For as long as I can remember, food has been my passion. I wake up thinking about food, I go to sleep thinking about food! It seems to run in my blood, with my mum a chef, my childhood was a full immersion in Italian food and cooking. I am truly so fortunate! Wholesome Bellies began in early 2018, when my interest in healthy eating and cooking peaked. I launched my first food blog and social media page and for several years dabbled in this space.
In 2020 I launched my group cooking classes from my home, and in 2021 opened a cooking school in Brisbane. Five years later and I've taken my passion for food outside of the kitchen into beautiful destination inside and outside Australia. Our cooking retreats at Mapleton are still running strong and our travel plant-based food tours are growing.
What began as a ‘side hustle’ a few years back has evolved into a collection of free recipes, hands-on cooking experiences, travel experiences and a growing community that are falling in love with wholefoods more and more every day.
So....
My intention is to inspire you to fall in love with vegetables
I wasn’t always plant-based
We may feel healthy today, but sometimes our body doesn’t show the signs until much later
It was in 2007 when my philosophy around food and health took a sharp turn. The sudden passing of my father from a heart attack, prompted me to question everything about health. I couldn’t understand why my healthy, 60-year old father was taken from us so early. Six months after his passing, I was at Unleash the Power, a Tony Robbins event, and the last day of the seminar was all about health and vitality. People talk about those life changing moments; those light bulb moments, where something major shifts inside them. That’s the best way I can describe that day.
I left that seminar with a whole new outlook on health and well being and dove deep into vegetarianism and a plant-based lifestyle. I slowly moved towards a wholefoods diet, removing meat, seafood, dairy, refined sugars and flours. I learned the healing power of plants and the importance of eating food as close to its whole form.
As a child I grew up enjoying a varied diet, including meat, dairy and vegetables and I was a healthy kid with no regrets on how I was raised. After all, my mum was a chef so we ate incredible food! What I did begin to realise was the impact our diet has on us, not just today, but for the future. We may feel healthy today, but sometimes our body doesn’t show the signs until much later.
I have also struggled in my adult years ‘giving up’ the less nutrient dense foods, such as white sugars and refined, processed foods. I’ve really had to re-educate myself and train my palette to enjoy new flavours.
The journey
Over the past 18 years I have continued to educate myself around plant-based eating. I’ve re-created so many traditional recipes my mum taught me to suit my eating preferences. I’ve created new flavours and experimented with ingredients that were once foreign to me. Today, my diet is vegetarian. I occasionally have dairy. I do indulge in refined pasta and flours from time to time, and still love my sweet treats.
Together with my husband, we are raising our two children (now 12 and 14) 80% plant-based, with the inclusion of dairy and eggs. Our family thrives as a vege tribe.
I want my kids to grow up with a broad palette. I want them to understand why we eat the way we do, and ultimately, I want to empower them to make positive food choices for themselves and our environment.
I do indulge in pasta from time to time, and still love my sweet treats
