and serving and sometimes taking the job off her hands! For those that grew up with us, you would know coming home after basketball/birthdays/events mum would be in the kitchen with some treats regardless if it was 2am!
Dad along with his brothers owning a family wholesale fruit and vegetable business meant that come summer time our laundry at the beach house would turn into a mini fruit shop with boxes of every summer stone fruit imaginable. Although he doesn’t like to get in the kitchen, Osi has become my biggest honest favourite critic to this day

A sleepover at Ma’s house you knew you were in for a treat. Dinner of Chicken schnitzels, mash potato and steamed pumpkin and broccoli. This was cheekily followed by a treat from Sargents Bakery or an apple chew lolly from the not so hidden jar in the cocktail unit! We were lucky enough for Ma to join us on many weekends away strawberry picking and frequenting the many markets on the Mornington Peninsula, plate of poffertjes in hand.
A visit to Nonna and Nonno’s house you could bet there would be a plate of home made salami waiting with other delicious goodies in the oven (not on). I still dream of Nonno’s veggie patch that was seasonally changing and the back garage where he would be hiding out with the home made wine, salami and hundreds of jars of preserves.

Why do I travel? Yes for the people, sights but most importantly the food! Some of the most memorable food experiences I’ve had in my life so far have been while travelling. From 2am pad Thai from a street vendor in Bangkok, Thailand. The most delicious delicate crapes made by an elderly lady in Georgetown, Malaysia. Insanely addictive Mexican food at a speak easy randomly recommended by our hotel reception in Miami, USA. The entire experience of fine dining in the Gallery room at Sketch for our 30th birthday London, England. Paying 1 euro for half a kilo of marinated olives at a market in Tangier, Morocco. Discovering ox tongue slow cooked in chocolate while on a tapas tour in Madrid, Spain as well as being watched like a hawk while eating pintox for the first time, not to mention the best glass of wine EVER (and I forgot to ask the name of it). Pinching crispy roast chicken, potatoes and pretzels from Rafael Nadal’s brother at Oktoberfest Munich, Germany, long dinner with no menus and the most tender steak frities in Paris, France. Having competitions with our tour group as to who could eat the most gyros in a day on the beach in Mykonos, Greece where the chef had our order down pat by number 7. The hottest but most drool worthy chilli with mango made on the daily in Dili, Timor Leste. Tender octopus while watching the sun set in Bali, Indonesia. And Italy, where to even start… Pesto with freeze dried raspberries after the palio in Siena, experiencing cacio e pepe for the first time with my cousin Rosa in Rome, the best focaccia in the world at All’antico Vinaio, Florence. Almond ice cream filled brioche for breakfast in Reggio Calabria, pizza on the beach and the craziest fig gelato in Tropea, pistachio and prawn pasta late night in Catania. A truffle hunt followed by a truffle feast in Florence, lost wandering through the Venetian allys leading to a big bowl of scampi spaghetti, cooling off after a day steeling figs in Taormina with the number 1 granita at Bam Bar. Finally, getting to cook with Rachel, Chauntelle, Peter and a bunch of amazing humans overlooking the beach in Positano while drinking spectacular wines from the cellar.

Read more about my food travels here >>> P O S T C A R D S

The cook life!
Over the years I’ve worked in numerous hospitality companies and fields. Starting with the catering with mum, learning to make coffee at a local cafe to managing and training staff at a number of cafes and restaurants.
My teen years I studied basic cookery, hospitality and business management as well as event management and loved it all as this I discovered is the industry I truly enjoyed most. Later in life I did experience an absolute dream of a job! I was known as a kitchen host aka Nonna of a wonderful office where I got to make coffee, cocktails, snacks, feasts and celebrate absolutely everything to my creative ability. There was always someone who was in need of a bit of food, a good cuppa and 5 minute chat away from their desks.
You may have also attended a music festival and been hit with one of my cakes thanks to Steve Aoki! Some highlight cooks would also include making Timmy Trumpet’s Birthday cake and catering for events such as Wonderland dance festival!

Once covid hit, our family friend expressed how she wanted to see my food but did not have social media to do so. Thus, the Chanels Tapas Bar website and live classes! This is now my main platform for sharing what I love to do with everyone. My food is all from the heart to feed the soul and I truly believe everyone can cook! Keeping it simple but oh so so tasty and designed to be shared with good company