DANI IS GETTING SAUCY! Dani Venn is all smiles... She’s loving motherhood with her two children, daughter Harlow, five, and son Oscar, two, and says she is currently focusing on things that make her happy like listening to songs from musicals and dancing around the lounge with the kids being silly! But this clever Melbourne mama, who rose to fame coming fourth on MasterChef back in 2011, is doing much more than being silly. Asked to return on this year’s MasterChef: Back To Win, which saw the best of the best MC alumni return, Dani nailed the opening episode by winning the only immunity pin of the season with her pineapple curry which was voted the best dish of the day by none other than chef-superstar Gordon Ramsay. And Ramsay wasn’t the only one taking notice. When Coles Product Developer David Robins saw Dani’s ‘A Taste of Sri Lanka’ dish win the coveted immunity pin, he knew they had to work together to bring her special Sri Lankan recipe to Coles customers so they can enjoy what the judges tasted. And so now Dani’s Pineapple Curry simmer sauce has just launched in Coles nationally for everyone to enjoy. Dani’s love of food and cooking came from watching her mum work the wok to create delicious meals for the family. Chinese food has influenced Dani’s style of cooking, as her mum’s ancestors were some of the first Chinese settlers in Australia. Several trips to Sri Lanka, including this time last year when she took a small group to Sri Lanka for a wellness retreat, no doubt further influenced her Asian style. For Dani, the most important part about cooking and life is to embrace it with a whole open heart, know that you are doing your best and you are nourishing yourself and your family along the way no matter what the result. Getting the kids involved in the preparation of meals can also be really rewarding, a little messy even, but it teaches them the foundations of cooking and where food comes from and that my friend will be a treasured skill for life! 14
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