Sheila Magazine

FOOD WITH FLAIR Fashion junkie and regular Sheila contributor, Belinda Cipriano has taken her passion for food online. Her Cooking In Choos blog is a big hit with Perth foodies and fashionistas alike. She's also got a heart of gold and along with her sister-in-law is raising thousands of dollars for Breast Cancer Care WA. We chatted to her. What is your background? Why did you start blogging? I originally started blogging about my wedding plans which were covered in a newspaper column I was writing for in 2008. Family and friends who weren't getting the paper wanted to read about it so I started posting them on my blog. After the wedding it became more of a lifestyle blog focusing on my cooking adventures and restaurant reviews but has slowly morphed into my three passions - food, fashion and travel. At work I tend to write about serious subject matters and this is my outlet to lighten things up a little. What is the aim of your blog? My blog covers everything food, fashion and travel with a particular focus on Perth. I love this city and think it's come a long way. Introducing people to the amazing designers, restaurants, cafes and bars on offer in our city is the blog's prime goal and anything I can do to highlight that I will. Where did the name come from? The name Cooking in Choos came from my love of fashion and food. I'm obsessed in designer heels and the very Choos given to me from my husband when he was travelling overseas. I pretty much do everything in heels - even cook, hence Cooking in Choos! Who is your favourite Perth chef and why? Beluga) because he is so fun and down to earth and creates the most amazing Mio) for his exquisite Italian. What is your favourite type of food to eat? Portuguese and Italian. I'm very lucky because on both sides of my family I have been blessed with amazing home-cooks. Growing up in a Portuguese household we were always treated to the very best seafood, meat and fresh produce. I would watch mum (who worked in the smallgoods industry) taught from a young age how to cook your basics. As I got older I became more and more interested in the foodie world and today that continues. Now married into an Italian family, I have the best of both worlds as I now learn recipes and traditions stemming from my husband's family. It really is a beautiful combination. What is your favourite type of food to cook? I love a good piece of delicious pork belly. When cooked properly there's nothing better. What dish do you WISH you could cook and why? I'd love to be able to bake beautiful cakes. I can bake a cake but am terrible at making it look pretty. To have the knack to do that would be fab. Where is your favourite foodie destination and why? In Australia, I think Melbourne does it best - though Perth is getting there. Overseas I don't think you can beat Italy and in the US, What other things do you do in your spare time? In my spare time I like to catch up with family and friends for a nice meal or watch a good movie. Tell us about your fundraising activities and why this is so important to you? A few years ago my sister-in-law and I decided we wanted to give back to those less fortunate. We decided to hold a breakfast for Breast Cancer Care WA and it ended up being so successful that we decided to make it an annual event. Earlier this year we held our April in Paris event again raising money for Breast Cancer Care WA but this time in honour of my mother-in-law who had been diagnosed with breast cancer the year before, again it was a huge success. I believe if you can help someone out, then why not. I think I've been pretty blessed and if I can help someone, even just a little, I'll do it - I mean why wouldn't you. Next year we've decided to expand and are looking to help various charities very close to our heart as well as hold our main Breast Cancer Care WA event. I think it's super important to count your blessings every day because you never know when it all might change and as long as we can help we will keep doing it. What is your big dream in life and why? To travel and eat my way around the world! Where do you think you will be in 5 years? 10 Years? 20 years? In 5 years time I hope (along with my sister-in-law) to have raised $100,000 for amounts for our other charities. I also hope Cooking in Choos will be hugely successful allowing me to travel and eat my way around the world but most importantly however I hope that I am happy and healthy wherever I am in the world. SHEILA SPRING 2012 83

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