Hospitality professional with a couple of pots on the burner at the moment! Currently I am developing the outside event/function packages for Milk The Cow, Melbourne’s newest licensed fromagerie. Everyone works really hard to learn about the products we sell and Laura Lown, our fromagerie monger, is so passionate it is infectious.
I'm also working on event production for Game Of Rhones, an upcoming wine tasting event like no other. Also working on a project of my own but it is a bit hush hush at the moment. You can follow me on twitter @Faunking to stay updated.
Why do you do it?
Because one day I want to have a mansion with a maid named Maria and a pool boy.
What do you love about the city you live in?
Melbourne brings the world to your doorstep. She is elegant and refined, only ever reveals enough to keep you enticed but is always offering you more. She is culturally diverse and encourages you to be your own individual. Melbourne really is one classy Dame.
Where did you go for your last holiday?
Had a weekend away at a Caravan Park in Ocean Grove with my partner.
What's your favourite item of clothing? Why?
In the colder months it is a fire engine red scarf that my sister Dionne knitted for me. It is so warm and I feel loved when I wear it. Come summer time I have an altered pair of peach short shorts that would make a tween girl blush. If you’ve got it, flaunt it!
What was your favourite TV show when you were a kid?
I Love Lucy, The Golden Girls and Murder She Wrote. Basically anything that had a woman over 50 in it.
If you could travel back in time for a day, where would you go?
9th of December 1934, North Yorkshire, England.
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook for us?
Negroni with a candy orange peel on arrival. Entrée: Grilled prawns wrapped in Jamon on a bed of zucchini, feta and currents with my zesty vinaigrette. Complemented with, Jean-Marc Brocard, 2002 Petit Chablis (Burgundy, France).
Mains: Lamb Ribs from Plains Paddock, slow cooked with a half bottle of verjuice, side of green beans and cheesy roast cauliflower. Matched with Mapema, 2007, Melbec (Mendoza, Argentina).
Dessert: Lavender crème brulee with Earl Grey ice-cream. Washed down with a double nip of Ron Zacapa rum. (Afterwards we will probably be dancing to Donna Summer.)
What's the best lesson you've ever learned?
One of my Dad’s sayings is: “If your pants are around your ankles, then chances are you need a belt.”
Tell us one thing about yourself that nobody else knows...
I have a tattoo dedicated to Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith.
Are you happy with your work/life balance?
Being a hospitality professional, the work/life balance is the equivalent to a Golden Fleece; always searching and never finding. I love hospitality but I do feel like I have missed out on things. My partner, family and friends are all very patient with me.
How do you define success?
When I have my mansion and a maid named Maria I will let you know.
What's your spirit animal?
My mythological spirit animal is a faun, and Mary J. Blige is my spirit guide.
