WARNING:  This website is not about kale and mung beans nor gluten, dairy, sugar and chocolate free brownies. Although when it comes to brownies I don't discriminate.… it’s just that this [MODEL] and many others in this blog, have a wider appetite than just “conventional model food”.

If you are obsessed with food and interested in fashion, you've probably come to the right place! As a model it's kind of tough having a passion for something that has the power to crumble my career (mmmm, crumble.....) But I believe that with a healthy mind, body and appetite, I can indulge my love for food and enjoy a fun and rewarding career as a model.

Here I will give you a taste of my favourite (and not so favourite) food spots. As well as a behind the scenes peek into my modelling world and dish up some spicy conversations with the big guns in the food and fashion industry.

DISCLAIMER: No models became too fat in the making of this website.

Children are bathed
Pajamas are on
It was time to sit down
To some Din Tai Fung

Straight from the freezer
A time savers dream
With only one question
To pan fry or steam?

Dumplings or noodles
Which one will you choose?
Both are delicious
You cannot loose

Kung Pao chicken
Full of flavour and spice
Is the perfect accompaniment
To the egg fried rice

The yummy pork dumplings
Are a classic, a must
Little pockets of pork
Small but robust

Wonton noodle soup
Will warm you to the bones
I can highly recommend
This little luxury at home

But it doesn’t stop there
The choccy, mochi bun
Is the perfect ending
To your Din Tai Fung

Words by me
Photos and video edit @georgesantoni
Food @dintaifungaustralia delivery

The first thing that hit us walking down Marrickville Road was the smell. The smell of BBQ chicken, hot chips in the fryer, fresh souvlaki on the grill and of course the fragrant flavours of pho. One thing Georges and I love and have always loved doing, is taking advantage of any opportunity that takes us far, far, far away from the Eastern Suburbs and making the most of discovering delicious dining destinations. So on this occasion, after viewing a potential dining table being sold out of a lady’s garage in Marrickville, we decided to check out the continuously recommended Pho PHD.

So with the word pho being featured in the name of this restaurant it only seemed to make sense to order their classic beef pho. Clearly they’re pretty confident in how good it tastes if they’re willing to name themselves after it. I’ve eaten my fair share of pho, not many, but enough to know what makes a good, average and bad pho. This was not the best I’ve had but definitely above average. The broth was light and fragrant and relatively clear. The beef was thin and perfectly cooked in the heat of the soup with a generous helping of noodles.

Of course we happily shared our pho with the girls but if you’ve got kids of your own you’ll know that soup and children are a deadly combination. Giving them smaller portions in their own bowls, Siddy very happily slurped down a good helping of liquid. However, to make sure the girls left feeling full and not just drenched in pho juice we ordered a couple more kid friendly dishes including the vermicelli salad with spring rolls and grilled pork and the chow mien egg noodles with chicken and vegetables. The latter wasn’t much to write home about, in fact Valentina decided that there was more value in it by making noodle moustaches than actually eating it.

The vermicelli salad was more of a hit. The pork was incredibly juicy and flavourful and the crunchy spring rolls (of which the girls, surprisingly, turned their noses up at) were more than happily devoured by Georges and myself. I can’t say I would make an effort to drive out to Marrickville specifically to visit again but for the time and place it surely filled a hole (or four).

Website: www.phophd.com.au
Instagram: @phophdrestaurant

One of my favourite things about traveling, going on holiday, taking a road trip or in this case, moving house, is discovering new, delicious places to eat, uncovering hidden gems or checking out the latest hotspot. We’ve slowly been becoming more acquainted with our, soon to be, new neighbourhood, Avalon. Getting a feel for the local way of life and finding our favourite foodie hangouts. We’ve only just scratched the surface so first up to the plate is Sunset Diner.

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“From shakes to salads AND burgers to broccoli.”

“What’s mine is mine and what’s YOURS is mine .”

As if I shouldn’t already be worried about Valentina being three going on thirty three, she was far too comfortable strutting around set in designer shoes, jackets and handbags. Georges? You’ve got your work cut out for you…..

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“CHRISTMAS…….but make it Lebo”

It’s not everyday you get a dress rehearsal for Christmas. Well thanks to Country Road we got to celebrate the festive season twice this year. Granted, round number one consisted unusually of a large photo crew, professional hair and make up and a beautifully curated wardrobe. However, I can assure you that the endless laughter, crazy dance moves, ridiculously delicious food, hustle and bustle, cuddles and kisses were not a part of the pageantry. That is pure, genuine, authentic Ghorayeb gold!

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Leanne is a mum. I know, that was my face when she first told me. She is a mum of two, age seven and nine. I know! That was my face again. This yummy mummy is as young at heart as she looks and with her warm smile, chilled back nature and new found zest for life it’s no wonder the modelling world has welcomed her back with open arms, working alongside brands such as Bonds, True Protein, Bras’n’Things and Birds of a Feather and previously featuring on the covers of Inside Sport and Womens Health magazines.

