Profile Magazine November 2017

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WELCOME

editor’s

F

ood glorious food! How lucky are we here on the Sunshine Coast to have such an exciting mix of tastes and cuisines to choose from around the globe, not to mention our own backyard.

You’re going to love this special Gourmet issue of Profile Magazine, where we showcase the very best our region has to offer when it comes to providing the freshest of produce as well as the culinary delights of those who are leading the way in their field.

On our cover this month, we introduce you to the queen of high tea, Aimee Russell, owner of the gorgeous Aimee Provence high tea parlour in Buderim. With a nod to her English heritage, Aimee is passionate about preserving the traditions and elegance of high tea, including some special family recipes that have been handed down through the generations.

The Profile team may have sampled one or two of Aimee’s famous scones laden with homemade jam and lashings of clotted cream at the cover shoot (for research purposes of course) and they were truly delicious!

We also catch up with third generation owners of the iconic Maleny Dairies, Ross and Sally Hopper, to learn the history behind the award-winning, family-owned business and the importance of supporting our local dairy farmers.

Our Gourmet Editor Nicole Fuge discovers the many health benefits of camel milk and why it’s becoming a foodie favourite sweeping the nation, celebrity chef Peter Ansell opens up about his amazing career and we share how Michael Buckley’s innovative freeze dry company is tackling Australia’s food wastage problem.

These are just a few of the stories you’ll find in this delicious issue of Profile as well as all the very latest in fashion, homewares, culture, what’s on and lot’s more.

We hope you enjoy this special issue and until next time, Bon appétit!

x Ingrid x

THE GOURMET ISSUE COVERSHOOT PHOTOGRAPHY BY DUKE AND GYPSY, HAIR BY ROCA VERDE, MAKE-UP BY PURE NAVA, CLOTHING PROVIDED

BY SPHERE COLLECTIVE AND JULIE-ANN BOUTIQUE, ACCESSORIES PROVIDED BY MELANIE J DESIGNS, WITCHERY AND COLETTE BY COLETTE HAYMAN. FLOWERS FROM BELLA FLORA, FLORAL BACKDROP PROVIDED BY FAIRY LIGHT CURTAINS SUNSHINE COAST, AND PROPS PROVIDED BY AIMEE PROVENCE AND THE VINTAGE STOCKROOM. INGRID NELSON, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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You can't go wrong with these stylish and classic gifts for the lady in your life.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ingrid Nelson ingrid@profilemag.com.au

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Profile Magazine is a free publication (subscriptions available) published monthly by The Design and Publications Trust. All rights are reserved and the contents are copyright and may not be reproduced without the written consent of The Publisher, The Design and Publications Trust (“The Publisher”). Their related companies and officers hereby disclaim, to the full extent permitted by law, all liability, damages, costs and expenses whatsoever arising from or in connection with copy information or other material in this magazine, any negligence of The Publisher, or any persons actions in reliance thereon. Any dispute or complaint regarding placed advertisements must be made within seven days of publication. Inclusion of any copy must not be taken as any endorsement by The Publisher. Views expressed by contributors are personal views and they are not necessarily endorsed by The Publisher.

editor’s note letters to the editor let’s chat inspire michael buckley people ross and sally hopper view brent deller future lauren and yasmin brisbane secret life peter ansell cover story aimee russell homegrown robyn cook success bec and dan penfold competitions the last word professor jimmy choo

LIFESTYLE 48 55 57 63 64

leaders at lunch the style edit johanna jensen-brown christmas gift guide health column life mel russell

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the gourmet edit nicole fuge gourmet feature collins family gourmet amanda hibbert culture ignite chilli festival recipe foodie trail travel feature jacinta blundell culture reviews events

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ollowers Five new f will be th every mon r free d selecte fo s to se double pas PROFILE #PARTYWITxH launch! at our ne t

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Show us how you enjoy your copy of Profile Magazine by tagging @profilemagazine and #profilemagazine on Instagram, for your chance to win. For more information see page 85.

Profile is like fine wine, to be savoured rather than devoured in a single sitting. But I plead guilty. So many interesting stories, people and places. And beautiful things.

As a newcomer to the Sunshine Coast, I found Profile invaluable in introducing me to the finer things in life here. Good journalism, good taste, and great reading.

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LET’S CHAT PROFILE SIKILAN VILLAGE IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

thought FOOD FOR

WORDS NICOLE FUGE PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

How much do you think about your food? And I don’t mean counting calories or wondering what you’re going to eat for your next meal, I’m talking about the production of your food and the journey it has taken from paddock to plate.

I

recently received a phone call from a company wanting to sign me up to receive farm fresh fruit and veggies on a weekly basis. Sounds great, I thought. However I had one question – is it organic? And in that moment, I realised I’d become one of ‘those’ people.

The transformation has been gradual, starting with reading books by celebrity chefs and nutritionists who tout the benefits of eating whole, real food, and I never realised how important the quality of my groceries was to me, until the question passed my lips.

Just as the health movement gains momentum, so too does the quest for more transparency in how our food is grown and how the producers fare. Montville Coffee, which is Queensland’s first Fairtrade and organic certified coffee, recently hosted representatives from Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand, as well as growers of coffee, cocoa, coconut, vanilla and sugar, who spoke about the importance of Fairtrade and caring for the environment, and how it has changed communities in Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga and Timor Leste.

What is Fairtrade? It is a global system with the aim of alleviating poverty through fair access to markets and trade.

“In the world today, 70 per cent of our food is actually grown by some of the

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poorest people in the developing world, and often these communities don’t have enough resources to build schools or hospitals,” Fairtrade Australia and New Zealand CEO Molly Harriss Olson says.

“Fairtrade started nearly 30 years ago, after a charity was delivering wells in Mexico to some coffee cooperatives and the farmers said, ‘We really appreciate these wells, but if you just paid a fair price for our coffee, we could buy the well ourselves,’ and that was when the development community realised that changing the rules of the game to enable people to have access to fair markets was the most effective way to stop poverty.”

Every year, over $200 million is generated in Fairtrade Premium which goes directly to the 1.65 million Fairtrade certified farmers in developing countries.

When a grower becomes certified Fairtrade, they not only have opportunities to connect with international brands, but Fairtrade audits the transactions to ensure the businesses are paying the appropriate minimum price and premiums.

And when you see the Fairtrade logo on a product, which equates to a fraction

SORTING GREEN COFFEE BEANS IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

COFFEE CHERRY PICKING IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

of the cost of that product, one third goes to the global organisation to continue to maintain and improve standards, another third goes back to support the producers, and one third is spent in the market to raise awareness.

So paying that little bit extra for certified Fairtrade and organic products not only benefits some of the poorest communities in building schools, hospitals, having clean water, roads and other essentials we take for granted, it enables us, as consumers to make better purchasing decisions. Sounds like a win-win to me.

INSPIRE

THE

FUTURE OF FOOD WORDS CAITLYN SPANNER PHOTOS CULLEN COLLECTION

Michael Buckley’s innovative company Freeze Dry Industries is tackling Australia’s food wastage problem and considering the future of the food and agribusiness industries by literally freezing waste in time. Here’s how it works.

I

f you caught ABC’s three part series, War On Waste earlier this year you’ll be familiar with the massive food wastage problem the world is currently facing.

If you didn’t watch it, allow me to paint

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a picture of one of the most eye-opening scenes from the series. Imagine tonnes of delicious, freshly picked bananas that could feed hundreds of people, being dumped in piles because they’re deemed as a waste product. The episode revealed that banana farmers are forced to throw away 40 per cent of their yield simply because they’re either too bent, too straight, too fat, too thin, too long or too short to meet the supermarket’s unrealistic standards.

Now picture this: a system that can dramatically reduce food wastage by capturing fresh produce before it

perishes to create something delicious and nutrient rich, while considering the environmental footprint at almost every stage of the supply chain. It seems like the sort of technology that we won’t see for decades, or that is currently out of reach to Australian farmers. But that’s exactly what Freeze Dried Industries is doing right now in their factory in Yandina. Headed

by CEO Michael Buckley, the company is built on innovation and technology while supporting regional areas, jobs, farming, Australian industries all the while addressing our food waste problem. profilemag.com.au

MICHAEL BUCKLEY

“

If we are able to mass capture waste, which is highly NUTRITIOUS and it feeds people when they can’t afford FRESH FOOD, I think we’re in there with a shot.”

Michael’s background in business development and technology, coupled with his eco-conscious mindset meant he could target a number of issues with just one company.

“We’ve got more people consuming more, food production is a high energy producer, and a carbon emitter, how can we use solar technology, use waste and feed the people in a highly nutritious way?”.

Freeze drying is the answer.

So how does it all work? When I spoke to Michael he was expecting an arrival of strawberries to the factory that very afternoon.

“We’ll have a tonne of picked and washed fresh strawberries from a farm and these are particular ones that are quite small, so they’ve been rejected by the normal market, but they’re ideal for our packet,” he says.

The strawberries are deep frozen overnight to turn them into a rock hard state, then locked down into a vacuum chamber. The moisture is then gently extracted over a three or four day process.

“Then you have that perfectly dry result. Bulk packed and shipped off to the customer,” says Michael.

I can personally say the result is a delicious, dry version of your favourite november 2017

fruit, which loses only a tiny amount of nutrients in the drying process. I can see why their Sunlife products are a great snack option for kids, it’s almost as if you’re eating candy but it’s actually 100 per cent fruit.

“If we can purchase and use the products wisely, create innovative products that is comparable price wise, well there’s a 100 per cent Australian, healthy food versus imported full of sugar, cooked in oil, preservatives,” Michael adds.

But the process doesn’t just stop at drying fruit. The company’s focus on innovation means that they’re always exploring new ideas. They’ve tested celery, cheese, camel’s milk, seafood, proteins, mushrooms, truffles and the trials just keep coming.

Michael says approximately seven out of 10 tests produce a successful product with almost endless applications. They can powder the product down to be used in supplements, pharmaceutical applications, probiotics, pet food – the sky’s the limit.

So what about that pesky banana issue?

“We know that we can capture those bananas and powder them. Powder doesn’t matter what shape it was. Why can’t that banana powder go into a cereal, a smoothie mix, a protein powder, ice cream?” asks Michael.

It seems like we’ve got a major player in the war on waste, right here in our own backyard.

Michael also has a philanthropic vision for Freeze Dry Industries in the form of targeted nutrition.

“Say for example kids in Africa are deficient in vitamin A, why can’t we produce a vitamin-A-rich product here, dry it and ship it? We call that targeted nutrition. We can be directly working with NGOs. That’s something we’re seriously thinking about and something we need support for. Whether that’s for outback Australia, regional centers, the young, the

“

Say for example kids in Africa are deficient in vitamin A, why can’t we produce a VITAMINA-RICH product here, dry it and ship it? We call that TARGETED NUTRITION.”

elderly. There’s all these targeted nutrition needs that we can solve.”

In a world that’s facing famine, nuclear war, climate change and the list goes on, it’s nice to know there are people like Michael considering the future of food.

“If we are able to mass capture waste, which is highly nutritious and it feeds people when they can’t afford fresh food, I think we’re in there with a shot.”

FREEZE DRIED STRAWBERRIES

THE PERFECT

BALANCE WORDS CAITLYN SPANNER PHOTOS KATIE TAKES A PICTURE

Husband and wife team Shane and Catherine Tromp are a formidable duo, showing us how working as a family in 2017 is done. With two children under five in tow, the professional couple has perfected the work/life balance, owning and operating a successful independent business.

S

hane and Catherine Tromp know a thing or two about working as a team. The pair not only share a loving relationship, they also successfully manage Noosa Optical together.

After meeting at university in Brisbane, where Shane was studying veterinary science and Catherine, optometry, the young couple married and embarked on a new adventure to Far North Queensland to pursue their respective careers.

Two years later, they relocated to the Sunshine Coast, where Catherine grew up. When they discovered a local optometry business, with roots in the Noosa community since 1973, was for sale, Shane left his job as a vet and started Noosa Optical alongside Catherine.

After five years of hard work and cementing their place in the Noosa community, the Tromps had their first child, Laura.

“All of our patients have watched Laura’s progress over the years,” says Catherine, adding that the two other team members, Anne and Lynn, are Laura’s ‘adopted aunties’.

Flash forward to 2017 and Catherine and Shane have been in business for 10 years. With a refurbishment earlier this year, they redeveloped the space from the ground up.

“

YOU’VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO GET ALONG WITH EACH OTHER AND YOU’VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO SEPARATE WORK AND HOME WHICH ISN’T ALWAYS EASY. AND YOU’VE GOT TO COMMUNICATE AT WORK AS PROFESSIONALS.”

Catherine recently had a baby boy, Stephen, who takes his role as the practice mascot very seriously and stays very well behaved out the back while Catherine takes on patients, just three months after giving birth.

Shane says working as a family-owned and operated business has always been a priority.

“A lot of people wonder how we do it. I come from a family business background,

so to me, it’s just normal,” he says.

“You’ve got to be able to get along with each other, you’ve got to be able to separate work and home which isn’t always easy, and you’ve got to communicate at work as professionals.”

And professionals they are. Catherine has singlehandedly tended to all of Noosa Optical’s clients for the past 10 years, but demand became so high they’ve introduced a second optometrist, Michelle Lamarca, who is also a long standing Noosa local.

Not only do they offer a thorough and personalised service to all their clients, they also stock unique, locally owned and customised frames, such as Fritz Frames, rather than mass produced products.

“Optometry has become very corporatised and retail focused. We’re here to provide more than just a vision check for new glasses,” says Catherine.

They also work closely with ophthalmologists and doctors to provide opinions and take referrals. Shane says he’s most proud they have worked as an independent business from day one.

“As far as I’m aware, we’re the only practice left in the Noosa area that’s not affiliated with a retail organisation.

That’s tough, but it’s also good because it means we can do things the right way and we don’t have to cut corners.”

Dr Catherine Tromp BAppSc (Optom) QUT CertOcTher (ACO) Dr Michelle Lamarca BAppSc (Optom) QUT 1 Lanyana Way Noosa Junction | noosaoptical.com.au | Ph 5447 3711

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PEOPLE

COW CUP TO

WORDS INGRID NELSON PHOTOS BLISS PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEAH

You probably see them everyday in your supermarket fridge, but what is the history behind Maleny Dairies’ award-winning products and what makes them taste so deliciously good? Third generation owner of the business, Ross Hopper, shares some of the family secrets with Profile.

R

oss Hopper is your quintessential Aussie. A nononsense kind of guy, he’s always been one to give things a go. Hailing from a long line of dairy farmers, Ross is at the helm of family-owned and run business Maleny Dairies in the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland along with his wife, Sally.

“I grew up on the farm, I’ve been here 46 years,” says Ross, now a father-of-four.

“My father has been farming here since 1948 and his grandfather before that. My

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wife is the fifth generation of a farming family who have been here in Maleny for 120-odd years.”

The couple took over the business from Ross’s father, Harold, back in 2000, during an uncertain time when the milk industry was deregulated, forcing thousands of farmers around Australia to close their farms.

“I was running my own tow truck business and hiring out shipping containers back then, which was all going along nicely,” says Ross. “But when Dad said he was going to sell the farm unless us kids did something, there would be no point in milking cows because there wasn’t going to be any money in it with the way things were going.

“We decided that we would fight back by building our own processing and bottling plant. And as we expanded, we began purchasing milk from other local farmers in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, which has allowed us to pay our farmers at a much higher rate per litre of milk, enabling each farmer to keep their herds healthy and their farms viable.”

Keeping it in the family, Ross’s brother Keith and wife Sonya own the dairy farm part of the business, while Ross and Sally own the factory.

“My brother sold his beef property out west and took over the farm,” says Ross. “I own the block of dirt where the factory is and I buy the milk off my brother and his wife and eight other farms in the Hinterland.”

“

My father has been FARMING here since 1948 and his grandfather before that. My wife is the fifth generation of a farming family who have been here in MALENY for 120-odd years.”

Despite growing up on the farm, Ross says it wasn’t until he started running the business that he realised just how much was involved.

“I started out thinking it would be easy to be honest. How hard could it be? Turn on a tap, fill the bottle and sell the stuff,” he says, laughing at the memory.

“There is so much involved, you need to know about the structure of milk, how to test it, and because it’s a food product and so temperature sensitive, you have to be so careful in handling it.”

Sharing his fond childhood memories of drinking the warm, creamy milk straight from cow to cup, which he still does today, profilemag.com.au

ROSS AND SALLY HOPPER

Ross says it’s what they don’t add to their milk that makes all the difference to the taste.

“We don’t fiddle with the milk, what the cow gives is what you get,” says Ross. “So if the cow is producing milk with 4.5 per cent butter fat, that is what the customer gets.

Our full cream milk is less processed and even our blue top homogenised milk isn’t standardised.

“If you think of it like cars. You have your BMW, your Commodore and your Hyundai. A Hyundai is not going to cut it against a BMW. The Hyundai is your $2 milk, it has less butter milk and you can taste it. Some companies also add permeate to their milk to really thin it out and maximise profits.”

During my recent visit to Maleny Dairies, I experienced first hand the deliciousness of some of their awardwinning products and I’ve even changed my tune when it comes to my regular coffee order. No more skinny flat white for me, it’s full cream all the way from now on!

