Dominique Rizzo

Dominique Rizzo's Biography

Dominique Rizzo is one of Queensland’s leading female chefs who creates purely delicious, healthy and real food recipes that inspire people to make a change for the better while still loving their food.

 

As a Chef, Author and Presenter Dominique’s aim is to inspire people to cook with fresh, seasonal and local produce. Through her innovative recipes and a healthy attitude her mission is to improve general wellbeing, build confidence in the kitchen, inspire creative cooking and bring vitality onto peoples plates. “I am deeply passionate about creating innovative food using quality safe and clean fresh produce. My heart lies naturally within the pages of Italian cuisine, while my inspiration takes you on a culinary journey of world food flavours.”

 

Dominique’s life and work centres around her philosophy;

 

"Through the sharing of food we share life and one is never lonely or hungry."

 

Embracing 20 years’ experience as a chef and restaurateur, Dominique is able to share her abundant knowledge around Australia. Through her public speaking, cooking classes, cooking presentations and demonstrations, recipe writing, food styling, radio and Television work Dominique focuses not only on her true passion for Italian and Sicilian food culture but she also incorporates an emphasis on all cuisines celebrating Australia’s amazing melting pot of a multicultural kitchen.

 

Dominique’s passion for all things purely food, coming together, connecting and sharing has led her into her New venture Putia: Pure Food Kitchen, School and Pantry, located on Brisbane’s north side in the hub of Banyo, an emerging urban hot spot.

 

Putia: Pure Food Kitchen, School, Pantry provides Dominique with a creative and welcoming space to teach healthy sustainable cooking and lifestyle changes. Putia is also an innovative space for lifestyle workshops, education, events, dining and a fantastic community hub showcasing local Queensland products and a selection of her own brand “Pure Food Cooking” all natural home and body products.

Dominique media experience spans for over 12 years’ working in Australian magazines and newspapers such as BBC Food, The Courier Mail, Diane magazine, APN Australian Regional Media as well as a 10 year stint in television and radio. She has featured on SBS television, 4BH and 612 ABC radio, and including past guest spots on “The Great South East”, “The Circle”, and a long-standing role on Channel 10’s Ready, Steady, Cook. More recently Dominique has hosted and cooked on Channel 10 with ‘Yes Chef’ and “It’s a Lifestyle TV” and ran the presenter role for “Fresh on Sundays” a 2 hour food show on Brisbane’s popular 4BC radio. Dominique is also highly regarded for her Emceeing and Hosting/presenting skills appearing in many local and regional food events with a long standing role as ambassador and presenter for “The Royal Queensland Food and Wine Show Stage” at the Brisbane Ekka. The 10 day schedule includes, demonstrations, hosting, presenting and Emceeing with a strong focus on showcasing regional flavours, local providores and the best of Brisbane and Queensland’s chefs and purveyors of fine produce.

 

Dominique has over 10 years’ experience writing recipes and developing content for food festival appearances incorporating local producers, as well as fulfilling contracts for several private companies. Her recipes are designed to give the consumer healthy, delicious, quick and easy tips and ideas on how they can use specific products and incorporate them into their everyday cooking. Dominique’s recipes are innovative and interesting keeping in with the food trends and with techniques that can be easily achieved and ingredients that are readily available. Some of her past clients include, Bertolli Olive oil, Gourmet Garden, IGA, Perfect Italiano Cheese, Lindeman’s Wines, Australian Pork, Murray Valley Pork, JBS Australia, Brisbane Markets, Australian mushroom growers, Wrays Organics, Regal Salmon, The Ginger factory and VZUG appliances.

 

Dominique’s cook book “My Taste of Sicily” showcases a beautiful collection of delicious family friendly recipes highlighting her passion for fresh healthy cooking and her Sicilian heritage. She is currently working on a series of “Pure Food Cooking” books aimed for the regular household cook and featuring simple, healthy recipes and foods for the whole family.

 

Her passion for all things Sicily inspired her “Pure Food, Wine and Cooking Tours” taking small groups of 16 - 18 people through Southern Italy, Sicily and the beautiful surrounding volcanic Islands. Dominique has since included tours to Spain, Greece and more locally, Norfolk Island.