It’s clear she loves her job and uses modelling as a way to explore and express herself and takes all of the fashion industry challenges in her stride. After chatting on set I came to understand that Leanne has had to navigate a few of life’s bumps and hurdles but believes that since entering her late 30s she’s more confident and content than ever before, two things she strives to instil in her daughters. Leanne recently began a very new and exciting chapter in her life (I won’t divulge it here) but this pilates loving, Central Coast living, dog owning, sushi adoring, model mum is definitely living her best life, with a few cheeky Maccas fillet o fish thrown in for good measure. Her life goal? To be the most loving, inspirational mother to her two beautiful daughters.

www.winkmodels.com.au
@leamcveigh

“Willy Wonka but make it ARAB.“

Some might say it’s heaven and others might say it’s torture to live above one of Lebanons most famous bakeries. Auntie Agnes seems to agree with the latter. Imagine waking up every day to the smell of freshly baked baklava, lahma bajeen and knafeh. If it didn’t worry you to buy the next size up in your jeans every few months, triple your twice yearly dentist appointments or squander your savings on sweets then I envy your free spirit. However, resisting the temptation to devour the entire menu every morning is a strength I don’t think I could muster.

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“A Model FATHER…… in more ways than ONE”

Valentina pretty much runs like clockwork. Wakes up at 7:30am, breakfast at 8am, playtime, lunch at 12:30pm, nap at 1:30pm, wakes up at 4pm, dinner at 7pm, bed by 8pm. So of course, on the day that I really need her to stick to routine she decides to go rogue and 10 minutes before her call time for her Country Road Fathers Day shoot, she falls asleep. Like, really asleep.

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Few thing emerged as a result of lockdown. People getting fitter, people getting fatter, Netflix and chill becoming a way of life and copious amounts of banana bread photos breaking the internet. Everyone searched for their lockdown silver lining.....this was mine. Frills and Spills. The result of one fabulous dress @desordreboutique , one incredible creative @georgesantoni and one girl with a love of food. Watch out for more(ish).

Peanut Butter Banana Pancakes with Peanut Butter Drizzle

Pancake Ingredients:

1 ripe banana mashed
1 1/2 cups whole meal flour
1 tbsp baking powe
1 egg
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 maple syrup
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp hemp seeds
1 tsp vanilla extract
Butter for cooking

Drizzle Ingredients:

2 tbsp peanut butter
6 tbsp milk
3 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla

Method:

1. Mash banana with a fork

2. Add to your banana the milk, egg, maple syrup and vanilla extract

3. Whisk in the peanut butter until smooth

4. Whisk in the flour and baking powder

5. Stir through your hemp seeds

6. Melt butter in a pan on a medium heat

7. Ladle the pancake batter into the pan and cook until bubbles form on the surface of the pancakes

8. Flip and cook for a further 1-2 minutes

9. For the drizzle whisk together the peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla and tbsp of milk then continue to add milk 1 tbsp at a time until smooth

10. Drizzle over your pancake stack and decorate with raspberries

Sustainability. Eco-friendly. Environmentally conscious. These are pretty big words in today’s world. Words which I’m sure most of us find daunting, scary, unreachable, unachievable. With such rapid decline in our environment and climate change a very real situation I’m sure we all feel like we should and could be doing more. But where do we start? How can little old me make any difference to the bigger picture?

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“NO ONE is saving this planet on their OWN, but on their own this PLANET is saving no one. “

“Whatever floats your BOAT”

Well this is all a little surreal. Never thought I’d be writing a blog post whilst being forced to stay at home because the world is in temporary lockdown due a worldwide health pandemic. Although, that would probably explain the rather odd images you’re about to witness.

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“HAPPY Mothers Day”

So it hasn’t taken long for Siddy to follow in the footsteps of her older sister. It was time for Siddy to make her modelling debut shooting with me, alongside an array or other mothers, expecting mothers and children for the Sussan Mother’s Day campaign. And if that wasn’t good enough it was shot by none other than her adoring Daddy!

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Q: Would you rather dress in full designer and head to your favourite take out restaurant or dress in your daggies for dinner at Quay?

I would definitely rather be over dressed than under dressed, so wearing full designer at a take out restaurant is me all day! Eating take out in a Dior dress paired with a gorgeous pair of red bottoms could make any meal enjoyable.

Q: You are Chanel by name, are you Chanel by nature?

Oh I like this one! The Chanel fashion house is stylish, classy and timeless. Those are some pretty big boots to fill so I would like to think there is a part of me that embodies those traits. In saying that, I did grow up by the ocean so I do have a side that is carefree and light hearted.

