Final blog for the year!
Well it was a massive year for both Cheeky and I…sometimes I wonder if we’re separate entities at all?!?
We held events from Hervey Bay to Hobart to Healesville PLUS 200 people cooking in a marquee at a golf driving range in Port Douglas – who’d have thought that was even possible…though I did see a few golfers dancing along to our music!
Then the sensational event with Manu and cievents at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort, Masterchef Live with Gary and
Gary and me at MasterChef Live
other celeb chefs plus 2,000 people learning to flambé with us, cooking up 9,000 turkey burgers for Ingham’s Chickens at the Good Food Show, enticing 250 people to cook together as their Christmas party in an undercover car park (so much fun), moving offices, employing 6 new office staff and about 10 new chefs, a quick trip to Bali, national roadshow cooking event for a client, a weekend with Maggie Beer at Gwingana, creating 5 new cooking classes and doubling our number of classes, our first bucks night (one to remember all round!), being appointed the new Food Expert for Womens Health Magazine, plus filming and interviewing Adriano Zumbo for David Kochie’s Business Builders Program, a new dating show (shhhh), a cooking class with Sydney Weekender with an ex-wiggle, a Business Womens TV program, and something else I’ve completely forgotten! Yep it’s been quite a year.
Cooking with some gorgeous kids and John Hughes
And so today on our last day, we’re cooking up for our favourite charity – the Oasis Youth Centre on Crown St in Sydney. We love to cook specially for these teenagers without a home, rather than just give them overs from events viz the fabulous OzHarvest (which we’re happy to do and they’re very happy to receive).
We also made the 6pm news when we had about 30 cheeky and adorable children with cerebal palsy cook with us and very pleased to say we’ve just booked our 4th event with Camp Quality where 100 teenagers being treated for cancer will cook up a storm together. Most importantly they’ll simply have fun and we really enjoy helping to make that happen. And I guess my bit was the CEO Sleepout again. So humbling but uplifting too. Go St Vinnies and all their hard work!
And I guess that is what Christmas is all about. We all need a few days to recover from the year that was, but most importantly we need the time to reconnect with our loved ones, family and friends. So before you pick up a book to read and take time out in solitude, spare a smile for your friends or a slightly annoying relative. And remember for everyone of your friends, there’s someone on the street without a home or family who could do with a simple smile and a hello from all of us, so never be scared to ‘connect’ in such a simple way either. Yes the ‘body’ needs food and shelter, but the heart can go a long way with the warmth of a smile.
Love to you all, a MASSIVE thanks to my team and chefs and let’s bring on twenty twelve…it sounds so much more glamorous that way doesn’t it!?!
Leona