“A lot of people ask for a skinny milk,” says Ross. “We used to do skim milk, which is zero per cent fat but there is only four per cent butter fat in full cream milk.

So although there is only a four per cent difference in fat, there is a huge difference in taste.

“Also, our full cream milk is pasteurised only, so it’s less processed and even better for you. In fact, latest research shows that homogenised milk is not as good for you.

So what exactly is the difference?

“With homogenised milk, they smash the fat so that it doesn’t float, for cosmetic purposes,” says Ross.

“People see the cream on top of full cream milk and think it’s fattening.

november 2017

Nutritionists are now saying with homogenised milk the fat molecules have been changed so your body doesn’t recognise it as fat and absorbs it into the bloodstream. Whereas with cream, your body can recognise it and deals with it accordingly. So you’re doing yourself a favour and enjoying a better tasting cup of coffee.” No arguments here.

Maleny Dairies saw a big growth in sales last year and according to Ross, it’s thanks to the continued support of the locals, which has enabled him to pay his suppliers fairly, so they can continue to operate.

“Milk in Queensland is going out at a great rate of knots,” says Ross. “There are only 400-odd farms left in Queensland, compared to 1500 17 years ago. It comes down to the big companies not paying enough, they are simply selling milk too cheap. We don’t blame the big supermarkets, how can they sell it cheap if they don’t buy it cheap.”

Passionate about educating our younger generation about the importance of supporting our local farmers, Ross says the regular tour groups they have through the dairy farm and factory, including schools, have increased awareness.

“It’s working,” says Ross. “We are so thankful to the public, you have made such a difference, which means the dairy will still be here to pass on to future generations.” profilemagazine

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Success WORDS CAITLYN SPANNER PHOTOS PETA HOOD

A RECIPE FOR

What happens when you combine a trained chef, an unwavering passion for local and sustainable food, and a picturesque country town? Profile heads to Kin Kin to find out.

K

in Kin is one of those pictureperfect country towns in the Noosa Hinterland that you immediately imagine yourself living in. The whole town is centered around the aptly named Main Street, with its historic timber pub, quaint houses and views of surrounding hills and farmland.

The hub of activity on Main Street is the Kin Kin General Store. From local ladies chatting away over a cuppa, to business people holding a staff meeting, it seems more like a café in the middle of a tourist town than a small country village.

At the centre of it all is a very busy Jodie Williams, who chose to establish her catering business in Kin Kin, having worked as a successful chef in the Noosa region for over 20 years.

Thinking she was done with restaurants and cafes, she turned her focus to catering and manufacturing.

Jodie launched her business Black Ant Gourmet, which quickly became so busy that she required a permanent commercial kitchen and went on to renovate the Kin Kin Post Office and General Store, which had been closed for seven years.

Not only does Jodie operate Black Ant Gourmet out of the store, she also offers

a delicious menu, sells tasty pre-made meals, and stocks products from local businesses. She also produces pastureraised beef and pork 3km out of town.

“We use all of our cuts for different things. From our high quality meats right down to the meat for our pies, we make everything on site, a true farm to plate experience,” she explains.

In the last 12 months, Black Ant Gourmet has more than doubled its catering business and the shop and cafe are proving very popular, which has been reflected by its five-star rating on TripAdvisor. On Saturday and Sunday mornings the Kin Kin General Store is so busy Jodie reluctantly has to turn some visitors away, which has prompted the pending renovation of the store to cater for more customers, and offer more space for events, including affordable country-style weddings.

Another reason for renovating is to create a space where people can visit for a lazy Sunday BBQ. She has an American smoker, pizza oven (with a second on the way from Italy), and is fully licensed.

“We’ve been doing some great functions with the BBQ buffet. They’re really popular so we want to create one

Black Ant Gourmet

JODIE WILLIAMS

every Sunday.”

Jodie can cater to events of all sizes and venues, from 50 people to 450 people, and every menu is tailored for each client. The space will feature a barn-style structure opening onto lush green grass, with a view of the neighbouring farmland.

Not only is Jodie ticking all the boxes when it comes to running a successful business, she’s also considering the community and environment.

“I’m being linked up with all these wonderful groups, people who are all likeminded. It’s about sustainability it’s about the future,” she says.

“We provide our own water through rainwater catchment, we provide more than half of our own power and we provide our own effluent disposal system. I think we’re a great example that commercial can be sustainable.”

With 18 staff, including school and university students, plus a dedication to supporting local farmers, Jodie is doing great things for the Kin Kin community.

She’s even offering a platform for a group of young brewers so they can make their own beer. I know where I’ll be heading for my next Sunday session.

56 Main St, Kin Kin Phone: 07 5485 4177 blackantgourmet.com.au

VIEW

WORDS NICOLE FUGE PHOTOS KATIE TAKES A PICTURE

BUT FIRST,

coffee The world of coffee can be allconsuming, overwhelmed by extraction, bean density and solubles.

What happened to just making a great-tasting cuppa? Brent Deller has the answer, creating a recipe for consistency through knowledge and training – resulting in the perfect pour, every time.

W

ell balanced in acidity and medium in body, with notes of wild berries and a sweet milk chocolate finish, it’s hard to believe First Batch’s Noosa blend, almost never made it past Brent Deller’s lips.

“It was just something I developed for myself, I liked the taste profile. I’m a firm believer that taste is king, regardless of grade,” he says, taking another sip of his espresso.

“We’re roasting the Noosa blend every day now, which is more of a specialty style coffee, designed for your educated coffee drinker, whereas our Venture blend is a good all-rounder; it’s amazing as a white base and black base and for someone who just likes good coffee. It was the first blend we developed here on Venture Drive.”

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Not only a hit with Brent’s regular customers, independent judges at the Hobart Fine Food Awards were also impressed, hailing the Noosa blend overall coffee champion of 2017.

The secret behind First Batch Coffee Roasters’ award-winning coffee is a unique air roasting system, which controls all of the variables and roasting parameters to ensure every single roast is consistent.

“There’s no human error with our roasting. The only variable is the green beans, and that comes down to our responsible sourcing. We don’t blend blends, we don’t need to try and hide inconsistencies between batches that we roast, and that’s purely because of this system,” he says.

“And our 2kg recipe is scaled to the 25kg roaster perfectly. A traditional roaster might have a 500g sample roaster and roast until they achieve the numbers they want, and then need to replicate that on their production roaster, which is more product and time; whereas for us, the roasting parameters are exactly the same between our two roasters. It’s a game changer in my opinion.”

Having worked for one of the world’s largest coffee roasters, Brent’s forwardthinking approach to business draws on

his experience in ruling out variables to ensure consistency through knowledge and training – which is applied the whole way through, from bean to brew.

“The biggest thing I’ve learned in this industry is people pay $4 for a coffee. Why pay $4 again tomorrow when it’s a very different cup? It’s frustrating, and that’s the message I’ve heard for the last 17 years.

Loyalty is not price driven, it’s attitudinal and the whole experience and knowing what you’re getting is a big part of that,” he says.

“If we can provide exactly the same quality whole beans to our shops with the same quality training and support to every single café we supply, then every First Batch coffee brewed should be amazing.

I believe 50 per cent of the cup of coffee is the person who makes it, so we put a lot of energy into educating and fostering the talent of the baristas in the shops we supply. They don’t only represent the café they work in but they represent our brand and someone will walk in and say, ‘Your coffee is amazing, we just bought a cafe,

BRENT DELLER

where do you get your coffee from?’ That’s why we don’t knock on doors, we let our shops do the talking.”

Every week when Brent delivers the coffee, he also checks the equipment and calibration, and seeks feedback from the customers. And given the watertight nature of the roasting system, if there is an issue with the coffee, they can drill down into that specific batch and pull the data from it.

“That’s what we did for the big multinational I worked for and when I started First Batch Coffee Roasters two years ago, I wondered why we couldn’t do that on a smaller level and really help the mum and dad cafes, people who are passionate about coffee, by taking that variable away so they can focus on growing their businesses,” says Brent.

First Batch also offers contract roasting for business owners who want to develop their own blends.

“You can have your own signature blend. Come in on Monday and take home your fresh coffee, knowing you’ve blended it, you’ve roasted it. Once we develop and save your recipe, it recreates it instantly because we roast it in the same ecosystem,” Brent says, explaining this service will be available early next year.

“Our coffee roasting capacity is huge.

We can roast four to five tonnes a week 9am to 5pm, without the normal roasting variables, achieving exactly the same bean colour internal and external.”

In 2009, Brent launched his first business baristatools.net, selling wholesale equipment out of his garage, then in 2014, he opened The Coffee Training Co. which has become a sister company to First Batch Coffee Roasters operating out of his Noosa roastery.

“We love the Sunshine Coast, there are a lot of good roasters here, but particularly at this end of the Coast, there are three or four good roasters and more have come along since we opened. It drives performance and quality, and more people seem to gravitate towards that,” he says.

Considering coffee is the second most traded commodity after oil, the skills of a well-trained barista are highly sought after.

And with the industry evolving at a rapid rate, even teachers are having to undergo regular training, for example milk is now

textured to have the consistency of wet paint, rather than aerating to create foam.

The Coffee Training Co. has also recently partnered with United Synergies to help unemployed youth find employment.

“It’s been really exciting to see these kids come in, with a real checkered past, and they start making coffee and start opening up, they’re different people. Three weeks later they’re in the industry working and it’s given them purpose,” says Brent.

With Australia being one of the leading countries for innovation in coffee, Brent says the boundaries need to continue to be pushed, without compromising on taste.

“Looking back, in the late ‘90s where there was a 60/70ml extraction and a rep would come in and calibrate your grinder and tell you not to touch it and they’d be back in two weeks. Whereas now, we calibrate every shot, it’s come such a long way, it’s really exciting,” he says.

“The coffee industry follows the wine industry; seven years ago everyone had a little wine fridge at home and were doing wine master courses, now everyone has a one group coffee machine and mini grinder at home, and are coming along to courses at our training company to make better coffee at home. But at the end of the day, is it a good cup of coffee, does it taste good?

“We now do that with wine; if it tastes good, we’ll go back and buy it, and I think coffee will get back to that point, there’s only so far you can push it – weighing coffee in and out, reading soluble; how much science do we really need to know it’s a good cup of coffee?

“And that’s what I like about our Noosa blend, it just tasted really good, the roast profile was awesome, the numbers add up, it tastes good, nominate, it was that simple.”

FIRSTBATCHCOFFEE.COM.AU profilemagazine

17

FUTURE

‘UDDERLY’ G O O D F O R YO U

With sand between my toes, wind in my hair and a slightly salty finish on the palate, camel milk is an acquired taste. Touted for its abundant health benefits and sustainable practices in which its farmed, it’s become a foodie favourite sweeping the nation.

WORDS NICOLE FUGE PHOTOS TARA MURPHY

A

herd of camels stretch their long limbs and traipse across the grassy plain, forming two lines in front of the dairy – cows on the right, calves to the left. It’s 6am at the farm in Bells Creek, and the girls are waiting to be milked.

“That’s Bella, and behind you can see her baby, Grace,” says Yasmin Brisbane, crouching down to bid good morning to the beautiful babe who is poking its head through the gate to suckle at her mother’s teat.

“Every single one of them has a name, and they know their names. We don’t tag them or brand them, we know them by sight,” says Yasmin.

“You can also identify who is related to who, because of their similarities. One of our babies, Houdini not only looks like his mum but he also walks like his mum, he has a stance like his mum.”

Upon moving to north Queensland at the height of the drought in 1994, the Brisbane family witnessed the demise of countless agriculture businesses.

“I thought there’s got to be a better way to do this and I looked for an animal that could be better,” Lauren Brisbane says of her idea to co-graze horses and cattle with camels, who were drought tolerant.

YASMIN BRISBANE

18

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“

We allow them to live in a NATURAL MATRIARCHAL SOCIETY, so we don’t feedlot them because that disturbs their general emotional health and wellbeing. It’s all part of producing a really good product because if you have a stressed animal, you have stressed milk.”

Lauren and her husband Peter went on to fund a study into the development of the camel industry in Queensland and subsequently became founding members of the Australian Camel Industry Association.

In 2007, the family moved to the Sunshine Coast and two years later bought their first two camels. Then in 2014, QCamel was accredited as a producer, and became the first camel dairy on the east coast of Australia, producing the first pasteurised camel milk in the country.

“It’s been a long process, an enormous amount of research has gone into it. It wasn’t just about the milk, it was looking

at food trends and a lot of science, what people were buying and eating, where people were heading on a health basis, and the ethics of managing camels and how it fitted into us as a family, because we don’t remove the babies from the mothers and we have a no-slaughter policy,” says Lauren.

Within the fluctuating flock, there are pregnant cows, new mums and their calves, and dairy cows. And due to their no-slaughter policy, the bulls are either rehomed or they find their place within the herd, naturally servicing the cows without the need for artificial insemination.

After a 12 to 14-month gestation, the cows wean their calves at their choosing, varying from two months to two years. Of the dairy cows, only 20 to 30 are milked at a time, each producing between four to six litres of milk a day.

“A camel will not milk unless she’s nursing a calf, the babies get 80 per cent and we’ll take 20 per cent, so we’re only taking a small yield a day. And we only milk them once a day because we’re concerned with the calf ’s health and development,” says Yasmin. profilemag.com.au

“We allow them to live in a natural matriarchal society, so we don’t feedlot them because that disturbs their general emotional health and wellbeing. It’s all part of producing a really good product because if you have a stressed animal, you have stressed milk.

“So if they don’t want to milk or are too old to milk, we will rehome them or find a place for them in the herd. In the matriarchal society, which is similar to humans and elephants, you have a matriarch and grandmothers, midwives, birthing aunts and babysitters, so even if they’re not milking at that particular time, they have a place in the herd.”

Theodora is the matriarch and was one of their first camels, aged 10, she’s about to have her third baby. Then there is Bella, who you met earlier, she is second-incharge and the leader of the milkers.

“She’s very boisterous, but very beautiful, calm and friendly,” says Yasmin.

In the short time I spent at the 3000 acre property at Bells Creek, two-year-old Charlie and one-year-old Varian won my heart, offering gentle kisses and cuddles – I can see why Lauren and Yasmin are so passionate about their jobs.

“Part of the reason we got into the camel industry is you have to manage them differently, you have to do things ethically, so we really like that aspect and my whole family are animal lovers,” says Yasmin.

So what is the difference between camel milk and cow’s milk?

“It’s a different molecular make-up to cow’s milk, the biggest thing being it doesn’t have the whey protein which causes dairy allergies, and it’s the closest form to human milk, so it’s very easy to digest, very easy on the stomach and because it has gut healing bacterias in it, it’s antibacterial,” says Yasmin.

“We only gently pasteurise to keep the integrity of the milk and we nonhomogenise. Homogenising is taking the cream out of it and separating it, but camel milk is low in fat, so we don’t need to.”

With 10 times more iron and three to five times more vitamin C than cow’s milk, camel milk is high in omega 3, calcium, zinc, magnesium, protein and does not contain beta-casein 6 and beta-lactoglobulin, which can contribute to dairy allergies.

Research has also suggested that camel milk is highly beneficial for autism, diabetes, dairy intolerance, gut and bowel dysfunction,

IBS, Crohn’s Disease, and allergies.

“We also pasture feed them, we don’t feed them antibiotics or hormones or grain, because you’ll often have people who are coeliac and if they’re so sensitive it depends on what the animal is fed.”

Since launching their business four years ago, Yasmin says there has been a shift in how camel milk is perceived, with foodies becoming more adventurous with their palates and caring more about organic and sustainable practices.

“When we started, people would turn their noses up at us, they thought camel milk was disgusting because it was so new.

“Now people have heard about it and are interested in trying it, they’re not scared of it anymore. People also realise how ethical it is, we have a lot more customers coming on board because they understand that side of things, and with provenance of food becoming so important, people aren’t just wanting to know it’s healthy for you, they want to know where it comes from, who’s making it and how it’s made.”

To cope with growing demand, the Brisbanes are changing the dairy to accommodate more camels, and have introduced products including freeze-dried milk powder, cheeses and chocolates.

“We’re also moving more into the export market, we already send over to Singapore and New Zealand, but with the powder, the Chinese are knocking at our door and within Asia there’s a huge demand for it, so we’ll be increasing our production for the international market,” says Yasmin.

With this liquid white gold in such high demand, every drop is precious.

LAUREN BRISBANE

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19

seasoned

SECRET LIFE

chef

WORDS NICOLE FUGE PHOTOS CULLEN COLLECTION

Having been flown all over the world to cook for the rich and famous, including Brad Pitt and Robert Redford, Peter Ansell was no stranger to living the high life. But when a drug and alcohol addiction all but claimed his life, a sobering prayer not only saved him, it took his career to new heights.

W

hen Peter Ansell was 14, his aunt asked him what he wanted for Christmas, to which he replied, ‘To cook Christmas lunch’.

“Years later, my aunt said to me, ‘I knew you were going to be a chef, because no 14-year-old boy says they want to cook Christmas lunch!’ But food always interested me, even when I was really young, I used to say to my mum when she was burning something, ‘Why don’t you lower the heat a little bit?’ and she’d say, ‘What do you know about cooking, you’re just a boy?’”

