More food inspo from Poh and Co
Normal life has all but come to a halt for Poh Ling Yeow since she was crowned second runner-up on Ten's reality cooking series MasterChef Australia in 2009.
Between spruiking her second cookbook, Same Same But Different, shooting her eponymous cooking shows, managing her weekly market stalls and juggling her solo art exhibitions (she is a seasoned visual artist), Yeow is a busy woman.
But how does she juggle it all?
"Very poorly, actually, " Yeow laughs. "Everyone who knows me knows I'm quite unreliable because I lead a pretty chaotic life. But I genuinely love what I do and I guess that's what keeps me motivated."
Just when she thought life couldn't get any more hectic, Yeow is gearing up to launch her latest TV offering, Poh and Co, which starts next week on SBS1.
The series is brimming with culinary inspiration, with Yeow sharing her favourite weeknight meals - which she cooks in her humble kitchen at her eclectic Adelaide home - while also trying to grow her own produce.
Although not much of a green thumb, Yeow was eager to establish a thriving edible garden, a tumultuous effort that is captured in the first episode.
"I've just never had the space for it, " she says. "Before this, I had this little flat and it was just a concrete jungle - I could never get anything to grow, even in pots.
"But you know what, it was actually really easy. For the most part, if you mulch and do all the right things, the plants look after themselves."
Adding another endearing element to the series, Yeow also offers a more personal glimpse into her busy life, from her playful relationship with husband Jonno to the painstaking hours she invests in her artwork and running her Sunday market stalls with business partner and friend Sarah.
But taking a more personal route for the series also meant the camera crew were a little more invasive, with Yeow filmed in her home. One instance was when Yeow was filmed at home at 2am during a late-night baking session.
"It's pretty strange I have to admit but they're not following me around the whole time, " she laughs.
Yeow's mum Christina and her aunt Kim are also on hand throughout the series cooking traditional family recipes.
"I didn't want to do a cooking show where the recipes are saved for a special occasion, I wanted it to be every-night food, " she says. "In Australia, we cook from so many different cultures and I wanted the show to reflect that so that people see it as a very practical show to watch and the recipes very doable on a weeknight basis."
Poh and Co airs on Thursday at 8pm on SBS1.
