Hello There. Pleased to meet you.
I’m thrilled to welcome you to my little slice of the internet that is abundant with all the things in life that fill my cup, real food, nourishing recipes and my two wonderful mini me companions, Harlow and Oscar.
I like to call myself The Wholehearted Cook because I live life with my heart first, always. I also have my mouth wide open in fits of laughter most of the time. I’m a pretty open book and wear my emotions on my sleeve as you may have seen on your TV screen as a Masterchef Australia finalist in 2011, 2012 All Star and 2020 Back to Win Contestant where I nabbed the seasons only immunity pin and scored a pre-covid hug from Gordon Ramsey!
I’m guided by a solid set of values that respects the health of our planet and its people. I take a whole foods approach to cooking and eating which means my recipes are stripped back and seasonal, the way nature intended so you and your family reap the benefits of nourishing ingredients that make you feel good from the inside out. I love creating alternative recipes that are allergy friendly (think dairy free, gluten free and vegan) but I also love nothing more than smashing a bowl of Cacio e Pepe or a slice of my mum’s sponge cake at times too.
In other words, I am all about balance and know that sometimes you just need to get a meal on the table in a short amount of time and take short cuts to make life easier, which is totally OK in my book. After all we are all just trying to survive and get through the pandemic as best we can and we certainly don’t need to add the narrative of feeling guilty about eating certain foods to the list of our collective anxieties.
For me, the most important part about cooking and life is to embrace it with a whole open heart, know that you are doing your best and your are nourishing yourself and your family along the way no matter what the result. Getting the kids involved in the preparation of meals can also be really rewarding, a little messy even, but it teaches them the foundations of cooking and where food comes from and that my friend will be a treasured skill for life!
I thank you for stopping by and hope that you can take some recipes, ideas or even just a few laughs away with you so you can put some fun into your cooking, colour into your kitchen and maybe even some wild dance moves too.
Love,
Dani
Dani Venn Bio 2022
Dani Venn is a Melbourne based cook, lover of all things food and mum to Harlow (7) and Oscar (4). As a self-taught cook, Dani loves nothing more than spending time in the kitchen with her kids, preparing nourishing meals using fresh, wholesome ingredients.
Dani is most widely known for her time on MasterChef Australia; as a finalist in 2011, in All Stars in 2012 and contestant on MasterChef: Back to Win in 2020. Her cooking talents have taken her across the world, from live food events, to hosting foodie retreats in places like Bali and Sri Lanka, as well cooking for events of all sizes, from intimate dinner parties to 400 people in Mumbai!
After being awarded her immunity pin winning dish “Taste Of Sri Lanka” on the first episode of MasterChef Back To Win, Dani also released a collaborative range of Sri Lankan inspired simmer sauces with Coles Supermarkets and currently has two flavours on the shelf inspired by her travels and one of her favourite places on earth.
Recently Dani has launched her first podcast, Falling For You, a podcast about getting comfortable in your own skin where Dani interviews inspiring guests that have changed their life. Falling For You reached #1 in education on Apple Podcasts and Season One has consistently ranked in the top 20 podcasts on education and self-improvement in Australia and New Zealand.
Dani is a regular guest cooking live on air with her kids on Studio 10 and has been a cooking guest on Everyday Gourmet and Farm to Fork. Dani has also hosted her own TV show Weekend Feast (10) and hosted summer radio on Nova FM Melbourne.
Dani is also proud to be an Ambassador for the Royal Flying Doctors.
Dani shares her love of family friendly recipes, lifestyle content, mum life and traveling adventures on her Instagram @danivenn and Facebook to a combined following of over 50k.