But Peter’s dexterity soon impressed in the coming years, with master chefs taken aback by his ability, which far outweighed his experience or knowledge. After leaving his college summer job cooking steaks at the local pub in the United Kingdom, where Peter grew up, he moved his way up the culinary ranks.

“It was just something I could do. I also liked that I could take drugs and drink and live this rock and roll lifestyle, getting paid for it while I was cooking,” he says honestly.

“I was running a restaurant and was a head chef, but I didn’t know enough and I wanted to learn more.”

In a bold career decision, Peter demoted himself to commis to work through the ranks again and took a job at Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck, where he was mentored by the renowned chef.

“I was earning less than half the salary

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november 2017

SECRET LIFE

and working a lot more hours, but I made a commitment and wanted to do it for me and that was my college training,” he says.

“When I look back, that perpetual motion sent me in this direction to be where I am right now, striving for excellence and always improving.”

Upon leaving The Fat Duck, Peter became a personal chef and was flown all over the world, cooking for the rich and famous; he had one particular client who flew him to Los Angeles every year, for five years, just to prepare New Year’s Eve dinner.

Two days later, Peter nearly lost his life, overdosing on methamphetamine, which he thought was cocaine.

“I really believed I was going to die,” he says earnestly.

“I lay on the bed and thought how am I ever going to sleep and after an hour-anda-half I went to the toilet and I couldn’t stand up and this voice was saying, ‘Just go to sleep, it will all be over’. I went to get up and I couldn’t; I was on my knees and I prayed to God, ‘If you let me live I’ll never take drugs again’, and he let me get up.

“I went and took a cold shower, came back, and there were still lines of coke chopped up. I looked at it, but I’d made a commitment to God, I’m not doing that anymore.”

Peter attended meetings to keep him on the straight and narrow, and three months later returned to England, where his personal cheffing career catapulted.

“When I was doing it sober, I was a lot more focused and my game went up and I started working for some bigger people, billionaires who threw extravagant parties and that pushed me because there was no budget, it was incredible,” he says.

“And I had this focus which I’d never had before. (Under the influence) everything was more of a blur and I made quite a lot of mistakes, I’d forget things or I’d burn things, even at The Fat Duck.

So it made me more astute. I bought a lot of Michelin Star cookbooks, the best in

the world, and I found I had the ability to teach myself to learn, whereas I didn’t have that discipline before.”

In 2010, Peter and his partner, Natalie, moved to Noosa with their young daughter, and they started their new lives in the sunshine.

“

When I was doing it sober, I was a lot more FOCUSED and my game went up and I started working for some bigger people, billionaires who threw extravagant parties and that pushed me because there was no budget, it was incredible.”

“I worked in a couple of restaurants and it killed me going back into a restaurant and working for someone else. Luckily I found someone who was looking for a private chef and I worked for a family for four years, doing all of their business functions and cooking for them personally,” he says.

“I was back into that groove, I could get the machinery I wanted and started using PETER ANSELL

sous vide (a method of cooking in which food is vacuum-sealed and then placed in a water bath) a lot more and slow cooking.”

When the family began travelling and were seldom home, Peter was out of a job.

“My first thought was, ‘What can I go to the market with and sell?’ Being a personal chef you give one person food and I thought it would be more beneficial to make food and sell to a lot of people,” he says.

Revisiting his repertoire, Peter settled on his signature dish – lamb cooked in a water bath at 60 degrees for 60 hours. It was a hit, selling out in the first two weeks at the Noosa Farmers Market, and his business 60@60 was born.

With the aim of nurturing and cultivating great ideas and brands in the food industry, earlier this year Peter was chosen as one of 12 local food and beverage innovators to take part in the Sunshine Coast’s first food accelerator, Grow Coastal, held at the Innovation Centre.

By having unfettered access to industry experts and mentors, Peter worked on relaunching the packaging for his product and headed a crowdfunding campaign, which not only enabled him to reach his monetary target, but also saw him acquire a whole new customer base.

Now, Peter (who is proudly clean and sober for 14 years) is preparing to go nationwide with his brand and plans to crack the Asian market in Singapore, China and Japan, where there is a growing demand for Australian products.

“From a chef ’s point of view, it’s a dream having a product in a shop. Chefs stand in kitchens and prepare food, or are flown all over the world to cook; but I’m sitting here now on the Sunshine Coast and a person could walk into a shop in Sydney or Melbourne and buy my product to take home to eat – then I’m cooking for them, I’m their personal chef.”

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21

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majes-tea

COVER STORY

her

WORDS NICOLE FUGE PHOTOS DUKE AND GYPSY

Drawing on the culinary and creative entrepreneurial skills of her English parents, Aimee Russell has created a decadent and delicious high tea parlour serving the most scrumptious scones laden with homemade jam and clotted cream. Profile pulls up a chair at Aimee Provence, to sample the traditional gourmet delights.

B

reaking open a warm date scone, my attention is stolen by the scene of a young girl seated outside settling into her own tiny tower of sweet treats. She looks up at me and smiles, holding a teddy bear under one arm, and takes a bite.

The little girl, I soon find out, is Aimee Russell’s five-year-old daughter, Zara, who has inherited her mother’s love of the sweet life.

Raised in Sandridge, a small English town in Hertfordshire, north of London, with her parents and two younger brothers, Aimee recalls fond memories from her own childhood, growing up with a pet goat, chickens, ducks and rabbits.

“My father used to milk the goat and make goat cheese, her name was Nanny Goat, and we used to walk her to school,” she says with a smile.

“We had a gate at the back of our house that entered a beautiful field, and there would be blackberries growing that we would always pick and eat on the way to school, and we would often walk through strawberries fields.”

Hailing from a long line of family bakers, Aimee’s memories are scented with the sweet smell of fresh tea, homemade cakes, jam and scones.

november 2017

AIMEE WEARS ONE DAY BRIDAL SADIE DRESS FROM SPHERE COLLECTIVE IN COTTON TREE, DAISY NECKLACE $149.95 FROM WITCHERY SUNSHINE PLAZA, ACCESSORIES FROM COLETTE

BY COLETTE HAYMAN. FLORAL BACKDROP FROM FAIRY LIGHT CURTAINS SUNSHINE COAST, CHAIR FROM THE VINTAGE STOCKROOM. TABLE, HIGH TEA FOOD AND SETTING FROM AIMEE PROVENCE, FLOWERS FROM BELLA FLORA IN SIPPY DOWNS. HAIR BY ROCA VERDE, MAKE-UP BY PURE NAVA

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23

COVER STORY

AIMEE WEARS JADORE DRESS $499 FROM JULIE-ANN BOUTIQUE IN BUDERIM, ACCESSORIES FROM COLETTE BY COLETTE HAYMAN. CHAIR AND TABLE FROM THE VINTAGE STOCKROOM

AIMEE WEARS ROSE NOIR DRESS $499 FROM JULIE-ANN BOUTIQUE IN BUDERIM, MELANIE J DESIGNS HAND CUT LACE AND OSTRICH FEATHER CAPE, ACCESSORIES FROM COLETTE BY COLETTE HAYMAN. FLORAL BACKDROP FROM FAIRY LIGHT CURTAINS SUNSHINE COAST

“My grandparents lived up the road and I spent so much time with them when we were younger,” she says. “My granddad would make caraway seed cake in the mornings and we would all get into bed with my grandparents and have English breakfast tea and caraway seed cake. The smell of that beautiful cake would go through the whole house, I wish I could smell it again.”

Always fortunate to have freshly prepared food on the table, Aimee’s mother also ran her own catering business, opening Aimee’s eyes to the savvy world of small business, a skill she has now imparted to her daughter Zara.

AIMEE WITH DAUGHTER ZARA, WHO WEARS A DRESS FROM KUDDLY KIDS IN BUDERIM. PHOTO

BY TARA MURPHY

“Zara loves coming in here to the high tea parlour, and as a mum I feel so guilty because I’m working and I don’t get to spend any time with her, the poor little girl is here all the time, ‘Mummy I want a cake, mummy I want a scone with cream and jam,’ and she sits outside with all this cake and ice cream and scones – every Saturday she’s out there eating cake!

“

Here I am now owning my own BUSINESS, it just goes to show it doesn’t matter what happens in life, if you have the guts to go out there and do something, you can.”

“But being here with me, teaches her some standards for working and having a business, I was brought up like that too.”

Aimee’s father wore multiple creative hats, first as a furniture maker, wood sculpture artist and glass blower – some of which take pride of place in Aimee Provence in the form of white and gold angel wings on the wall and frosted glass vases adorning the tables.

But her colourful childhood was marred by bullying in Aimee’s teenage years, prompting her mum to pull her out of school two years before graduation. Not one to let such an unsavoury experience determine her outcome, Aimee has flourished and proven perseverance and passion will prevail.

“Here I am now owning my own business, it just goes to show it doesn’t matter what happens in life, if you have the guts to go out there and do something, you can. It doesn’t matter if you’ve finished school or not,” she says boldly.

Aimee’s first brush with business was when she was just 16, managing her father’s glass blowing shop in Camden Market.

“I learnt a lot through my father.

Although I wasn’t your typical teenager, I was working really hard at a young age, and in a way, trying to make my father proud,” she says.

At 21, Aimee met her husband Dan and the pair went travelling for years, arriving

COVER STORY

“

Aimee bakes scones FRESH every morning. On weekends she can make up to 180 SCONES each day in an assortment of flavours; plain, fruit, and my personal favourite date scones, which are the most POPULAR.”

in Australia in 2009. First they lived in Melbourne, before relocating to Sydney where Aimee studied interior design and styling at Sydney Design School.

They lived in New South Wales for eight years, where Aimee immersed herself in styling homes and weddings, a talent she fostered upon moving to the Sunshine Coast last year, with Dan and Zara.

Shortly after settling into her new life, Aimee walked into a boutique homewares and tea parlour in Buderim, not knowing it would end up changing her life.

“I didn’t know it was for sale at the time, and when I was searching the internet looking for business ideas, I came across My Private Provence, which was up for sale,” she says.

“Straight away I knew I could turn this place around, it was a massive risk taking on a failed business, but I went with my gut feeling and bought it anyway.

“I’m a risk taker and my husband is the total opposite. But I’ve always been that way, it’s the type of person I am, I just go for it. You only live once.”

The first port of call was to change the name of the business, after a quick Google search discovered there was another business using the name My Private Provence, for adult services – a clientele she absolutely did not want to attract.

“I wanted to keep provence in the name because it’s European, so I thought why not put my name in front of it, because it means loved (aimé) and friend (ami) in French,” she says.

Knowing nothing about coffee, other than what a good cuppa tastes like, on 1 September last year, Aimee opened for business – starting everything from scratch, including making scones.

“I didn’t even know how to make scones to be honest,” Aimee quips. november 2017

“

I’m a RISK TAKER and my husband is the total opposite. But I’ve always been that way, it’s the type of person I am, I just go for it.

You only live ONCE.”

“I was ordering them in when I opened and they were like bread rolls, Mum said I need to bake my own, so I had a lesson with her over Skype.

“It was easy and I’ve made them ever since, I must have a natural talent for making scones having watched my mum and nan make them all the time. It’s a traditional English recipe, I do it by hand and not with the machine, that’s why so many scones go doughy – you need to make them really fluffy and pump the air into it and make sure they’re crispy on the outside. Everyone loves them.”

An early riser, Aimee bakes scones fresh every morning. On weekends she can make up to 180 scones each day in an assortment of flavours; plain, fruit, and my personal favourite date scones, which are the most popular. And when blackberries are in season, Aimee makes her signature batch, white chocolate and blackberry scones.

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COVER STORY

PHOTO BY TARA MURPHY

“

AIMEE WEARS ROSE NOIR DRESS $450 FROM JULIE-ANN BOUTIQUE IN BUDERIM, ACCESSORIES FROM COLETTE BY COLETTE HAYMAN

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profilemagazine

We are really POPULAR for birthdays, baby showers and bridal showers, we also hire out our premises for boutique wedding receptions and functions. I go ABOVE AND BEYOND with the styling.”

But as Aimee reminds me, there is no point knowing how to bake a great scone if you don’t have lashings of clotted cream and the right jam – they will never be as good.

“Clotted cream is thick cream which is baked in the oven for 12 hours on a low heat and put in the fridge for 12 hours to set and you take the top off. My mum can make it as well, but it’s time consuming,” she says.

“Clotted cream comes from Devonshire, it tastes amazing and I love the texture of it, it’s almost like butter. It’s just different.”

Regardless of whether a customer has booked a decadent high tea, Devonshire tea or popped in for a cuppa, the tables are always dressed beautifully, complete with fresh flowers.

“I’m not an old fashioned doily-type of person, most of my themes are black and white or soft pinks, and gold is my favourite.

All tables are laid out with beautiful modern cups and saucers, we even have gold sugar,” she says, sprinkling the golden lustre into the palm of her hand.

“We are really popular for birthdays, baby showers and bridal showers, we also hire out our premises for boutique wedding receptions and functions. I go above and beyond with the styling.

“I just love entertaining. I really love watching people enjoying their high teas, but then I always get worried they won’t like it. I’m such a worrier, which is strange because I’ll jump in and do so many things, even though my anxiety gets the better of me, I’ll still do it. I think the adrenaline rush makes me do it.”

A self-proclaimed fan of a great glass of bubbles, Aimee’s is now licensed, allowing guests to order cocktails, Pimm’s and champagne with their high teas.

“The cocktail menu will have some cool British names, like Mr Bean for an espresso martini,” she says.

“We’re also going to start offering cheese boards because not everyone wants a sweet high tea, so I’m going to introduce antipasto high teas, so people can come in if they want something savoury.”

Taking a moment to soak up the past year’s success, Aimee says she owes a lot of credit to her team members Brittany Amos, who helps co-ordinate all of the high teas, and Hannah Wallace, who proudly serves one of the best coffees on Buderim using local Clandestino Roasters beans.

Not one to rest on her laurels, Aimee already has plans to open a second high tea parlour in Brisbane, and one day have her own manor, hosting high teas, weddings and functions, with the ability to operate as a boutique bed and breakfast.

Talk about an insatiable appetite for success. profilemag.com.au

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HOMEGROWN

feeding our

FUTURE

WORDS NICOLE FUGE PHOTOS CULLEN COLLECTION

The saying, ‘From little things, big things grow,’ has taken on a new meaning for Robyn Cook, who is teaching hundreds of young students not only how to grow and cook their own food, but how to turn their endeavour into a social and business enterprise – they are the future.

“T

en-year-old kids make pasta by hand all the time. It’s astonishing,” Robyn Cook says proudly, introducing me to the Kitchen Garden Teacher project.

“It’s not about what was on MasterChef, it’s about walking into the garden and seeing they have some basil, cherry tomatoes and silverbeet and in the pantry we’ve got some flour, eggs and salt – we can make pasta. We’re showing the children a low cost way of creating healthy meals using the ingredients you have on hand, being very resourceful and adaptable and it’s affordable.”

School gardens have a long and rich history dating back to the early 1900s, whereby they served a practical purpose of feeding the children whose families

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didn’t have enough food at home.

In the 1960s, they fell out of favour for 15 years, before teachers realised gardens offered more than just food, they became practical ways of incorporating learning. Then in the early 2000s, there was a widespread resurgence with schools introducing gardens into the curriculum, and in 2004 Stephanie Alexander introduced the kitchen element.

“

We’re showing the children a low cost way of creating HEALTHY meals using the ingredients you have on hand, being very RESOURCEFUL and adaptable and it’s affordable.”

At that time, Robyn was running the kitchen garden project at Chevallum State School, the first school on the Sunshine Coast and one of nine in Queensland to receive a $60,000 grant for the development of the program.

“What we had to do was develop the program so teachers could see the fundamental benefit of children working in an environment that was completely different from the classroom,” Robyn says, explaining some children were able to learn more efficiently when they were practically working with materials.

“One of the Year 7 teachers from Golden Beach State School told me he had a young girl in his class who didn’t comprehend fractions, then when they started kitchen classes, she suddenly understood fractions because she had to measure ingredients in a ¼ cup, ½ cup and 2 cups. Using fractions in such a practical way, in creating something you’re going to eat, cements the connection for the kids they don’t always get in other ways.”

Along with improving their ability to learn through practical application, and providing alternative education stimulation, students also learn about responsibility.

Upon leaving her post at Chevallum as the garden teacher, Robyn worked as the Queensland project officer for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation, before moving onto the national training team, travelling around the country training teachers and principals on how to develop the program.

But she found herself being drawn back to her foundations and launched the Kitchen Garden Teacher, and has gone on to work with a number of schools in our greater region, not only in establishing the program, but also navigating financial hurdles and attracting volunteers.

“I try and encourage schools to see their kitchen garden project as a social enterprise,” she says.

“I want them to see the difference between having the children write beautiful letters asking businesses to give them something, and instead write to a cafe letting them know they have an awesome composting program and need their food scraps or waste products; or they grow pigeonpea seeds and would you like to buy them? profilemag.com.au

CHEVALLUM STATE SCHOOL STUDENTS

“It’s the difference between being a funding recipient and an income generator through micro business – it’s very empowering for the children.”

From the perspective of a business owner, Robyn says there is also an opportunity for them to source more of their produce locally, if they aren’t already, and buy direct from their local school.

