From a shy little girl of Sicilian and Australian parents, Dominique loved day dreaming, playing shop, dress ups and baking. Through her own determination to live her life to the fullest, Dominique now is a confident  woman who is driven by continually challenging herself, sharing openly her love for food,  and creating business opportunities that connect people and fuel her passions.

Dominique’s greatest achievements to date have been, heading the kitchen and part owner in the first organic restaurant in Brisbane’s West End “Mondo Organics”, fronting the cover of Gourmet Traveller, writing her first cook book “ My Taste of Sicily”, appearing for the past 12 years as a featured chef on a number of Australian cooking shows, in publications and on radio.  Opening, running and then selling a very successful Putia Pure Food Kitchen & Cooking School and Clapham Junction Wine bar. Developing her Pure Food Cooking Tour business where Dominique escorts small groups to explore regions of Italy, Spain and beyond and coming soon will be her new cooking school due to open in 2020.

Dominique, you’ve had an exciting career to date with so many diverse roles that centre around food and travel… what made you want to be a chef and how did you get into this area?

I have always loved cooking from a very young age but I didn’t always want to be a chef. Kindergarten teacher &  Art Teacher were on my lists of careers although I had been working in hospitality part time since I was about 10 years old. After coming back from a stint in Sicily when I finished high school, I discovered the professional world of hospitality. Through completing a Diploma in Business Hospitality, this exposed me to cooking professionally and a career of what I saw as endless possibilities. After another travelling experience I came back and thought what am I going to do with my life? I answered my own question with “I love Food and Cooking” so let’s start there. I then went on to get my first apprenticeship, completed my Cheffing qualifications and as they say the rest is history. I really feel that my career found me.

Tell us about your family background and how that has influenced you personally and professionally?

My mother is Australian and my father Sicilian who came to Australia when he was 18. Both my parents were working class, and growing up I wanted for nothing with a grandmother who was a dressmaker, a private school education and we always travelled as a family exploring many parts of Europe and of course return trips to my father’s homeland of Sicily. It was a wonderful adventurous childhood.  My father’s gypsy lifestyle taught me the essence of letting go, not having attachments to things, and not to take life too seriously. My mother’s determination, her drive to better herself through further education, spirituality and  to support the family stuck with my father until she was strong enough financially, emotionally and independent to stand on her own.  This was my greatest lesson and I believe gave me the belief that I can do anything , and thus my varied and ever changing diverse career.

What career or personal achievement are you most proud of?

Wow…as I always am looking forward to what’s next, it’s not until I do look back that I am so proud of my many achievements. I feel my greatest achievement has been developing my Food Tour business, selling my successful Café/Cooking school and on a personal note acceptance of myself.  This has been my personal challenge, the acceptance that I am enough… in fact probably too much! Which I am also embracing.

You wear many hats and have a lot going on – how do you maintain balance and prioritise things when times are busy?

Because I work from home now, I find that I work whenever I want, so anywhere from 6am – midnight, this opens up my days to make time for myself, my partner and my family and friends. I have a calendar which I love, a diary which I fill in and prioritise what’s most important and I also seek out mentors who I rely on to assist me in areas not of my expertise, I also manage to try and blend jobs so that I am not reinventing the wheel every time I have something new happening.

Can you share three tips to success with us? 

1. Hire people to work with you who are great at the things you are not.

2. Don’t compare yourself to anyone except the best version of who you are striving to be… this can be crippling!

3.  Don’t be afraid of making life/career/personal changes at any age to seek more fulfillment, joy and happiness in your life….

And what’s next on the agenda for Dominique Rizzo?

2020 is going to be a great year, I have a new cooking show coming out …its still a little secret but not for long, a new youtube cooking channel, I am working on new bespoke Food Tours to Morocco, Spain, Greece and Northern Italy and  my new Cooking School is due to open on Brisbane’s Northside – lots of exciting new projects which I love…

Favourite movie and why?
“Like Water For Chocolate” . I watched this when I first started Chefing and it really resonated with me on the effect of how we feel when we are cooking and the impact this has on the food and the people who are eating it.

What’s one thing that you do for yourself every day? 

I ensure I achieve at least one great task that assists me in bettering myself and my business.

What mantra do you live by?

Life is what you make it….

To find out more about Dominique head to:

https://dominiquerizzo.com/

https://dominiquerizzo.com/food-tours/

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