All posts filed under: Lifestyle

Paris to Provence Festival

Paris to Provence

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Immerse yourself in a vibrant and lively French village atmosphere at the Paris to Provence Festival. Now in it’s 8th massive year, the festival returns once again to the beautiful gardens of the National Trust’s iconic Como House and Garden in South Yarra. Soak up the culture, French food and champagne, festivities and activities that are sure to rival any bustling French village. From the moment you pass the historic wrought iron gates of National Trust property, Como House and Garden, you will feel transported to your favourite French memory as the delicious aroma of French culinary delights float past, and the sights and sounds immerse you in the lively buzz of the popup French village. Browse through 75 French exhibitors, selling everything from homewares, wines and fashion or pick through the stalls selling delicious French food. After you’ve full to the brim of scrumptious French food, sit down to a masterclass from fourth generation boulanger (baker) Gontran Cherrier. Finally for all the bachelors and bachelerottes there’ll be a Singles French speed dating soiree where you can meet the dreamy love of your …

Fonterra Proud to Be A Chef

Interview: Buddha Lo of Matteos

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What does it take to become a head chef of a renowned Melbourne restaurant? For Head Chef of Matteos, Buddha Lo, it was plenty of passion and dedicated industry training. Starting his culinary  journey at the young age of 14, he later went on to complete his apprenticeship through the Fonterra Proud to be a Chef program, before heading off overseas to work in international kitchens. Now completing a full circle, Buddha is one of the mentors for this year’s Fonterra Proud to Be a Chef program alongside another industry legend, Huxtaburger’s Daniel Wilson. We caught up with Buddha Lo to discuss his training and how the program helped him to get to where he is today. Can you tell us was it always your dream to become a chef? Yes, ever since I was 12 years old. I worked with my parents at their restaurant when I was 9 on weekends and my dad asked me to flip an omelette on the wok one day and I flipped it perfectly – from then on I …

Melbourne Spring Fashion Week

The best of MSFW (on a budget)

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Melbourne Spring Fashion Week is almost here! If you want to enjoy the glitz and glamour without spending your whole paycheck then we’ve found the five events for you. Book your heels into these stylish events and get inspired without blowing your budget: Makers and Shakers Emerging Design Market Be inspired by some of Melbourne’s most exciting emerging designers at Makers and Shakers Emerging Design Market. The market will have for sale, the designers’ latest ready-to-wear collections, jewellery, accessories and more for this curated shopping experience. Entry is free, just bring those extra pennies for any purchases. Fresh Floral Crown Masterclass Ever since Lana Del Rey brought back the floral crowns, the fashionable headwear is a must for adding that extra special touch to your stylish outfit. This masterclass will teach you super and easy quick techniques to create a wearable floral crown with one to take home.  Entry is free with registration. Emporium Melbourne’s Opening Runway See the very best Emporium fashion on the runway at this opening night event. Transforming  Little Bourke Street transforms into a …

PAX Conference

Get Your Game On at PAX

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PAX 2016 is just around the corner. Twelve years ago in Washington a team of gamers from Penny Arcade came up with the concept for a convention exclusively dedicated to gaming to fill a niche that was overlooked by comics, anime and, in their words not ours, other cool nerd hobbies – and thus PAX was born – attracting 4,500 people in its first year, and doubling every year after that until it had to move to Seattle and Boston. PAX is now proudly the largest gaming event in North America. In 2013, PAX hit the golden shores of Oz (and by that we mean Australia) where it’s now an annual event, and goes from strength to strength. This year, PAX Australia runs from 4-6 November, 2016 at the Melbourne Conference and Exhibition Centre. This mega-convention offers something for every, single type of gaming you can imagine including a Consol Freeplay area, where PAX attendees can hit up literally hundreds of the latest gen, classic and lesser known games during their time. More a fan …

The Best of Melbourne Docklands

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One of the areas of inner Melbourne that is still relatively unknown by visitors and even locals, the Docklands Precinct has grown from a disused wharf network in the 90’s, to a waterfront featuring an expansive array of restaurants, bars, shopping, attractions and modern residential buildings. In order to help you experience the best of this Melbourne suburb, we have listed some the best activities and attractions on offer. Harbour Town Shopping (440 Docklands Drive Docklands) A great location to spend the day browsing the various outlet stores, featuring all the latest brands and fashion including designer clothing, jewellery and homewares.  Quench your hunger at Burger Monster or enjoy a long island iced tea at the Harbour Town Hotel.  Etihad Stadium (740 Bourke Street Docklands) One of Melbourne’s premier sporting arenas, it’s a prime host of Aussie Rules matches throughout the winter months, with soccer and 20/20 cricket throughout the summer, along as holding concerts from some of the biggest music acts in the world. Its retractable roof will make your visit a pleasant one regardless …