“The kids sitting in classrooms right now are the future of food and we have this amazing recognition of food production on the Sunshine Coast and embracing and celebrating our local food culture, which is fantastic,” she says.

“We need to direct some energy into that area to make them excited and enthusiastic about it, they’re not all going to come out food growers, but they’re all food eaters and if we embrace them on that level, we can continue to develop a culture on the Coast of using our local produce above using produce that’s coming from outside the area.”

The future of our food is in capable hands. november 2017

ROBYN COOK

LOCAL SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE KITCHEN GARDEN TEACHER PROGRAM • Amamoor State School • Beerwah State School • Caloundra Christian College • Chevallum State School • Conondale State School • Currimundi Special School • Eudlo State School • Golden Beach State School • Kin Kin State School • Montessori International College • Montville State School • Nambour State Primary School • North Arm State School • Peachester State School • Suncoast Christian College

Shop online at rubyandraven.com.au Ph | 0404 831 559 sales@rubyandraven.com.au profilemagazine

29

SUCCESS

culinary COUPLE WORDS CAITLYN SPANNER PHOTOS CULLEN COLLECTION

Family, food and friends is what it’s all about for Dan and Bec Penfold.

Profile met with the down-to-earth couple and their two gorgeous daughters to discuss their impressive careers in hospitality and their enviable Noosa lifestyle.

“I

f you’re going to do a business make sure you love doing what you’re doing.”

That’s Dan Penfold’s motto, and he’s staying true to that every day, alongside his wife, Bec. The couple own and operate Penfolds Catering and have a serious passion for the industry, their home and living life to the fullest.

“You’ve got to be busy I think. If you’re not busy, you get bored. It’s good to keep momentum going,” says Dan. “I think now at the start of the business – it’s been going for about 16 months – it’s progressing really well and now we’re building the foundations to go to the next level.”

Both qualified chefs, the pair met in the kitchen at Bistro C in Noosa and after a couple of months became the perfect culinary couple. With a passion for hospitality and a serious case of wanderlust, Bec and Dan decided to take their talents around the world.

In 2007 they travelled to London where they worked in a variety of different

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kitchens. They came back to Noosa for six months but the travel bug was biting and they soon found themselves in Scotland.

“We were running a boutique hotel at the end of Loch Ness. I started in the kitchen there with Dan and then I ended up moving out into the restaurant, running the restaurant, then the bar, then reception as well,” Bec explains.

After a stint of travel around Europe, they returned to Australia, this time settling in Melbourne where Dan worked in a two-hat restaurant.

“Then we bought a van, thought we’d travel around Australia, got back up to Noosa and we stopped here,” Bec laughs.

Noosa became home for the Penfolds.

“I think its just our home, we know so many people here and its a great place to bring up kids, why would you live anywhere else?”

It wasn’t long before Dan and Bec then welcomed their first daughter Harper and a year later came baby Asher. Family is their number one priority and today they love nothing more than taking their girls and dog to the beach to unwind and enjoy quality time together.

That wasn’t the only family they developed upon returning to the Sunshine Coast. After working in almost every area of hospitality possible, from personal profilemag.com.au

SUCCESS

“

If you don’t WORK HARD, what are you going to look back and say you ACCOMPLISHED, really?”

DAN AND BEC PENFOLD WITH CHILDREN HARPER AND ASHER

“ That’s what being a chef is about – being CREATIVE and coming up with something NEW.” cheffing to food innovation, Dan and Bec tried their hand at catering, where they found one of the most supportive communities they’d ever been apart of.

Dan was actually prompted to go off on his own by an employer who believed in his abilities.

“We’re good friends with a few other caterers on the coast. Its all competition but its friendly competition between us all,” says Bec. “We’re happy to refer clients if we are unavailable and vise versa.” Dan adds.

They’re now working out of the commercial kitchen at Noosa Blue Resort, where they cater for a range of events and functions. Personalised experiences based on seasonal and local produce is the most challenging, yet favourite part of the job for Dan. “That’s what being a chef is about november 2017

If you’re going to do a BUSINESS make sure you LOVE doing what you’re doing.”

– being creative and coming up with something new,” he says.

“I’m enjoying the catering because everything is so different. Each job you go to is different and you’re meeting new people,” adds Bec. The customers aren’t complaining either, with beaming reviews flooding into Bec’s inbox. Dan admits that the long days can be quite a struggle, but the hard work is paying off.

“If you don’t work hard, what are you going to look back and say you accomplished, really?

“We built this as something for us to enjoy, to be able to see the kids more, set them up in life. We’re looking toward the future now.

“We have a couple of things in the pipeline that we are going to work towards in the next 18 months. But for now we’re just putting in the foundations to the business.”

We’re salivating to see what’s next for this little family doing big things.

PENFOLDSCATERING.COM.AU profilemagazine

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HEIGHTEN WORDS NICOLE FUGE PHOTOS FLETCHER PHOTOGRAPHY

YOUR SENSES

The beauty of the Sunshine Coast abounds, and seeing it from the vantage point of a helicopter really takes your breath away.

Step into Clinton Brisk’s office, as he takes you on a delicious tour of the Coast.

RICHARD BRUINSMA AND JANET KAKE

I

t doesn’t get much better than this; cruising down the Coast at 1000ft, then taking a left at Noosa to head inland towards Boreen Point, where the charming Apollonian Hotel at Boreen Point awaits our arrival. Next stop is a leisurely lunch with all the gourmet trimmings from Black Ant Gourmet on top of a mountain in Eumundi, and 15 minutes later I’m sipping award-winning Flame Hill wine in Montville.

My experience with Airborne Solutions’ Sunshine Coast Helicopter Tours was the most delicious taster of their tour offerings, which include pub crawls, wine tours, high tea and spa experiences, and romantic sunset getaways.

Hopping in the front seat of the chopper, my stomach is already a-flutter, but Clinton Brisk’s resume of 35 years puts me at ease.

Clinton was introduced to aviation when he was buying cattle in Queensland, using light planes to get around the expansive paddocks. He obtained his private fixed wing licence and flew for a few years, later switching to helicopters because there were more job opportunities, including aerial agriculture, mustering and fire fighting.

“But the mustering game wasn’t going anywhere, it’s highly competitive and under regulated and under priced, it became a business that wasn’t viable,” he says honestly.

Having been based in the Northern Territory for 30 years, Clinton brings his business to Queensland, where his main focus is tourism.

“The helicopter is such a great vehicle because it’s so visual, you have that sensation of taking off and almost levitating and it’s so open, you’re not sitting in a little aeroplane cockpit, you can see the whole world in front of you and that’s the special thing about a helicopter, and that’s what makes it enjoyable to fly. I still very much enjoy it,” he says.

Having flown over some of Australia’s most picturesque locations including Sydney, Torres Strait, Kakadu and the Kimberleys, the Sunshine Coast tours are in good company.

“It’s mindblowing, some of the places I’ve worked, you look back and it’s been one magnificent place after another.

We’ve pulled up in the helicopter at some

PHOTO BY TARA MURPHY

CLINTON BRISK

awesome spots and swum at the top of escarpments. It’s been a very good career, I’ve enjoyed it, and now we’re adding the Sunshine Coast to that list.”

Upon launching on the Coast, Clinton has been introduced to his local business partner Janet Kake, a long-time local with strong connections in the food and wine industry.

“The best thing about the Sunshine Coast is the food and wine,” Janet says, chatting to me from the vineyard at Flame Hill Vineyard in Montville, where we have been treated to a wine tasting.

“

The helicopter is such a great vehicle because it’s so VISUAL, you have that sensation of taking off and almost levitating and it’s so open ... you can see the WHOLE WORLD in front of you.”

Sunshine Coast Helicopter Tours specialise in luxury touring and scenic adventures, with an extensive range of experiences to cater to your individual interests and budget.

VINEYARD ADVENTURE Wine tasting, morning tea, gourmet lunch, bottle of wine with lunch and bottle of wine to take home. From $990 pp

“I’m an extreme girl, I jet ski and ride fast in the bush on my horse, I’m 53 and I’m still doing it, so for me, it’s the excitement and sexiness of having a helicopter take you to venues to eat food and drink wine, but it’s also about tapping into your senses.

“You’re tapping into the taste, the flavour, and what it feels like having the breeze in your hair, you’re hearing the sounds of nature.”

Along with the elaborate and extreme experiences, they also offer more traditional scenic flights.

“I’m trying to add a bit of flavour by allowing the opportunity to land at a pub or other location, rather than just go for the flight – extending the experience without extending the cost, because once I land the helicopter, while it’s not turning a blade, it’s not costing anything. It makes the trip more enjoyable and extends the experience.”

JANET KAKE, NICOLE FUGE AND CLINTON BRISK

Along with the glitz and glamour of PROGRESSIVE HELI LUNCH being up in the helicopter, there is also the Pre-morning tea drinks, gourmet morning tea, pre-lunch wine tasting added benefit of covering so much of the and an la carte gourmet lunch at Coast in such little time; for instance, we separate locations. From $910 pp travelled from Eumundi to Montville in 15 minutes, a journey which would have taken HELICOPTER HIGH TEA 42 minutes by car.

High tea in Flaxton with all the “That’s one of the most amazing things trimmings. From $820 pp, day spa about it, one minute you can be on the upgrade available beach and the next minute you’re in the mountains,” says Clinton.

“It’s exciting getting into new territory, literally, and the local businesses have been very excited about it. I’m not reinventing the wheel, but we’re doing it with a difference – we’re not running another flying business and doing tourism on the side, tourism is first. In that regard, HELI PUB CRAWL businesses can see that we’re serious about Visit some of the most iconic watering it and we’re experienced.” holes on the Sunshine Coast. Full day With plans to also offer extended visiting five pubs From $835 pp. Half journeys to destinations including Fraser day visiting three pubs From $665 pp Island, the Granite Belt and even Kakadu, BEER WINE FOOD Clinton goes above and beyond to create Pre-lunch drinks and wine tasting, valuable experiences. three-course lunch including bottle of “We want to give you good value for wine, and bottle of vineyard wine to money, so these experiences are set up take home. From $950 pp for that. I’ve never had anyone tell me, in the 30 years of operating in the Northern ROMANTIC SUNSET GETAWAY Territory, that it’s not good value for Bath in the glow of the setting sun money.” while sipping cold drinks and enjoying a As our journey comes to a close and five star tapas platter. From $1495 for we fly back towards the Sunshine Coast 2 people, overnight upgrade available Airport, the Glasshouse Mountains to our Scenic flights across the Sunshine left and our bellies full of the best food BOOK Coast and beyond also available, and wine the region has to offer, I can DIRECT or want to choose your own certainly vouch for that.

AND adventure? The sky is the limit.

SAVE

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43

WORDS INGRID NELSON PHOTOS CULLEN COLLECTION

INCREASE YOUR

FIBRE! We all know the health benefits of fibre, so it makes sense that it’s everywhere at the new multi-billiondollar health precinct at Kawana, the only difference is that it’s in the ground!

R

esidents at the Oceanside Health Hub are reaping the rewards of fast, affordable internet, thanks to innovative telecommunications company Elypsys, who are raising the bar when it comes to supplying tenants with a state-of-the art telecommunication suite that accommodates their personal and business needs.

CEO of Elypsys, Adrian Madjeric, says they have been fortunate to work with some well respected developers on the Sunshine Coast who are receptive to the innovation that is transforming the entire process.

“The upcoming developments at the Kawana Health Hub are designed with the utmost liveability, combining lifestyle benefits with affordable living. It’s the icing on the cake for both investors and owner occupiers,” says Adrian.

ADRIAN MADJERIC AND LISA LIVINGSTONE

As the cost to developers continues to rise, there is an increased need to deliver affordable services more effectively and demonstrate value to their customers.

Working alongside other innovative companies, such as Locality Energy Planning (LEP), Empyrean Lighting and Quantify Technology, the end result is a truly intelligent building that not only provides lifestyle benefits, but cost benefits for both developers and residents.

“Empyrean has a range of LED products that result in power savings, and Quantify have developed interchangeable face plates and feature models with sensors that control everything from lighting, security, heating and the environment.

The Internet of Things is changing every imaginable method of managing services and utilities,” says Adrian.

Implementing an innovative approach to ensure they stay ahead of the competition in a fiercely competitive market is Oceanside Management, who have commissioned Elypsys to install fibre in their six tower apartments at the hub.

Three of the six apartment complexes complementing the hospital and medical precinct are now complete, with fibre either installed or being installed in these state-of-the-art apartments.

“Developers and sales and leasing agents, like Oceanside, must cater to a sophisticated market whereby buyers and tenants demand superior liveability. They

turn up with a smart shopping list of life’s necessities including reliable high speed internet, energy savings and efficiency, the essentials that complement both lifestyle and professional requirements,” says Adrian.

“Having reliable access to email, documents and cloud services is critical for shift workers, staff on call, those people who never really clock off. For those who work hard and play hard, major frustrations are experienced when the enjoyment of their multimedia is disrupted.” profilemag.com.au

“

General Manager of Oceanside Management (leasing agents for the complexes) Lisa Livingstone, says tenants nowadays expect to step into fully operational apartments including a sophisticated telecommunications suite.

“Reliable, high speed internet is at the top of the priority list for most residents, particularly at Oceanside, as up to 80 per cent of the tenants are in the medical field and reliability and consistency are key performance measures for the professionals,” says Lisa.

“The biggest benefit is that they get internet access on the day they move in.

“In fact, one of our tenants said they had him connected before the end of the phone call, he was so impressed.”

The upcoming developments at the Kawana Health Hub are designed with the utmost LIVEABILITY, combining lifestyle benefits with AFFORDABLE LIVING. It’s the icing on the cake for both investors and owner occupiers.”

With an additional three apartment complexes currently under construction at Oceanside, Lisa and Adrian are working together to ensure everything is in place when the first tenants step out of the elevators into their new homes during the first quarter of 2018.

In an age of advancing technology, Adrian says this is the benchmark that Elypsys now delivers.

“Developers at the Kawana Health Hub sought a solution that would ensure tenants were happy and free from hassle because moving home is always stressful.

“Sales and leasing agents are consistently questioned by prospective buyers and tenants regarding availability and quality of internet. Agents often receive the blame if the service does not meet residents’ expectations.

“A key objective was to bypass lengthy wait times for services and those unexpected connection charges experienced by residents in developers’ previous projects.

“Elypsys has designed and implemented a solution that has resulted in service activation times of less than five minutes from initial contact. With no hidden costs, no lengthy wait times and at a highly competitive price, customers are impressed.”

Call 1800 ELYPSYS (359 779) or visit elypsys.com.au

Fiona SIMPSON

Listening to Locals

Local Knowledge

I love living on the Sunshine Coast and feel so lucky to have grown up here, attending local schools and being involved in community life since I was a child.

I’ve heard your concerns about protecting our precious natural environment, while at the same time ensuring that our young people don’t have to move away to find jobs.

I want people to have the same opportunity to live, work and raise their families here while cherishing our region’s natural beauty.

We need appropriate, sustainable development and better infrastructure to help grow our regional economy and create local jobs.

I want to ensure the Sunshine Coast remains a friendly community that cares for our area and cares for each other.

Household budgets are being squeezed by rising electricity and water bills and I will fight for a fair go for families.

I love our community and that’s why I will keep working to Build a Better Sunshine Coast for you and your family.

Fiona SIMPSON MP LNP Member for Maroochydore

PO Box 364, Maroochydore QLD 4558 0421 200 664 info@fionasimpson.com.au fionasimpson.com.au

ADVERTISEMENT

LNP Member for Maroochydore

Delivering Results

I’m proud to have delivered some great achievements including most recently our new $1.8 billion public hospital. This is a game changer for our regional economy and has provided us with better access to health services we previously had to travel to Brisbane for.

Safety upgrades to the Sunshine Motorway have saved lives, boaties are enjoying new boat ramps at Twin Waters and Mooloolaba, our eroded beaches have been restored thanks to a permanent sandpumping pipeline at Mooloolaba Spit and 150,000 people a year use the upgraded walking track at Mt Coolum.

Standing up for the Sunshine Coast

I’m committed to putting the Sunshine Coast first.

We need not only a fairer share of the infrastructure funding pie but also a bigger pie, especially in light of recent State-wide cutbacks by the State Labor Government.

An LNP Government will introduce measures to ease cost of living pressures like freezing vehicle registration costs, support small business to grow more local jobs and keep our Sunshine Coast liveable and beautiful.

The priorities I’m fighting for: • • • •

Duplicating the railway Fixing the Bruce Highway Building the new Hospital Link Road; and Upgrading the Sunshine Motorway.

Authorised by L.Folo. 66-68 Bowen Street, Spring Hill QLD 4000.

GOURMET

LEADERS AT LUNCH

words of WORDS INGRID NELSON PHOTOS CULLEN COLLECTION

wisdom

Some of the Sunshine Coast’s brightest students were given the opportunity to learn from our local leaders at a special lunch hosted by Profile Magazine. We share some words of wisdom that were handed down from one generation to the next.

W

ith so many career opportunities on offer and a plethora of different pathways to reach their goals, there has never been a more exciting time for our youth. We are so fortunate to have a wide range of innovative schools here on the Sunshine Coast, who are helping to shape the minds of our future, many of whom will go on to become leaders in our community.