Q: Of your two homes LA and Sydney, which has the best food scene and why?

As beautiful and as fresh as the produce is in Australia, I would have to say the food scene in Los Angeles is better. LA is filled with an eclectic mix of people which brings such an array of incredible cuisines. Baja fish tacos, truffle cured Sashimi, and fried chicken food trucks with decedent desserts are found all around the city.

Although America has a reputation for over indulgent food, I feel as though LA is very health conscious as there is always a delicious salad to be found. Some of my favourites are: The little door, El Compadre, Gjelina pizza take out, Elephante, Nobu Malibu and Republique. Plus so many more restaurants I am yet to try.

Q: You’re in a relationship with personal trainer @danadair what’s something personal you can reveal about your relationship that no one knows?

Although Dan is a trainer and has taught me so much about health and fitness, he has the biggest sweet tooth!! In our relationship I am the one who loves vegetables and will encourage eating them at every meal and Dan will be the one buying ice cream to eat every night.

Q: Other than all the incredibly sexy lingerie and swimwear you shoot what would be the 3 foods to get you in the mood?

Strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, some fresh grilled salmon and although this isn't a food it would be rude not to include it...tequila!

Chanel’s deets: @chanel_stewart

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Q: What is your favourite, fool proof vegan recipe?

A: Well since 99.9% of the population loves Pizza I’m gonna go with that. It’s super quick if you prep and super tasty. Every Saturday Navah and I take a drive to the Orange Grove Organic farmers markets. I love this market as they have a diverse selection of organic produce from various farmers that is always fresh. There is one stall there that does the tastiest tomatoes so i stock up on those and make my own tomato base for the pizza, I buy a gluten free base from another stall (would usually make my own but a little short on time these days) and then get all my fresh toppings from the local suppliers. The pizza is a gluten free base topped with my tomato sauce, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, onion, capsicum, fresh pineapple and drizzled with my homemade cashew cheese.

Q: What’s the most disgusting thing your 2 year old son Navah has put in his mouth?

A: Well as most mothers out there will know we are like the gate keepers to our little ones mouths, but sometimes they’re just too quick and they put some weird and wonderful things into there little mouths.

I think for me it’s his love for chewing shoes. Shoes to me are like the accumulation of everything you DON’T want your little ones eating, if you just sat and thought for a second about how much dirt and chemical filth your shoes walk over on a daily basis, that in itself is terrifying. Then to make it worse your little one decides they are going to munch away on it, especially when your not looking, Yuck!

There was also one time he picked up a leaf and it had what looked like brown goo and hair on it. I can only assume that it was doggie doo and that made me close to gag.

Q: You and your partner @theonlyzacheyv created @transposefitness specialising in boxing training and have just opened your new studio @undercard. What was your relationship with fitness like before, during and after pregnancy?

A: I have always lead an active, conscious lifestyle even before pregnancy, I used to do a mix of training from high intensity through to resistance and weight training with the addition of pilates. In the initial stages of pregnancy your body is so vulnerable as it is preparing itself to grow a little one inside, so because of this I restricted my training in my first trimester. In the second trimester I resumed moderate exercise with modified movements and lowered intensity, my pilates helped to ease the discomfort and help maintain my mobility through pregnancy. The ultimate for me was simply listening to my body and respecting that if i needed to rest I would do so. On the actual due date of Navah I swam 2km at Bondi Icebergs in the morning followed by slow sets on the South Coogee stairs. One of the previous check ups showed that Navah was sitting posterior and it was said that swimming and movement up and down stairs would help to shift him into the correct position for birth.

Now having had Navah my workout routine has changed. I try to keep a schedule as best I can but as we mothers know our schedules sometimes do not line up with what our little ones are wanting to do. Pilates is my main form of exercise now as I am still continuing to breastfeed, I have not started high intensity training, studies have shown that increasing the body temperature and lactic acid build up can impact the milk supply. I’m a big believer in the power of a mothers natural breast milk and I want Navah to have all the nutrients he needs so I will wait to resume that level of training until I am no longer breastfeeding. While I try to get to pilates as much as possible I find it a little difficult to find the time these days so I am super excited that my good friend Kirsten King of Fluidform pilates has just launched her at home online program FFAH. Now I can get my workouts in when Navah is napping.

Q: As a breastfeeding mama, if you could have any other “beverage” in your boobs for your own enjoyment, what would it be?

A: Haha probably a green smoothie filled with frozen banana, fresh greens, green powder, spring water, hemp seeds & chia seeds or Lobros Passionfruit Kombucha.

Q: Was the Pavlova invented by the Aussies or the Kiwis?

A: Not sure but I’m Aussie so have to say Aussie, haha! (don’t tell my partner… he’s a Kiwi).

Siannon’s deets: @siannonpallister

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