90s Tribute

Tribute Mania Giveaway

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Tribute Mania will explode onto the Palais Theatre’s iconic rock ‘n roll stage with simply the best sounding, best looking and most technically accurate tributes anywhere in the world! The formula is simple. Sound like the artist, perform like the artist and look like the artist …then have a hell of a lot of fun doing it! Paying tribute to 5 of the world’s biggest bands, the night will take you on a journey through the 1960s to the 2000s! Playing on the night will be: Bjorn Again – The World’s No.1 ABBA Show The Australian Queen Tribute Show – The Closest You Will Ever Get to a 1980’s Queen Concert Elton Jack Show– The World’s Most Loved Elton John Show The Beatnix – The World’s First Beatles Tribute Show and Still Going Strong and introducing The Spicy Girls – Australia’s First Spice Girls Tribute Show Get your dancing shoes on, Tribute Mania will set your toes tapping. When: 6:30pm, Saturday, 3 September Where: Palais Theatre, St Kilda Visit the website here Exclusive: Tell us your …

A Chocolate Roadtrip

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All Melbournians know, a road trip to the Yarra Valley is nowhere near complete without a cheeky little stop on the way home to the Yarra Valley Chocolaterie (& Ice Creamery) to stock up on edible Christmas presents, random gifts or even just something fabulous to eat on the drive home. There is even SIMPLY GINORMOUS bowls of chocolate drops at the front entrance, so you can go a little ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ and have good old taste of the wares for FREE. Now, Victoria’s other world-renowned road trip, The Great Ocean Road is about to get its very own chocolate stop, when the Great Ocean Road Chocolaterie & Ice Creamery opens its sweet, sweet doors on September 17. In a similar (yet bigger and better) set up to its sister site in the Yarra, the Chocolaterie sits on 15 acres of landscaped grounds kitted out with an orchard, kitchen garden, scent-sational (see what we did there…) lavender maze and a play area for the kids. The promise of ‘abundant’ free tastings, over …

Heart of St Kilda Concert

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The Sacred Heart Mission 365 days of the year helps hundreds of people who are suffering from homelessness or living in poverty to find care, support and shelter and a hot meal. For the ninth year running, The Heart of St Kilda Concert, held at the beautiful Palais Theatre in St Kilda will play host to a fantastic line-up of comedy and music acts including Russell Morris, Kutcha Edwards, Shan Howard, Olympia and The Umbilical Brothers (with more artists to be announced closer to the date) and raise much needed funds for the Mission and it’s work. The Sacred Heart Mission serves up over 160,000 meals every year from its Grey Street, St Kilda dining hall, and last year the concert raised a massive $79,000 for the Mission’s program which helped to feed nearly 20,000 people in need. This St Kilda concert will feature RockWiz host Brian Nankervis as MC, tickets start from $79 (available via Ticketmaster) and will sell out quickly. Acess to the concert is a piece of cake, take either tram number …

St Kilda Markets

St Kilda Esplanade Market

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An institution in St Kilda since 1970, the Sunday market by the beach these days attracts well over 100 local artists, craftspeople and entrepreneurs each Sunday to the area. Delve into a treasure trove of handmade fashion, candles and beautiful unique pieces of jewelry. Delight in original paintings, gorgeous bespoke homewares, delicious treats and gift ideas. Stallholders at the St Kilda Esplanade Market are renowned for having a direct hand in crafting the products they sell.  Enjoy a chat with a local about their offering and within minutes you’ll sense the amount of love, passion and pride they put into their work. Take home some unique, one-of-a-kind pieces for your friends, family or even yourself – just in time for Christmas. New stall holders are added regularly, so you’ll always find something fresh. You can’t miss this market, just look for the rows of marquees lined all along the Upper Esplanade at St Kilda, head to Luna Park, and you’ll find the start of the market – between Fitzroy Street and Acland Street, easily accessed …

MIFF: Our Top Picks

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Clear your calendars, the Melbourne International Film Festival, has officially begun. Held over two and a half weeks and attracting over 200 000 visitors each year,  MIFF showcases the best of the best cinema from Australia and around the world. If the thought of choosing between over 300 films sounds daunting to you, we’ve picked out our flicks that we think you’ll want to see: Tickled | Documentary It seemed like an innocent investigation at first: journalist David Farrier had accidentally come across the world of “competitive endurance tickling”, in which a company offers all-expense paid trips to Los Angeles for men who are willing to be filmed being tickled. A mystery that begins as a curiosity turns into a full-blown investigation as co-directors David Farrier and Dylan Reeve navigate an extraordinary series of twists and turns to uncover the revelations at the heart of this peculiar subculture. Executive produced by Stephen Fry, Tickled is both a gripping cautionary tale and a top-notch piece of investigative journalism. In Jackson Heights | Documentary Jackson Heights, Queens, might …