I was super impressed at the calibre of young people who attended our lunch at the Boatshed in Cotton Tree recently. All school captains, it was not hard to see why these young people were chosen to represent their colleges.

Partnered with some of the most influential business men and women from different sectors including politics, hospitality, real estate and retail, each student was given the opportunity to chat with their mentor over an informal lunch where they gained a valuable insight into what it takes to be a leader.

There is no doubt, with these upstanding young people about to make their mark in our community and beyond, our future is in safe hands.

WORDS OF WISDOM STUDENT: ANGUS RAFTER Immanuel Lutheran College

MENTOR: JOHN EASTHAM

CEO Cricks Auto Group • Do not underestimate the value of hard work.

• There are always multiple pathways to get where you want to be.

• Good teamwork and getting everyone on the same page is of the utmost importance.

STUDENT: AIDAN COUSINS

Matthew Flinders Anglican College

MENTOR: CHRIS SALES

Founder Luxe Commercial Sunshine Coast • Balance is trial and error.

• Be passionate about what you do.

• Life is all about learning.

STUDENT: SARAH WRIGLEY

“

48

St Andrews College

Follow your passion and it will never feel like work.”

- INGRID NELSON

profilemagazine

MENTOR: ROZ WHITE

Owner White’s IGA • You need to understand people to be able to motivate them.

• Success rides on passion.

• Submerse yourself in opportunities, you never know where it might lead.

GOURMET STUDENT: JORDAN KNIGHT

STUDENT: OLIVIA MCCLUSKEY

MENTOR: BILL DARBY

MENTOR: GRANT SMITH

Kawana Waters State College

Co-owner and General Manager Rumba Resort, Caloundra • Take action, stand up for what you believe in and make change.

• Stay true to yourself.

• The success of a person is measured by their contribution to the community and others.

Pacific Lutheran College

Owner Century 21 Buderim • It’s easier to succeed in business when you are passionate about what you are doing.

• Being successful doesn’t necessarily mean going to university, there are lots of different pathways.

• Always operate with honesty, integrity and put family first.

STUDENT: ZARSHA MERLO

STUDENT: CONNOR CREEVY

MENTOR: NITA CHILDS

MENTOR: MARK PADDENBURG

Sunshine Coast Grammar School CEO What the Fox Creative • Have vision and empathy and lead from beside and behind your team.

• If you learn from everything you will never fail.

• Good staff are vital for business success.

STUDENT: EMMA LANDRO

Mountain Creek State High School

CEO Sunshine Coast Innovation Centre • If there is an opportunity given, take it, always say yes and explore.

• Trust your gut, back yourself and dream big, but seek realistic goals.

• Never get compliant, always be ready for the next opportunity.

Chancellor State College

STUDENT: CAITLYN BRIGGS

Sunshine Coast Council Mayor • Take every opportunity offered to you.

• Do not let others or past failed experiences change your enthusiasm towards a decision.

• First impressions count. Maintaining eye contact is crucial when meeting someone for the first time or when having conversations with others. It shows you are confident and builds respect for the other person so they can trust and be honest with you.

MENTOR: TED O’BRIEN

MENTOR: COUNCILLOR MARK JAMIESON

STUDENT LEADERS WITH THEIR MENTORS

Suncoast Christian College

Member for Fairfax • Be humble enough to know your strengths and weaknesses.

• Be the best version of yourself and find an anchor to who you really are.

• Don’t compromise your values.

STUDENT: JOSIAH BUDGEN Nambour Christian College

MENTOR: INGRID NELSON

Editor-in-Chief Profile Magazine • Experience is the best teacher.

• Seek mentors who are where you want to be and learn from them.

• Follow your passion and it will never feel like work.

PIPPA COLMAN & ASSOCIATES LAW PRACTICE PTY LTD

MEDIATION – IS IT RIGHT FOR YOU? SARAH QUILLIAM | DIRECTOR OF PIPPA COLMAN & ASSOCIATES

Parenting and property disputes can put families under financial and emotional pressure. It can be difficult for separated couples to negotiate with each other directly and ventilate issues they have. Sometimes, people need to have a safe, calm environment to discuss the matters affecting them.

M

ediation is a cost effective method for resolving family breakdowns and separation without the intervention of the courts. Mediators are highly trained professionals who are impartial and don’t take sides, mediation is also privileged i.e. nothing you say during mediation can be used in court or shared with anyone (with some limited exceptions).

Mediators do not give advice or pass judgement. Instead, they guide you through a structured process allowing both parties to speak and be heard, while keeping the discussion flowing so you can find your own solutions.

The types of things mediation can resolve include a parenting plan, child support, financial arrangements and property settlement without going to court.

Working with a professionally trained mediator assists in identifying major issues, and endeavoring to find mutually beneficial resolutions. Mediation can save you time, legal fees and court costs as well as possibly retain an amicable relationship moving forward. When you are co-parenting young children, it helps if you can both work together with the children’s best interests at heart.

Agreements reached at mediation are not automatically binding on the parties, but can be made binding if agreed and documented by a Binding Child Support Agreement, Consent Orders, Binding Financial Agreement or a combination.

Mediation may not be appropriate if a dispute involves violence that renders one party unable to negotiate freely because of another’s threats.

Talk to the mediator or your solicitor if you have concerns. To minimise the confrontation, it is not unusual to ask for separate rooms for the mediation session. During the mediation process, you are allowed to obtain legal advice at any stage to ensure you are making an informed decision. You might have a solicitor attend mediation with you.

“

Working with a professionally trained mediator assists in identifying major issues, and endeavoring to find mutually BENEFICIAL RESOLUTIONS.”

For parenting matters, it is compulsory to attend mediation (with some limited exceptions) to show to the court that you have attempted to resolve your issue.

We suggest that you consider mediation as your first course of action when faced with the breakdown of a family. Your solicitor can talk you through the process and ascertain what is best for you and your family.

WE WILL BE CONDUCTING A FREE INFORMATION SEMINAR ON THIS TOPIC THIS MONTH. DETAILS CAN BE FOUND AT PIPPACOLMAN.COM.

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This boutique townhouse project will provide spacious living and quality finishes.

O N LY 9KM TO BRISBANE CBD

FOR YOUR FREE INFORMATION PACK CALL 07 5451 1080 www.thinkinvestmentrealty.com.au

SUBURB PROFILE

CHERMSIDE WEST

Situated next to 129ha of the Chermside Hills Reserve

Chermside is a highly regarded, vibrant and progressive suburb in Brisbane’s inner North.

Just 9kms North of the CBD, home to the North Brisbane Bus Interchange, adjoining the main arterial road and close to the entrance of the M7 Airport Link tunnel, Chermside is an extremely well connected suburb.

CITY CONVENIENCE M E E T S N AT U R A L R E T R E AT 800M

S U PERMARK E T

1.8KM

STATE SCHOOL

1.8KM

S TATE HI GH SCHOOL

3 KMS

PRI NCE CHARLES HOSPITA L

3.5KMS

HOLY SPI RI T NOR THSI DE

3.5KM S

WESTFI ELD CHERMSI DE

5.5KM

TR AI N STATI ON

6.9KM

KEPERR A GOLF CLU B

9 KMS

B RI SB ANE CB D

16 KM S

BRI SB ANE AI RPOR T

Officially recognised by the State Government as a key hub in Brisbane’s burgeoning sprawl, it’s not surprising that the Chermside area has been afforded the title “Principle Activity Centre” with the Government’s vision to create an alternative central location outside the existing CBD. With this important designation comes a focused approach from Government, which equals more infrastructure spending, job creation and public amenity to be prioritised to further enhance the area.

Chermside has some impressive statistics that make it a standout for long term property investors. One outstanding fact is that there are more jobs within the suburb of Chermside than the current resident population and the Government estimates a further 5,000 jobs to come. Well known as the largest retail shopping centre in Queensland, which has just completed a further expansion boasting an enormous 400-plus retailers and over 14 million customer visits per year, Chermside also provides in excess of 4,000 medical jobs across The Holy Spirit Northside and The Prince Charles hospitals. In addition to these obvious employment nodes are the raft of Government services including the ATO regional office based in the Chermside centre.

As well as being a major employment hub, Chermside excels for its livability; well serviced by schools and educational centers along with endless parks, reserves and recreational facilities which all contribute to attracting and retaining a growing community of astute urban dwellers.

FOR YOUR FREE INFORMATION PACK CALL 07 5451 1080 www.thinkinvestmentrealty.com.au

EVERYTHING ON YOUR DOORSTEP

INCLUSIONS & F E AT U R E S

Chermside West is a well-established, sought after residential area offering residents easy access to schools, childcare, parks, shopping, transport and public and private hospitals whilst being only 9km from Brisbane’s thriving CBD.

• Residents recreation hut and gymnasium

Extensive infrastructure, facilities and everything you need is right on your doorstep.

“ A L I F E S T Y L E T H AT L E T S YOU ENJOY THE BEAUT Y O F N AT U R E A N D T H E C R E AT U R E C O M F O R T S O F M O D E R N L I V I N G .”

• Views of the reserve • Generous outdoor living areas • 3 & 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, 2 car garages, ensuite and mirror sliding wardrobes • Air conditioned Fujitsu ducted 7kw • 2550mm high ceilings • Porcelain tiles • Delonghi 60cm stainless steel dishwasher • Stone benchtops in kitchens and bathrooms

H I G H LY DESIRED 2 CAR PA R K I N G

• Roller blinds • Landscaping • Low maintenance courtyard • Under cover alfresco with fan and downlights

For your free information pack CALL 07 5451 1080 www.thinkinvestmentrealty.com.au

STYLE

KATIE STRIPED BANDEAU BOW BACK JUMPSUIT, RRP $40. BOOHOO.COM

ALICE RUFFLE SLEEVE FLORAL BLOUSE, RRP $36.

BOOHOO.COM

ELLIE WOVEN COLD SHOULDER STRIPE TOP, RRP $32. BOOHOO.COM

FANCY A FLORAL

SAY IT WITH STRIPES

I can hear Miranda Priestly’s famous words, “Florals? For spring? Ground-breaking”. She might be right, however it just wouldn’t feel like spring without a touch of floral in your closet.

GARDEN FLORAL MIDI DRESS, RRP $109.95.

SPORTSGIRL.COM.AU

The classic stripe is a timeless trend. Make a statement in a jumpsuit or top and let the stripes do the talking!

THE style EDIT

season SORTED JOHANNA JENSEN-BROWN

PROFILE STYLE EDITOR

OFF SHOULDER FLUTTER DRESS, RRP $159.95. WITCHERY.COM.AU

Say hello to spring/summer! This season we will see a mix of prints, embroidery and effortlessly cool dresses. From flirty florals to gingham checks, it’s all about adding prints and colour to your wardrobe.

GIMME GINGHAM Add this checkered print to your wardrobe for an instant update. Go bold in an all-in-one jumpsuit, or if that’s too daring, try a sweet pair of shorts.

BERRY TIERED TASSEL EARRINGS, RRP $16.95.

SPORTSGIRL.COM.AU

JENNA GINGHAM RUFFLE HEM SMOCK DRESS, RRP $30.

BOOHOO.COM

COUNT ON CRIMSON MINI CHECK CUFFED SHORT, RRP $79.95.

SPORTSGIRL.COM.AU

november 2017

Red is this season’s trending colour, perfect for the festive season.

There’s a shade to suit everyone – from bright coral to deep burgundy. profilemagazine

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IF YOU’VE HAD BREAST CANCER WE CAN HELP!

CONFIDENT CHRISTMAS

WE WANT TO HELP YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE IN YOUR CLOTHES. Tracey G Prosthetics is a one stop shop having the largest range of prosthesis, lingerie and mastectomy apparel available.

BOOK NOW 0400 400 982

We have trained fitters who ensure your comfort is achieved first time.

BIRTHDAY WEEK SALE

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2MLS DERMAL FILLER & ONE AREA OF ANTI WRINKLE TREATMENT

One lucky shopper will win a $100 gift voucher and Amoena will donate $500 to a local breast cancer charity on the winners behalf^ *T&C’s on available on our website

TERMS & CONDITIONS APPLY

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mdcosmeticsandskin.com.au 07 5452 5720 M: 0400 400 982

9 FIRST AVENUE, MAROOCHYDORE • 0466 828 144 451 CORONATION DRIVE, AUCHENFLOWER • 0466 828 143 WWW.TRACEYG.COM

l ë o N x u e Joy

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laclinique.com.au P: 07 5373 7576 | E: info@laclinique.com.au Brightwater Retail Centre Shop 3B, Attenuata Drive, Mountain Creek QLD 56

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GIFT VOUCHERS AVAILABLE

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stylish interiors

summer style

COCO PRINT 800 X 1120 RRP $690, AVAILABLE AT VOGELHAUS KEDRON, VOGELHAUS.COM.AU, 3359 3952

FATE + BECKER ETENIA OFF SHOULDER BLOUSE RRP $119.95 AND FATE + BECKER CAYMAN DROP CROTCH PANT RRP $109.95, AVAILABLE AT INDACO ROSE BOUTIQUE, INDACOROSE.COM.AU, 5437 7530

best foot forward THE SUPERGA 2790-COTROPEW RRP $99.95, AVAILABLE AT SHOPBOP.COM

arm candy NIXON THE ARROW LIGHT WATCH RRP $319.99, AVAILABLE AT NIXON.COM.AU

christmas gift guide FOR HER

You can’t go wrong with these stylish and classic gifts for the lady in your life. holiday ready ADRIFT JULIA KAFTAN IN ANIMAL PRINT RRP $84.99, AVAILABLE AT INDACO ROSE BOUTIQUE, INDACOROSE.COM.AU, 5437 7530

scent of the season SALUS CANDLES IN A VARIETY OF FRAGRANCES RRP $39, AVAILABLE AT VOGELHAUS KEDRON, VOGELHAUS.COM.AU, 3359 3952

essential beauty GHD DELUXE NOCTURNE GIFT SET, RRP $360 (SAVING OF $120), AVAILABLE AT UPTOWN HAIR STUDIO, UPTOWNHAIR.COM.AU, 5441 2420

november 2017

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FURNITURE • GIFTWARE • HOMEWARE • FASHION

CLASSICAL + MODERN STYLES MEET AT VOGELHAUS 311 - 319 GYMPIE ROAD, KEDRON 4031 CALL US ON 3359 3952 • IN HOUSE STYLISTS OPEN 7 DAYS • ON STREET PARKING WWW.VOGELHAUS.COM.AU

kicking goals DAVID BECKHAM RESPECT EAU DE TOILETTE 90ML SPRAY RRP $49, AVAILABLE AT CHEMIST WAREHOUSE

wearable art AWARD-WINNING SUNSHINE COAST PHOTOGRAPHER, ROBYN HILLS, HAS CREATED THIS RANGE OF AUSTRALIAN MADE NECKTIES AND POCKET SQUARES FEATURING STUNNING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY. POCKET SQUARES FROM $27.95 AND NECKTIES FROM $39.95, AVAILABLE AT NECKTIESANDSCARVES.COM, 5493 4455

time for style NIXON THE AMBASSADOR ALL BLACK WATCH RRP $479.99, AVAILABLE AT NIXON.COM.AU

christmas gift guide

dapper gent CLASSIC CUFF LINK SILVER RRP $19.99, AVAILABLE AT TAROCASH

FOR HIM

Treat the special man in your life with the latest in fashion and gadgets for a very sophisticated Christmas. if the shoe fits TAROCASH BOURBON LACE UP SHOE RRP $159.99, AVAILABLE AT TAROCASH

for the coffee fanatic FRANK GREEN 12 OZ TITANIUM COOL GREY COFFEE CUP RRP $34.95, AVAILABLE AT GENERAL PANTS

tech heads REVERB HEADPHONE RRP $39.95, AVAILABLE AT TYPO

NEW SKIN IN 5 DAYS!

Herbal Aktiv Peel is a natural corrective treatment giving long lasting results with noticeably tighter, revitalised and refreshed skin.

