March 29, 2024

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Cooking Is My World

Danielle Peita Graham on Her Journey Into Culinary Entrepreneurship – Status Online

From her modelling times to working with major names like filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai in Hong Kong, Danielle Peita Graham talks about her journey in rebranding herself as an all-spherical culinary entrepreneur.

Danielle exudes an air of self-assurance so effortless that some may well sense intimidation in approaching her. With her commanding existence, she navigates our photoshoot dressed in elegant FENDI with ease and minimal course.

Ahead of our job interview started and our preliminary introductions were finished, I understood we were in the presence of a food items savant. 1 just cannot support but notice Danielle’s evident enjoy for meals as she fawns above her bowl of take-absent Thai glass noodles, casually chatting absent on how much she loves spicy Thai foods, possessing invested some time in Thailand for get the job done and journey.

Danielle Peita Graham
FENDI SS21 Baguette & shirt.

Born in Kuala Lumpur, to a Malaysian-Chinese mother and an Irish father, Danielle was elevated in Australia prior to she returned to Asia – Hong Kong in specific – to make her mark as a prosperous design who adorned quite a few magazine covers. Potentially her most recognisable stint would be her Olay commercials. Other individuals also bear in mind her as Nurse Danielle in the Nicholas Tse and Stephen Fung starrer 2002, as perfectly as the Wong Kar-Wai directed DJ Shadow tunes online video, 6 Days.

Danielle recounts her childhood memories developing up with her mother and father who performed a significant component in nurturing her passion to what it is right now. “I was exposed to cooking at a pretty youthful age. I grew up in the kitchen area supporting equally my mothers and fathers immediately after school. My dad taught me to make mashed potatoes when I was eight decades aged and my mum her famed fried rice,” states Danielle with a smile.

Her childhood nostalgia has made her a organization believer in constantly creating property-cooked meals for her family in Malaysia. To be certain that they get the correct stability of vitamins and minerals in their bodies, Dannielle has taken cost to be certain they often take in healthily. “It is truly significant to me. The foods we take in truly sets the tone for who we are,” claims Danielle.

This resolve of hers has managed to instil fascination and exceptional culinary expertise in both of those of her youthful youngsters Ben, who is 11 several years outdated, and Sophia, who is 9. It is a feat of incredible evaluate in this working day and age, specifically when kids are tougher to pry absent from the many screens that they are uncovered to and Danielle agrees wholeheartedly.

Danielle Peita Graham
FENDI SS21 dress & Peekaboo ISeeU EastWest.

“It is a life talent realizing how to prepare dinner! It’s survival! I’m grateful that each my small children have taken a keen desire in cooking,” she suggests. Ben’s speciality is cooking steaks, while Sophia has not long ago “graduated” from employing a kid’s knife to an adult a single, and this, states Danielle, brings her wonderful motherly pleasure.

Rebranding herself from a design to a chef was not as difficult as she imagined. Danielle claims that the shift was amazingly natural for her. Acquiring accumulated recipes she developed because 18 several years of age when she was residing by yourself in her condominium in Hong Kong, as properly as recipes handed down by her spouse and children, she last but not least took the leap of faith and self-released her initially cookbook, On The Desk At Home, in 2016.

“Being a mum in the course of the pandemic is also like currently being the trainer, referee and chef. As a lady there are so a lot of roles that we continually want to participate in.”

Danielle Graham

Showcasing household-cooked yet cafe-worthy recipes that make up the fantastic amalgamation of East satisfies West, the challenge experienced been a desire of hers considering the fact that she was a teen. “I needed to share my recipes in hopes that it will inspire other people to cook, and share their really like with their buddies and relatives. To me, food items is like. There is just no improved way to exhibit it.”

Due to the fact its debut, the cookbook has been a continuous accomplishment. There have been several requests to restock the shelves specifically at the Kinokuniya bookstore at Suria KLCC, Malaysia as nicely as in Singapore, so normally we had to inquire the noticeable is there an additional cookbook in the performs? “You know what? A lot of individuals have been asking me this. I do have a great deal of new recipes created, so it’s absolutely on the cards,” suggests Danielle.

Danielle Peita Graham

To further build her job as a culinary maven, Danielle also had the unquenchable motivation to introduce her really individual kitchenware line. With a group of companions to assist her eyesight, the aptly named ‘Danielle‘ important kitchenware line was launched in 2019 on her 40th birthday in Hong Kong. However, commencing this new undertaking wasn’t uncomplicated.

There was a lot of back and forth in perfecting the line which has now developed to include things like a wide variety of excellent German-metal knives, cookware, reducing boards, and also a distinctive-edition parent- and-child knife set for spouse and children property-cooking moments.

“It was of utmost relevance that the kitchenware line was reliable as achievable. My name is on it and I use them too,” states Danielle. With more items launching quickly on her internet site and in suppliers, Danielle’s ultimate intention is to make life much easier when generating cooking far more enjoyable at residence.

Danielle Peita Graham
FENDI SS21 pants & shirt.

With the ongoing pandemic impacting everybody in diverse methods, Danielle shares that she finds juggling currently being a mother and controlling her burgeoning culinary vocation a constant do the job in development.

“I’m in a natural way pretty an energetic man or woman and I like the challenge to continue to keep myself fast paced, but I do uncover it really hard at instances since there is only 1 of me! But I check out my best,” says Danielle.

“I love to support the neighborhood expertise. I consider it is very critical to get from our farmers and fishermen especially for the duration of these moments.”

Danielle Graham

“Being a mum for the duration of the pandemic is also like being the trainer, referee and chef. As a lady there are so numerous distinctive roles that we continually require to enjoy.”

One particular of the strategies Danielle managed her time as nicely as her children’s through the lockdown was by trying to keep chaotic with her On the Table at Home shipping initiative which begun in the course of the first Movement Manage Get in March 2020 and is even now ongoing.

Danielle Peita Graham
FENDI SS21 sandals & knitted jumpsuit.

The strategy sparked when one particular of her girlfriends, Datin Dian Lee, recommended that she should do it as a business enterprise. Getting her young children support to chop greens and guide with the logistics proved to be fruitful not just for her household, but also for her regional clients as well as those from Singapore, United States and Europe who purchased Danielle’s property-cooked food items to be shipped to their people in Kuala Lumpur.

“It felt definitely fulfilling. The act was so sweet and heartfelt, that is why I continuously say that food stuff is appreciate. It’s a fantastic way of showing adore and spoiling your liked types.”

With no ideas to gradual down at any time before long, Danielle now has her sights established on launching a YouTube channel that includes her recipes. For now, she finds it critical that she is capable to help local firms regardless of not currently being able to go to her regular markets through the lockdown. “I really like to guidance the neighborhood expertise. I think it’s incredibly essential to buy from our farmers and fishermen particularly in the course of these situations,” states Danielle.

Danielle Peita Graham

The joy she finds when she scores a clean deliver is indescribable. She tells me that she’s these kinds of a standard at the market place that everybody appreciates her and she enjoys exclusive savings. She even has her very own “fish guy” and “chicken lady” whom she frequently communicates for updates on refreshing make. “You know, I have them all on pace dial,” adds Danielle with a chuckle.


Job interview: Naseem Randhawa
Stylist: Nigel Lee
Photographer: Mickey Wong @ New Storyboards Photography
Makeup artist: Cat Yong
Hair stylist: Ckay Liow


This tale was first revealed Prestige Malaysia’s February 2021 issue. To browse the most current concern, pick up a copy from the nearest newsstand or subscribe on Magzter.