SAVE IN NOVEMBER Herbal Aktiv Peel $550 Normally $699 saving $149

Mini Herbal Peel $99 Normally $185 saving $86

*Offer valid until November 30th 2017*

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE GREAT OFFERS

www.heidisbodyandskincare.com

Phone 07 5474 4522 • Suite 13, Level 1, Cooloola Centre 97 Poinciana Ave Tewantin 4565

the perfect Christmas

Celebrating 10 years home • body • living 60

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Shop 2, 1 Maple Street, Maleny • Open 7 days Phone (07) 5494 3636 • www.giddyandgrace.com

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the gift of flight GIVE SOMEONE A MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE THIS SUMMER: A FLYING LESSON OVER THE SPECTACULAR SUNSHINE COAST, MORETON BAY AND GLASSHOUSE MOUNTAINS. THE LESSON INCLUDES FREE HD FOOTAGE OF THE FLIGHT. DOWNLOAD A GIFT VOUCHER FROM GOFLYAVIATION.COM.AU, 1800 707 433

pooltime fun SUNNYLIFE KIDDY FLOAT UNICORN RRP $34.95, AVAILABLE AT SUNNYLIFE.COM.AU

snapshot of summer NIKON THE W100 FAMILY PACK RRP $249, AVAILABLE AT JB HI-FI

for the furry family member SMALL DOG BANDANA IN RED PAISLEY, RRP $10.95, AVAILABLE MRANDMRSJONES.COM.AU

christmas gift guide

F O R T H E F A M I LY

for the little ones PAPPE CHIPPER JEAN RRP $84.95, PUTNEY LUXE ORGANIC T-SHIRT RRP $34.95, AVAILABLE AT PAPPE.COM.AU

This festive season spoil your nearest and dearest with a summer they’ll never forget. start a tradition ELF ON THE SHELF RRP $69.99, AVAILABLE AT MYER AND DYMOCKS

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KAWANA FAMILY CLINIC

OPEN 7 DAYS • BULK BILLING (available) SERVICES AVAILABLE AT KAWANA FAMILY CLINIC

• Aged care • Family medical care • Antenatal care • Men’s health • Women’s health • Minor procedures • Check-ups

• Vaccinations • Asthma management • Health assessments • Diabetes management • Pre-employment medicals • Full skin checks • Chronic disease management

Phone 5444 1211 BOOK ONLINE 24HRS www.kawanafamilyclinic.com.au NEW PATIENTS WELCOME

KAWANA SHOPPINGWORLD

Cnr Point Cartwright Drive & Nicklin Way, Buddina Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm Saturday from 8:30am • Sunday from 10am

ly.

Noosa on rnwood club lid at Fe Contact *Offer va itions apply. nd Some co t of terms. se for a full

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HEALTH

What is Zostovax and why do we need it?

ASK OUR

HEALTH

SHINGLES PREVENTION

EXPERTS

With Sue Rohl

I’m 43 and was diagnosed with cancer three years ago. I’m grateful that treatment has been successful, but sex has become painful and my relationship is suffering. What can I do?

VAGINAL ATROPHY With Dr Beverley Powell

Many cancer treatments will cause early ovarian failure in women, and the resulting hormone deficiency can cause many disabling symptoms.

One of these is vaginal atrophy which causes the ‘Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause’. The skin of the genital area becomes thin and fragile, loses elasticity and doesn’t produce normal lubrication anymore. Symptoms include vaginal dryness, itching or irritation, painful intercourse and abnormal discharge. About half of all menopausal women will suffer these problems.

The simplest measures are to use vaginal moisturisers to help provide short term relief, and use a good silicon-based lubricant during intercourse. Another option is to replace the hormones which keep the vagina healthy, either systemically or via local application.

Some cancers are hormone dependent and this option must be discussed with your cancer doctors. november 2017

A newer non-pharmacological option is to use fractionated CO2 laser treatments on the vagina.

Published ‘MonaLisa Touch’ studies have confirmed significant symptom improvements and safety.

It consists of a series of outpatient treatments and a ‘top up’ treatment every year or so. The laser energy is delivered via a probe to the genital skin to stimulate cells deep in the skin to release growth factors.

This results in increased collagen and elastin production, and new blood vessel growth. This helps to improve elasticity and lubrication, while reducing discomfort. The treatments take only a few minutes in your gynaecologist’s office, and while they might be slightly uncomfortable, it settles within 24 hours or so.

Talk to your doctor to find out more about vaginal atrophy and MonaLisa Touch.

SUNSHINE GYNAECOLOGY sunshinegynaecology.com.au Phone: 5479 3033 Argyle on the Park, Suite 4/31 Cotton Tree Pde, Cotton Tree

Zostovax is a vaccine for adults 50 years of age or older that prevents shingles. It contains a weakened chickenpox virus and works by helping your immune system to protect you from shingles.

One-in-three people will develop shingles in their lifetime and 97 per cent of adults carry the virus that causes it.

“

One-in-three people will develop SHINGLES in their lifetime and 97 per cent of ADULTS carry the virus that causes it.”

There is no way to predict who will get shingles, when it will present and how severe it will be.

Shingles, also known as Herpes Zoster, is a painful skin rash and is caused by the reactivation of the same virus that causes chickenpox.

It is painful acute inflammation of the nerve ganglia, with a skin eruption often forming a girdle around the middle of the body, but can affect the face, eyes, mouth and ears. The infected skin hurts and this may happen prior to the appearance of the rash. There may be tingling, numbness and itching one-to-five days after the rash appears. The rash begins as red blotches and develops into itchy fluid-filled blisters. Other symptoms can include fever, headache, malaise, nausea, muscle pain and weakness, chills, fatigue and swollen glands.

Zostavax may not protect all people who receive the vaccine. If you still develop shingles, Zostavax has been shown to help reduce the intensity and pain from the shingles. The vaccine is free for adults between the age of 70 and 79.

KAWANA FAMILY CLINIC kawanafamilyclinic.com.au Phone: 5444 1211 Kawana Shopping World, Nicklin Way, Buddina profilemagazine

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good

A

SPORT

WORDS CAITLYN SPANNER PHOTOS CULLEN COLLECTION

Don’t let her small stature and humble nature fool you, Melissa Russell is as driven as they come. With her infectious smile, quick wit and down to earth personality, Mel was destined for journalism from a young age.

“M

y dad always laughed because I was tossing up whether to do journalism or law.

He used to say to me, ‘You always love winning an argument, so you’d probably make a great lawyer’,” she laughs. Lucky for the Sunshine Coast, Mel went down the journalism path and has recently started her role as the regional sports presenter for six regions in Queensland.

“In Year 12 I got the opportunity in English to write my own novel and I think that idea really enticed me to get into journalism,” she says.

“But funnily I look back and it probably started a lot longer before that. We as a family sat around the table and always watched the news every single night. We had to do a project [in Year Seven] and I decided to do it in a format of a news presentation. So I guess it was a deeprooted thing, but it definitely came to me in Year 12 when I went, ‘This is really what I want to do’.”

Before taking on her current role as a sports reporter for WIN News, Mel was working as a journalist in the Wollongong news office for six years. She then moved into the position of chief of staff.

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“Throughout that time I was presenting all of the All Australian News, and I’d also do back up sports presenting in Wollongong, Wagga, Orange and Canberra.

“But having that experience on the ground and having the opportunity to be out and chatting to people and telling their stories was always my focus. Then I got a chance to mentor young journos, which I loved. And this, I guess, is the next step in terms of being able to present.”

The Wollongong-based local says she has to pinch herself most days, and loves the opportunity to work alongside a great team. However, she admits when the pressure is on, it’s really on.

“I think people underestimate what goes into putting together a 30-minute bulletin every single day. Shows take weeks and months to put together and we do it and turn it around everyday.”

Mel is extremely passionate about the Sunshine Coast and the other five regional markets that she presents in (Toowoomba, Central Queensland (Rockhampton), Cairns, Townsville and Wide Bay.) She speaks so highly of her team at WIN News who are on the ground day in and day out, and humbly describes herself as the

“

In Year 12 I got the opportunity in English to WRITE my own novel and I think that idea really ENTICED me to get into journalism.”

mouthpiece for all of their hard work.

Mel says WIN News has a long-term commitment to local news on the Sunshine Coast and across Queensland, which is reflected in the fact that they have more reporters and camera operators in the field than competing news services.

When we spoke to Mel, the Lightning had just won the inaugural Super Netball premiership, the Falcons were about to go into the grand final of the Intrust Super Cup for rugby league and the Cowboys were a couple of weeks out from the NRL grand final.

“What an incredible opportunity to be able to be a sports presenter in such an amazing market. And I’ve come in at such a good time,” she says excitedly.

The sports-mad presenter says she loves league and played a lot of different sports growing up, but it’s triathlons and surf life profilemag.com.au

PHOTO BY FINISHERPIX

LIFE

MELISSA RUSSELL

saving that take the cake as her favourite sports to follow.

“Probably about four or five years ago I took up triathlons and that’s been my real passion since then. And I did the Port Macquarie Ironman in 2015, so that was the really big bucket list item I could tick off. I’m not elite by any stretch of the imagination, but for me being able to do that race was a really big achievement and I’ve gone on to do a couple more halfmarathons since then, so it’s been fun,” she says.

Mel is also a proud supporter of her husband Rhett who is quite the athlete when it comes to Ironman events.

“For the first five years of our relationship I spent most weekends at

the beach for surf carnivals and did the annual trip to Aussies. It’s given me a real appreciation for the effort and hard work that comes with the sport. Rhett trained with Coolangatta Gold winner Ali Day and Josh Minogue in his younger years, along with Hayden White, Wes Berg and when he was younger was coached by the late Dean Mercer. We both have made lifelong friends from the sport, many of whom came to our wedding. We both find ourselves keeping a close eye on the sport.”

Grassroots sport is also a passion of Mel’s and she says that’s the benefit of working in regional areas.

“We have some segments where we get to meet the young up and coming sporting stars. And that’s the real difference that sets

“

november 2017

We have some segments where we just get to meet the YOUNG up and coming sporting STARS. And that’s the real difference that sets us apart in terms of regional news, we get to see them from when they were seven or eight years old.”

us apart in terms of regional news, we get to see them from when they were seven or eight years old,” she says.

When it comes to working as a female sports journalist in a traditionally maledominated industry, Mel is certain that the stigma is lifting. She says there is a certain assumption in the industry that you have to have been a celebrated sports star to become a sports journalist. But Mel’s professionalism and passion for the job proves that this isn’t the case.

“It shouldn’t be that way. We’ve all done a journalism degree and we have a passion for sport and that should be enough really.”

Mel works with a group of highly skilled female journalists on the Coast, including other WIN News reporters, Kristina Prentoska, Hayley Francis, Hayley Wright and Sam Okely. They are passionate about removing the stigma and all agree that the industry is moving forward.

“It would be nice to think that one day it’s not an unusual thing and people don’t question it or say, ‘That’s an all female panel’. I don’t feel uncomfortable talking about it because the more you talk about it the more you normalise it.”

This larger than life presenter is sure to inspire a lot of young journalists out there, male and female, to pursue their passions – this one included. Moving forward, Mel says she hopes to get up to the Sunshine Coast as much as possible to support the well-known teams and cover grassroots sport in our region. We can’t wait to see more of this familiar face on our TV screens.

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GOAL SETTING FOR 2018 BUSINESS

IT’S TIME TO SET YOUR BUSINESS GOALS FOR 2018 – AND THE FORWARD THINKING FOXES ARE HERE TO LEND A PAW!

You need to know where you are going before you can ever expect to get there.

If you don’t know where you’re going then you’re probably going nowhere.

Whether your business is just starting out or is well established, it’s crucial to know what you are working towards and regularly check that you and your team are headed in the right direction.

The beginning of the new calendar year is the perfect time to reflect on past performance and set new targets for the year ahead.

What’s been working for you and what hasn’t? It’s time to reconfigure your strategy, get focused and smash those goals!

Having the right mindset is THE most important skill in owning a business.

Yet mindset is a choice. You can choose to be as happy or depressed or as excited as you decide to be. In business, a positive attitude has benefits in at least three major areas; firstly yourself, secondly your staff and thirdly your customers.

5443 7747 info@whatthefox.com.au | 23 George St Maroochydore Q 4558

So, you’ve heard all about the law of attraction, you even have a [slightly outdated] vision board... but how does setting clear and achievable goals create the right mindset to actually grow your business?

You spend most of your life (or it seems like it) working in your business. If you are motivated and positive, you will always find ways to enjoy it more each day. You will approach everything with an ‘opportunity’ mindset and not a ‘missing out’ mindset.

I guarantee you will make better decisions.

The right mindset will ensure that you attract and retain the best staff. Your staff will also be more inclined to bring problems, mistakes and issues to you if you have a positive can do/can fix attitude.

Thirdly, you will attract the right customers.

Happy clients lead to more client referrals and positive feedback into the community, and this in turn generates more business and attracts more of the ‘perfect’ client.

Of course the right mindset also includes having a positive look to the future, setting goals for you and your business, igniting team spirit and providing inspired leadership.

To know where you are going before you get there. It all starts with setting your goals:

GOALS FOR

1. SHAPE YOUR MINDSET WITH VISION AND GOALS A proactive approach to building mindset is to see where you want to go. Having a vision and seeing your result clearly in your mind’s eye, creates a strong pull towards the result. Then break your vision into goals.

It will shape your mindset to conform to your vision.

2. GET THE BEST INFORMATION ONLY I find that there is more information available than needed, especially on the internet. You have to narrow down the information input to the very best and the most effective. One of the most critical personal skills today is not just to find information, but to select the best information and avoid the rest.

3. ROLE MODEL THE BEST PEOPLE Look for the best people in your field and try to model what they did right. Adopt their kind of thinking and mindset.

BUSINESS WORKSHOP

9AM – 12PM, THURS 30th NOVEMBER In this half-day workshop we’ll teach you: November’s Marketing Workshop is all about goal setting. Get some clarity around what is most important for your business as you prepare for a new financial year. The most successful entrepreneurs have a focused vision and this workshop will help you to find yours.

Learn about:

+ Goal Mapping + Visualisation Techniques + Turning Goals into Marketing Objectives

4. EXAMINE YOUR CURRENT BELIEFS

+ Reviewing you current brand and

Examine your mindset by looking at your current belief system. Are these beliefs supporting you or are they self-limiting?

Identify blocks and turn them around.

Because whether you know about limiting beliefs or not, they are working in your subconscious mind.

WHERE?

5. PROTECT YOUR MINDSET You have to protect your mindset against the naysayers and people who want to drag you down. Keeping your confidence is a big thing. So stay on the right path, look to improve yourself and help others along the way. Remember, anything is possible when you set goals and create the right mindset.

CALL US NOW ON 5443 7747 TO BOOK YOUR FREE 60-MINUTE STRATEGY SESSION WITH A FOX

marketing collateral to identify areas of improvement for 2018

Maroochydore RSL, Memorial Drive, Maroochydore

COST? $25 Early Bird Special (must book by 23 November) $49 Full Price (if booked after 23 November)

TO BOOK Seats are limited so be quick.

Head to whatthefox.com.au or call us on 07 5443 7747 to register. See you there!

Dining at The Alex Surf Club

Situated right on Alexandra Headland Beach with absolute beachfront views

Our iconic dining and events venue is perfectly positioned with coastal views stretching from Noosa to Moreton Island. Join us 7-days for lunch and dinner, or our Famous High Tea. 313 Flaxton Drive, Flaxton

Beachside Kiosk

BOOKINGS 07 5445 7450

www.flaxtongardens.com.au

Quality and unique gifts using genuine regional fare by artisan producers from the Sunshine Coast and surrounds

Australia wide delivery available

open 7 days from 7am to 2pm breakfast - lunch - coffee - cold drinks

Bluff Bar & Function Room

open fri 12 - late sat & sun 10am-late function enquiries welcome functions@alexsurfclub.com.au

The Lookout Bistro & Cafe lunch 12 - 2pm mon - sun dinner 5.30 - 8pm sun - thurs 5.30 - 9pm fri - sat cafe open 7 days 10am - 9pm

Bar & Gaming

self serve TAB - 131 gaming machines keno - barista made coffee

Corporate orders are our speciality.!

E: info@dliciousgourmethampers.com P: 0406 670 952 www.dliciousgourmethampers.com 68

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p 07 5443 6677 w alexsurfclub.com.au e functions@alexsurfclub.com.au a 167 Alexandra Parade, Alexandra Headland, QLD, 4572

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GOURMET

THE

gourmet EDIT

Are you a food-preneur?

After a successful inaugural program in 2017, applications have opened for the 2018 Grow Coastal Program. Grow Coastal is the Sunshine Coast’s first food accelerator program, offering 12 businesses the chance to take part in the three-month program. An information session will be held on 7 November at the Innovation Centre. Applications close 24 November and the program will start 17 April, 2018. For more information, visit innovationcentre.com.au/growcoastal/

NICOLE FUGE PROFILE GOURMET EDITOR

QUEEN BEE It takes 500 honey bees four weeks to make one kilogram of honey, and they will travel the equivalent of three orbits of the earth in distance to collect it. Bees need to eat seven kilograms of nectar to produce just one kilogram of beeswax.

LICK ’EMS MAKES 15 CAT OR DOG TREATS

• 2 cups natural yoghurt • 1 tbsp natural peanut butter • 2 small ripe bananas, peeled and roughly chopped

Foodie fur babies

As the proud mum to two fur babies, I can attest to their importance in our lives, and it seems I’m not alone, with pets living in 62 per cent of homes nationwide. This month, bestselling 4 Ingredients author Kim McCosker is releasing Pet Cookbook (RRP $29.99), containing recipes for dogs, cats, birds, chickens and even guinea pigs! All recipes are human grade and allergy aware, and the book also contains information on what foods are toxic to pets, especially dogs and cats.

Blend all ingredients together into a puree. Pour into ice cube trays or icy pole moulds and freeze until firm. Can be kept in freezer for up to two weeks.

If you are going to feed your dog yoghurt, make sure he or she is not lactose intolerant and when choosing, pick one that has live active bacteria and no added sugars or artificial sweeteners (aspartame and sucralose can pose mild side effects to your dog, such as an upset tummy, while xylitol has toxic consequences if consumed by a dog). Active bacteria may act as probiotics and, just as they are in humans, probiotics are good for the gut flora of our dogs.

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GOURMET WORDS CAITLYN SPANNER PHOTOS BLISS PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEAH

perfect blend THE

When Brendan Collins took over the management of his parent’s farm in the picturesque town of Bellthorpe, never in his wildest dreams did he imagine he’d end up producing Australia’s best tea.

BRENDAN, KRISTIE AND BABY LACHLAN

D

escribing the last 10 years as a serendipitous experience, Brendan Collins reminisces on how it all started. After trying his hand at IT and environmental science at university, he discovered he wanted a more practical career.

In 2007 he returned home from a trip overseas to find that his parents, Darryl and Lorraine Collins required a new manager at their forestry farm in Bellthorpe. Although he didn’t finish his degree in environmental science, it had sparked an interest in planting and growing trees.

“I jumped at the chance to come up here and look after the place,” Brendan says, adding that working on the property was the education he hoped to get out of the degree.

“It wasn’t exactly a hugely productive property then, a lot of trees had been planted but the nature of growing forestry is very long term. We had planted a little block of avocados, so my role in coming up here was either expanding on what we were already doing or finding something new that we could do to fill in that short term goal.”

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Brendan says the whole farm has always been a bit of an experiment. They trialled different types of produce, from ginger to garlic, but it wasn't until he stumbled on tea that he realised he was onto something.

“My mother and sister have always been very big tea drinkers and so it was a good idea to be able to keep them in supply at least,” he laughs.

Brendan quickly discovered there weren’t too many tea farmers in Australia, which had its pros and cons. He knew they could fill a gap in the market, but they were also going in completely blind.

Not one to back away from a challenge, Brendan decided to give it a go.

“It was something new, and it was something novel. And we really had the ability to do everything ourselves here on the property,” he says.

After planting their first crop, Brendan and Darryl headed to China to purchase machinery, where they were almost laughed out of the country.

“We found out that we were doing everything the wrong way,” he explains, “We already had tea in the ground, which was a totally different type of tea to what they would use. And then we were turning it into a product that it had never been turned into before, so there were a few heads shaking around the table.” profilemag.com.au

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Brendan didn’t let the skepticism ruin his plans. He had done his research and knew what the Australian market was missing.

“It just meant that we were doing something new really. So the tea varieties that we are growing are from Japan, which are meant for Japanese green tea, whereas we don’t want to make Japanese green tea, it’s not what we like and we didn’t think the Australian taste really was after that either.”

In 2014 Brendan, his partner Kristie, and his parents hopped on a plane to Taiwan to learn more about producing tea. They travelled through tea growing regions, visiting farms and learning from the farmers.

After years of research and planning, the result is Japanese tea varieties grown on Queensland soil using Taiwanese processing and Chinese machinery. The mix proved to be just right, and saw their business, Arakai Estate awarded at the 2015 tea expo in Geelong.

“We didn’t even go to the awards night. We didn’t think we had a chance, to be honest. We went out for dinner and had fish and chips,” he laughs.

They found out the next day that they had taken out almost all of the Australian awards for green and black tea and won the overall green tea award.

They’ve been on an upward trajectory since, winning the same awards again at the most recent Melbourne tea expo.

Perfecting their processing every day, Brendan says he hopes to also go on to produce tea blends, but in the meantime he’s loving every moment working alongside his family and producing amazing, award-winning tea in stunning surroundings.

Christmas MENU

CANAPES TO START Peeled fresh Mooloolaba king prawns, spiced cocktail sauce – 5pp Duck, chive and cranberry arancini, preserved lemon mayonnaise – 2pp Shredded pork rillettes, baguette, spiced apple relish

TO FOLLOW Smoked chicken breast salad, mango, roasted red onions, cherry tomatoes, sprouts, mixed leaves, mango dressing GF Roasted pork belly, rosemary roasted baby potatoes, honey and caraway carrots, port and mustard gravy – sauce is not GF * Collection from my commercial kitchen in Woombye on Christmas Eve. Delivery can be arranged for an additional cost.

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GOURMET

PROFILE

THE LOCAL

TOUCH WORDS CAITLYN SPANNER PHOTOS CULLEN COLLECTION

AMANDA HIBBERT

Boasting a background in health and having lived in a toxic free household for 16 years, Amanda Hibbert is proud to introduce her customers to a healthier way of life – not only in what we’re putting on our bodies or cleaning our home with, but also in what we’re eating.

G

rocery shopping, for many, has Being a small business, Amanda become a gourmet experience – understands the value of supporting sampling locally-made delights local, and stocks cheese from Woombye, and having access to a wide coffee from Montville, Kin Kin cleaning range of products specific to dietary needs products, Beerwah strawberries and and health requirements.

Maleny milk. And where she can’t support Having been a regular customer in the Sunshine Coast businesses she tries her aisles of Jacks on Buderim IGA, Amanda best to source Australian products.

Hibbert never imagined she would one “I can do my little bit by encouraging day be on the other side of the register, but people to do their bit,” she says. when an opportunity In the spirit presented itself in I’m very aware of what of supporting April 2016, she like-minded local we’re putting on our and husband, Nick, businesses, Amanda decided to take the recently recruited bodies and what we’re plunge. the help of What EATING. So I want Amanda has The Fox Creative, a background in wanting to tap to offer a healthier health, kinesiology, into their expertise ALTERNATIVE to therapeutic deep tissue when it comes to the local community.” massage and property identifying investment, and Nick and relating to her working in the Australian Defence Force, customers on a the hard working parents craved more whole new level. involvement in their local community.

“They identified our customer personas Amanda says while the store had all so that we can focus on how best to meet the essentials, she always wanted to bring the requirements of our customers.” she her experience in the health industry to says.

Buderim locals.

What The Fox supported Jacks on “I want to become more of your Buderim with their digital marketing and specialised food store. So that you have a have crafted a new brand to celebrate the large range of the vegan side and good businesses new direction. healthy products; toxic free cleaning ranges “We’ve barely touched the tip of the and personal care,” she says. iceberg, so there’s a lot that we can learn “I’m very aware of what we’re putting from them,” she says. on our bodies and what we’re eating. So I “They have a lot more to offer. We came want to offer a healthier alternative to the away from the first meeting wanting to local community.” learn so much more. They have a whole team full of experts that I could picks the brains of all day long!”

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GOURMET

heat the

WORDS CAITLYN SPANNER PHOTOS CHESTERTON SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY

Food. We all love it. Regardless of whether you’re a seasoned foodie with strictly gourmet tastes or you’ll eat just about anything that is placed front of you, it’s always a good time to celebrate food. So when the Hot 91.1 Ignite Chilli Festival was launched, the food-lovers here at Profile did a little happy dance in their office chairs.

C

is on

hilli might not be everyone’s favourite flavour, but it’s a versatile vegetable that has been used in trade for hundreds of years. Chillies are a type of capsicum and are part of the Solanaceae family, which includes tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants.

They’re also healthy little devils, rich in vitamin C, niacin and beta carotene.

Chillies aid digestion and speed up the metabolism and actually release endorphins when consumed. Needless to say there’s plenty to celebrate about this fiery little fellow.

The Ignite Chilli Festival promises to serve up unique stalls of arts, crafts, fashion, street food, jewellery, homewares and lifestyle products with a chilli focus.

The recently updated Bulcock Street in Caloundra and surrounding laneways will come alive with a full program of activities plus live bands and entertainment. So if you’re not interested in the spicy side of things, there’s still plenty for you to enjoy.

One of the highlights will be a live cooking demo from renowned chef Gareth Collins. From working in the same kitchen as Jamie Oliver to being a private chef for high profile personalities, Gareth Collins’ 33-year career is a delicious melting pot of worldly experiences.

Gareth began his career working in local restaurants in Wales, before heading to America to work on cruise ships, and then

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embarking on a round-the-world trip – spending almost a year working at some of Australia’s finest destinations.

Upon returning to the UK, Gareth worked under the guidance of master chef Jeremy Buckingham, before migrating to Australia and working at Pier Nine in Brisbane, then opening the iconic Rickys River Bar + Restaurant.

After three years, he moved back to London and worked at the famous River Cafe which was breeding ground for celebrity chefs including Jamie Oliver and Ben O’Donoghue.

Years later, he found himself back on the Sunshine Coast and headed the kitchen at Hyatt Coolum’s signature fine dining restaurant, Eliza’s for four years, after which time he became the personal chef for a high profile business person

and worked as an event executive for the Titanic 2 productions including two world tours taking in China, New York, Canada and London.

Today sees Gareth manning the post as Executive Chef at Best Western Plus Lake Kawana Hotel and Wildflower Restaurant.

Gareth says he is thrilled to be part of the festival and has provided us with two recipes to get Profile readers into the spicy spirit before the festival heats up in Caloundra.

GARETH COLLINS

smoked chilli and crab omelette WITH CHILLI SESAME AND LIME DRESSING INGREDIENTS • 2 eggs • 1 chilli – roasted skinned and smoked • 80g crabmeat picked • 3 sprigs coriander • 20g beansprouts • ½ French shallot, thinly sliced • ¼ carrot, finely cut into julienne • 1 lime wedge • 1 teaspoon of crisp shallot and garlic chips

PIMENTO PADRON THE RUSSIAN ROULETTE OF THE CHILLI WORLD One in 10 chillies are extremely hot, while the others are milk, like capsicums. Pass the plate around to your friends and enjoy watching the unlucky person’s face when they get the hot one – can be fun!

• 10 padron chilli • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil • 1 teaspoon smoked salt • 2 tablespoons Jerez vinegar (Spanish gourmet vinegar made from sherry – can be substituted for any good quality vinegar) • Cracked black pepper Heat a heavy based fry pan and place in oil, when hot add the Padron peppers and roast, turning constantly until charred and soft. Place on kitchen towel and assemble on plate. Drizzle with Jerez vinegar and season with smoked salt and cracked pepper.

CHILLI SESAME AND LIME DRESSING • 100ml fish sauce • 125ml vegetable oil • 150ml lime juice • 3 garlic cloves • 15g grated ginger • 2 ½ tablespoons brown sugar • 125ml sesame oil • 5 long red chillies split in half and deseeded Blend together in jug blender or vitamiser for 5 minutes and strain.

SMOKED CHILLI Brush chilli with vegetable oil and salt and place on bbq or naked gas flames and roast turning evenly until charred black all the way around.

Place chilli into a bowl and cover with cling wrap for 5-10 minutes. Peel chilli (do not wash under water) to remove the black charred skin and slice length ways. Remove seeds and cut chilli into slices.

FOR THE OMELETTE Crack 2 eggs and whisk in a bowl.

Heat a non stick fry pan and place 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Put egg mix into the pan and draw the cooked egg into the centre with a spatula, when there is no more runny egg mix in the pan flip the omelette over.

Place the smoked chilli, French shallot and crab mix onto the omelette and fold over.

Turn onto a plate and assemble the bean sprouts, shallot, carrot and coriander on top of the omelette.

Drizzle dressing over the omelette, sprinkle with fried garlic and shallots and garnish with a wedge of lime.

IGNITE CHILLI FESTIVAL Bulcock Street, Caloundra Saturday, November 25, 1pm - 8pm ignitechillifestival.com.au

CHILLI TIPS • To relieve the burning sensation try dairy products, cucumber or salt • To remove some of the heat from chillies, soak them in water for 30 minutes before scraping away the seeds • Chillies can be frozen in plastic freezer bags for months on end

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GOURMET

THE scotch EGG RECIPE WILL STEWART AND STEVE FLOOD, MY KITCHEN RULES PREP AND COOK TIME 2 ½ HOURS • MAKES 8

INGREDIENTS

• 700g pork mince (70:30 meat to fat ratio) • 2 tablespoons fennel seeds, coarsely crushed • 1 bunch of thyme, leaves picked • 1 bunch of sage, leaves picked and finely chopped • 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped • 1 egg yolk • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard • Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper • 8 eggs • 500g ice cubes, for ice water bath • Vegetable oil, for deep frying COATING

• 100g plain flour • 4 eggs, lightly beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper • 200g panko breadcrumbs, plus extra if needed METHOD Combine the pork, fennel seeds, thyme, sage, garlic, egg yolk and mustard in a large bowl and season heavily with salt and pepper.

Using your hands, mix the ingredients thoroughly and then divide into eight balls. If the mixture is too wet, add a few spoonfuls of panko breadcrumbs to bring it together.

Place each ball of mince between two sheets of cling film and roll out into a disc shape 4mm thick. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. november 2017

Make a water bath by putting the ice into a large bowl of cold water.

Put the eggs in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil on high heat. As soon as the water comes to the boil, reduce the heat so the water is just simmering and cook for a further 2 minutes and 15 seconds. Immediately remove the eggs and put them into the iced water bath to stop the cooking process. Set aside to cool for 15 minutes then very carefully remove each egg from its shell.

Wrap each egg in a layer of mince, moulding the meat tightly around the egg and making sure there are no trapped air bubbles.

Place each wrapped egg in a piece of cling film, twist to tighten and evenly shape the mince around the egg. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Line up three shallow bowls and fill one with the flour, season with salt and pepper; place the beaten egg in another bowl and the breadcrumbs in another.

Take each pork-wrapped egg and dip in the flour, then in the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs. Repeat, dipping the eggs in the egg and breadcrumbs to give a double coating.

Heat the vegetable oil to 180ºC in a deep fryer or large saucepan.

Deep-fry the eggs in batches for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.

Remove with a slotted spoon, season with salt and place on a wire rack. Place the rack in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve immediately if you want to ensure the yolk of the egg is perfectly runny. Scotch eggs can also be enjoyed cold.

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Chargrilled beef, habanero and chimmi churri Chargrilled Beef, Habanero, Chimmi Churri, and Spring Onion Ol’ Cactus combines Mexican and Asian flavours to produce unique, fresh and tasty dishes that will tantalise all tastes. Located across from Alexandra Headland Beach, the bar and restuarant provides a breezy, relaxed vibe. Be sure to order a cocktail to complement your meal.

OL’ CACTUS 3/150 ALEXANDRA PARADE, ALEXANDRA HEADLAND PHONE: 5326 1135 OLCACTUS.COM

Mars Snickers loaded shake Chocolate, caramel and peanut butter shake topped with whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, wafers, choc chip cookies, Tim Tams, half a Snickers bar, Mars Bar Pods, homemade chocolate shards, Nutella and crushed nuts Do you have a sweet tooth? Or perhaps you’re more of a burger-lover? If it’s something naughty you’re chasing, then put The Nines down as your next cheat day destination. Offering all day breakfast, Southern American-style meals and a bar menu, there’s something for everyone.

THE NINES SHOP 17A SUNSHINE HOMEMAKER CENTRE MAROOCHYDORE, QUEENSLAND PHONE: 5443 2047

TANTALISE YOUR TASTE BUDS WITH A DELICIOUS DISH OF THE DAY

Corn and zucchini fritters Corn and zucchini fritters, smoked salmon, poached egg, avocado, rocket and tomato relish Specialising in breakfast and burgers, Cafe Elemento is the perfect place for your next brunch date. The Mountain Creek favourite offers relaxed alfresco dining, delicious coffee and is open seven days a week.

CAFE ELEMENTO SHOP 8A 69-79 ATTENUATA DRIVE, MOUNTAIN CREEK PHONE: 5437 8074

The Chicky Babe Bagel Pulled chicken breast, bacon, semi-dried tomato, spinach, smashed avocado and pesto bagel with a berry smoothie and a Noosa Blend coffee from First Batch Coffee.

Featuring a winning combination of speciality roasted coffee, bagels and smoothies, The Daily Social is an exciting new espresso bar sharing a collective space with RAW Furniture. Aside from it’s creator, First Batch Coffee, The Daily Social is the only espresso bar in the country serving the roasters award winning Noosa Blend. This little gem is bound to be your new foodie favourite.

THE DAILY SOCIAL 23 KAYLEIGH DRIVE, MAROOCHYDORE PHONE: 0407 210 182 THEDAILYSOCIAL.COM.AU 78

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Slow roasted Victorian pulled lamb shoulder, Greek feta, oven roasted capsicum, Spanish onion and finished with fresh roquette and house made tzatziki

GOURMET

Agnello lamb pizza Crowned the best Italian restaurant on the Sunshine Coast in 2016 by the Australian Good Food Guide, All’ Antica has spent over 25 years at the forefront of the industry.

The fully licensed restaurant is the ideal location for your Christmas function, offering traditional dishes created from the best local produce and imported ingredients from Italy.

ALL’ ANTICA RESTAURANT 3/115 POINT CARTWRIGHT DRIVE, BUDDINA PHONE: 5444 0988 ALLANTICA.COM.AU

Chocolate tart Chocolate tart with honeycomb and raspberry granita Using only the freshest ingredients in all of their dishes, Sandbar Cafe and Kiosk is one of Caloundra’s favourite cafes. Enjoy fresh seafood, light meals, juicy steaks, decadent desserts and locally-owned Tim Adams Specialty Coffee for breakfast, lunch or dinner. BYO wine or enjoy the fully licensed bar with your delicious meal.

SANDBAR CAFE AND KIOSK 26 THE ESPLANADE, BULCOCK BEACH, CALOUNDRA PHONE: 5491 0800 SANDBARCAFEKIOSK.COM.AU

BBQ meatballs BBQ smoked Wagyu meatballs and three cheese sauce Enjoy the relaxed vibes of one of the Sunshine Coast’s most beautiful beaches at Peregian Beach Hotel. Sample premium craft beers from the region and feast on tantalising tapas and sourdough pizzas featuring the freshest local ingredients, while listening to local musicians under the pandanus trees.

This family owned and run hotel is your new local.

PEREGIAN BEACH HOTEL 221-229 DAVID LOW WAY, PEREGIAN BEACH PHONE: 5448 3111 PEREGIANBEACHHOTEL.COM.AU

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TRAVEL

delicious

DESTINATIONS

KONAVLE CROATIA WINE

WORDS JACINTA BLUNDELL PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

Jacinta Blundell PROFILE TRAVEL EDITOR

Aside from the obvious motivations for travelling the globe, our tastebuds are now leading the way, with exotic and traditional ‘foodie’ destinations luring us for cheap eats, beer festivals and wine trails, and all the catch-cries of slow food, street food and artisan food that go along with it.

T

imeless Mediterranean cuisine meccas (Italy, France, Greece, Spain and Morocco), and their Asian or American equivalents (Thailand, Mexico and deep south USA) are more popular than they have ever been, as travellers opt for a food-themed getaway.

Yet with the explosion of what we call ‘cuisine TV’ in our homes, and an entire channel dedicated to showcasing the things we love most (food, wine and travel), our eyes are widening to the secret tastes of the globe, and newly emerging hotspots for ‘holiday grazing’.

Traditional gourmet regions lure with themed walking and sampling tours, bustling street stalls, tastings at famous cellar doors, breweries, distilleries and cheeseries. And joining a cooking class or strolling the farmers markets have become as coveted as waitlisting for a celebrity chef encounter at a legendary urban eatery.

As travel experts who love to tour, taste and sit a while to smell the coffee, our most memorable travel moments have been those slightly off-kilter or hands-on gems where food, culture and magic all come together.

From truffle hunting in Croatia; creating my very own blend at a vineyard in the foothills of the Andes; fly fishing in northern Alaska and cooking our catch of the day over the coals; to exploring the clandestine world of underground wine caves and champagne houses in France.

If you’re looking for some ‘wine-spiration’, incredible eats or immersive travel experiences, we have the answer. Here’s a list of my top five delicious destinations.

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VIÑEDO PUENTE ALTO, SOUTH AMERICA

TASMANIA: Freycinet, Bicheno and the Swansea region on the east coast is a seafood and wine lover’s delight, with crayfish, abalone, oysters and tuna, plus stunning cellar doors, artisan cheese, national park walks, and picturesque sheep grazing lands rolling down to the sea. Perfect for a weekend escape, and only two hour’s drive from Launceston or Hobart.

CHILE AND ARGENTINA: You’ll find world class Malbec, Syrah and Cabernet in the vinefringed desert-oasis of Mendoza, dazzling Sauvignon Blancs in Colchagua Valley, and Grand Cru making in the The Rapel Valley near Santiago, where Bordeaux-style wines and Chile’s best Chardonnay are king.

PIEDMONT, ITALY: Visit the region famous for its reds in Barolo and Barbaresco; the two most historically important wine regions of Italy. Or transport yourself back to the 18th Century in the Province of Asti, the home of sparkling white wine.

With Alba, the birthplace of Nutella and Ferrero Rocher also in this region, this northern corner of Italy is not only famous for wine, but also rich in food and artisan products such as truffles, cheeses and don’t forget the chocolate!

VIETNAM: Forage, fish or scour the markets for fresh ingredients, then create Vietnamese masterpieces under the guidance of a celebrity chef, or learn the art of rice noodle making and crafting your own chopsticks.

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Small Group Journeys is a collection of bespoke worldwide adventures, cruises and tours designed and escorted by Jacinta Blundell. Follow Jacinta in Profile each month as she takes you beyond the tourist trail.

MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TO SEE ONE OF HELLOWORLD TRAVEL’S SPECIALISTS TODAY OR VISIT SMALLGROUPJOURNEYS.COM

DELICIOUS VIETNAM

WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA: The lovely ‘garden and wine’ towns of colonial Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Wellington and Elgin are a cork’s throw from Cape Town.

These irresistible detours slot perfectly into any African itinerary or a round world stopover. White, red and sparkling offerings are all found in this mild climate at the edge of the Drakensberg peaks, and architecturally splendid wine estates, elegant Cape Dutch-style country inns and refined restaurants welcome. Biltong and wine pairing anyone?

CULTURE & CUISINE OF VIETNAM & THE MEKONG

3 WEEKS from

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(4-5*) eco-lodge and boutique hotel accommodation  balcony cruise cabins Halong Bay and the Mekong  seaplane sightseeing  cultural experiences  cooking classes  personally guided throughout

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JACINTA FLY FISHING IN ALASKA

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OTHER HOTSPOTS WORTH A VISIT CROATIA: Truffles, wine, oysters and underwater cellars. Enjoy stunning coastal cruising and visit UNESCO world heritage towns.

EAST CANADA: Feast on French cuisine, game dishes, foie gras and patisserie, while immersing in your surrounds of fall foliage, elegant inns and the scenic rail.

SCOTLAND: From robust peat-burnished whiskies through to elegant, soft blends and smooth single malts, pick your food and beverage trail encompassing great ales, scotch, seafood and castles.

ICELAND: For the refined palate and also the brave, indulge in unusual delicacies of seafood and traditional offerings including some great lagers, which is surprising given beer was banned until 1989.

SRI LANKA: Tea, fine dining, street food, seafood and plentiful vegetarian delights, what more could you want?

TASTES OF VIETNAM 7 NIGHT SHORT BREAK

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$2,845^ pp twin

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^Land only, twin share, per person. Conditions apply.

smallgroupjourneys.com/tastevietnam Contact Jacinta to craft your custom travel journey (0438) 95 1766 jacinta.buderim@helloworld.com.au Buderim 58 Burnett St Caboolture 75 King St

(07) 5445 4022 (07) 5495 1766

Image credit: Chloe Blundell Available exclusively through Helloworld Travel Buderim and Caboolture King St. Pricing is per adult twin share. Single supplements and credit card fees apply. See in-store for full Terms & Conditions | *Land only (excl. international air travel), Small Group Journey escorted departure commencing Danang 13Oct18, concluding Ho Chi Minh City 05Nov18, with 7 night Mekong cruise in a Signature balcony suite. Package also available excluding Mekong River Cruise. Vietnam & Cambodia domestic tour flights, taxes, visas & handling fees included | ^Land only, twin share (excl. international air travel), based on escorted departure commencing Danang 13Oct18, concluding Hanoi 20Oct18, OR independent unescorted package for travel Apr-Oct, with price on application - See your consultant for a quote. Vietnam visa additional cost | All offers are subject to availability & may be withdrawn at any time | Blunbell Pty Ltd as Trustee for the GSJ Trust, t/a Helloworld Travel Buderim, ABN 15 474 818 096 and GR & SJ Bell & JH Blundell, t/a Helloworld Travel Caboolture King Street, ABN 257 867 37 062 and Small Group Journeys by Jacinta.

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COMEDY: KITTY FLANAGAN – SMASHING One of Australia’s favourite comedians, Kitty Flanagan will light up The Events Centre, Caloundra on 1 December.

Best known for her work on TV shows such as Full Frontal, The Project, The Weekly with Charlie Pickering and Have you Been Paying Attention, Kitty Flanagan will be bringing a bag of laughs to the Sunshine Coast with her brand new show, Smashing. This hard-working comedian, writer and performer loves nothing more than bringing laughs to regional areas. Her new show will touch on topics like love songs, sex, algorithms, chimps, clowns and psychics – everything is getting “smashed”.

UPCOMING SHOWS AT CALOUNDRA EVENTS CENTRE: Acoustic Guitar Spectacular – 11 November Vov Dylan – 22 November Kitty Flanagan – 1 December Storytime Ballet – 10 & 11 January Deadly 60 – 12 January Jimeoin – 19 January For more information go to theeventscentre.com.au.

FILM: MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS Opening in cinemas and featuring an all-star cast, Murder on the Orient Express is the cinematic experience of 2017.

Kenneth Branagh directs and leads an all-star cast, including Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz and Judi Dench in the most stylish and suspenseful mystery of the year.

Based on the timeless Agatha Christie novel, the story follows 13 strangers and one detective’s plight to solve the murder before time runs out. Everyone’s a suspect in this lavish and luxurious cinematic event.

DIRECTOR: Kenneth Branagh CAST: Tom Bateman, Kenneth Branagh, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom, Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer, Daisy Ridley, Marwan Kenzari, Olivia Colman, Lucy Boynton, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Sergei Polunin

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EVENTS SURFSHOTS NOOSA 1-5 NOVEMBER NOOSA TRIATHLON MULTI SPORT FESTIVAL 2017 PHOTO BY

Australia’s highest profile triathlon, the Noosa Triathlon Multi Sport Festival is celebrating its 35th anniversary. The five-day event celebrating sports, fitness and fun, has an irresistible mix of entertainment, sun, sea and surf. The festival has something for all ages, including an ocean swim, a fun run, charity golf day as well as elite cycling and running events. noosatri.com

3 PROFILE MAGAZINE NOVEMBER LAUNCH

Sink your teeth into our Gourmet Issue at the November launch of Profile Magazine. On 3 November we’ll gather on the rooftop of Kon-Tiki Business Centre in Maroochydore as the sun sets to celebrate the Sunshine Coast’s foodie industry while indulging in delicious canapés by Lavish Platters and refreshments. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased online.

November WHAT’S ON IN

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9-12 NOVEMBER WANDERLUST FESTIVAL

Located at the beautiful Novotel Twin Waters Resort, Wanderlust features a unique combination of yoga, music, speakers and outdoor adventure. A phenomenal lineup of some of the world’s most outstanding yoga teachers, musicians, meditation instructors and performing artists promise a transformative experience.

Attendees can practice a smorgasbord of yoga styles, outdoor activities such as hiking, surfing, SUP yoga and indulge in wine tastings and organic delicacies. wanderlust.com

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CRAFT BEER SUNSHINE COAST FESTIVAL

PHOTO BY MELISSA GAYLE

30 NOVEMBER 2 DECEMBER JUNGLE LOVE FESTIVAL

The inaugural Craft Beer Festival at the Sunshine Coast Stadium promises a true celebration of creativity and diversity in the form of craft beer and cider. Sample from the 160 different ciders, pale ales, porters, stouts and speciality beers from brewers across Australia and New Zealand. Beer enthusiasts, music lovers and foodies alike will love what’s on offer.

Now heading into its fourth year, the Jungle Love Festival is a boutique music and arts festival celebrating up and coming local musicians, artists and art workers over three days and nights. The program is carefully curated to feature up-andcoming bands, promising a liberating and immersive experience for all attendees. Four jam-packed stages back onto the lush Yabba Creek where festival-goers often take a swim break before having another dance.

craftbeersunshinecoast.com.au

junglelovefestival.com.au PHOTO BY MAX ORCHARD-FOX

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COMPETITIONS PROFILE

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A ROMANTIC SUNSET GETAWAY Experience a magical sunset getaway for two valued at $1495 thanks to Airborne Solutions.

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hat better way to witness the Sunshine Coast’s picturesque beaches and vast Hinterland than from 1000 feet. Airborne Solutions’ Sunshine Coast Helicopter Tours offers a number of ways to take in the beauty of our own backyard with a range of exciting helicopter tours, including romantic sunset getaways and fun-filled Hinterland pub crawls. Clinton Brisk and his team have recently introduced these awesome experiences to the Sunshine Coast after catering to the Northern Territory for the last 30 years.

Profile has teamed up with Airborne Solutions to offer readers the chance to win a romantic sunset getaway for two. After being flown to the privacy of a secluded mountain top, bathe in the glow of the setting sun while enjoying ice cold drinks of your choice and a five-star tapas platter. Finish it all off with a peaceful flight home at twilight.

Could this be the most romantic date that ever existed? We think so!

PRIZE VALUED AT $1495 (EXCLUDING UPGRADE)

AIRBORNE SOLUTIONS Phone: 1300 435 438 airbornesolutions.com.au

Plus

Winners have the opportunity to upgrade should they want to make a day of it. Upgrade includes: • Accommodation • Drinks • Dinner • Continental breakfast • Return flight pick up

ENTER NOW AT PROFILEMAG.COM.AU FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN!

WIN ONE OF TWO PAIRS OF COOL JAMS PYJAMAS The two most common reasons for extremely uncomfortable night sweats and broken sleep patterns are menopause and the effects of chemotherapy. Thanks to Cool Jams (cool-jams.com. au), you can now experience a restful night’s sleep without sweating about it.

Cool Jams’ unique moisture wicking fabric feels soft and luxurious, while preventing sweat and growth of odourcausing bacteria. Available for men and women! Profile is giving away two pairs (one male, one female), worth $99 each.

WIN A DELUXE LE LUX LINEN QUILT COVER SET Transform your bedroom into a luxurious haven with a set of divine French Le Lux Linen (leluxlinen.com.au) bed sheets. These 100 per cent pure French linen bed sheets come in a stunning array of colours and sizes to fit any bed, from single to super king. Australian designed, the sheets will last for years and become softer with every wash. Soft and breathable, linen keeps you cool in summer and warm in winter. Win a sumptuous Le Lux Linen quilt cover set (queen or king size) valued at up to $310.

WIN! FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN, GO TO PROFILEMAG.COM.AU/WIN

WIN A NEW APSKIN FACE CREAM Apples contain phenolic antioxidants, which are 12 times more potent than any other antioxidants and have bionic strength to help our body renew cells.

Sydney-based Dr Vincent made the world first breakthrough of extracting ‘activated phenolics’ from apples and has put them into tablet, powder and face cream form. The new face cream, APSKIN (justapples.com. au) is scientifically proven to improve cell health; creating healthier, clearer, firmer and more radiant looking skin.

Win one of 12 APSKIN products valued at $28.50 each.

WIN A KERATIN SMOOTHING HAIR TREATMENT Specialising in using colours and solutions to best suit your hair, Uptown Hair Studio makes it easier to style and maintain your hair from home – so your hair has a salon finished look every day. This luxurious Goldwell Kerasilk Control keratin smoothing treatment is their latest product, just in time for the summer season. It lasts up to five months, calming hair, taming frizz and curls all summer long. One lucky winner will win this treatment of ultimate hair luxury valued at $450.

SHOW US YOUR PROFILE AND WIN! Show us how you enjoy your copy of Profile Magazine by tagging @profilemagazine and #profilemagazine on Instagram, for your chance to win a Peony Parcel, featuring products from ONNE Beauty, Enbacci and Luxe Scented Candles to name a few.

WRITE TO US AND WIN! Tell us what you love about this issue of Profile Magazine for your chance to win a pack from The Goodnight Society Co featuring a 100 per cent silk eye mask and pillowcase. Send your letter, along with your name and address, to editorial@ profilemag.com.au, for the opportunity to win!

PROFILE

The last word

WITH PROFESSOR JIMMY CHOO Professor Jimmy Choo recently made a 10-day trip to Australia, imparting his design knowledge and words of wisdom to very eager fashion enthusiasts and design students. Profile was honoured to catch up with the esteemed shoe designer when he spoke at TAFE Queensland in Brisbane. We were greeted by a humble, hilarious and wise man who says he just wants to, “share his experience and knowledge,” with as many young people as he can.

I GREW UP IN… Penang, Malaysia. It’s a

small island, but pretty.

MY FIRST JOB… was in shoes, working

with my father. Always shoes, my whole life.

I WOULD LIKE TO BE BETTER AT…

my skill, and to pass on my skill and my knowledge to the young generation.

THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY CAREER SO FAR… to be honest, I’m still looking. I

think it’s learning, seeing things, never stopping until one day I cannot do it, then that’s it. I haven’t got any highlights myself. Highlights are what people give to me, highlights are people respect me. You know, I’m an old Chinaman!

IF I WASN’T A SHOE DESIGNER I WOULD BE… a healer. I think it’s very

important. A friend of mine is very ill, so he met a healer in Ireland and he healed him. My friends, they all have a gift. I wish one day that I can have a gift. A lot of women have foot problems and when you heal the feet you can wear beautiful shoes.

IF I COULD GIVE ANY ADVICE TO YOUNG CREATIVES, IT WOULD BE… a lot of people say you have to

work hard, but everyone can work hard. Not everybody who works hard can achieve success. Be very nice to people, understanding the environment, understand the people they work with, 86

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always have a very kind heart. You mustn’t complain. Learn how to be kind and calm, you mustn’t lose your temper. If I’m not responsible for myself I would not be here today.

Every pair of shoes I make had to be good quality, had to be great.

If a customer had any doubt in them, I’d say, “Bring them back to me and I’ll make a new one”. You want to create a good name and everything has to be word of mouth. I can teach you to be a shoe designer very quickly, but I want to teach you how to treat the whole world, treat the people you are working with, treat your family.

THE PEOPLE WHO INSPIRE ME ARE…

my parents, because I am the only son in the family. Mum is a very kind person.

They always support me. When I have a difficult time, they are on my side. When I’m ill, they are on my side. Family is very important, we must thank parents.

MY HIDDEN TALENT IS… I’m good at

talking to people. I teach people now how to connect to each other, to be calm, be kind. But I do cooking as well.

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