Vibrant in personality, and eclectic in style, Alice Zaslavsky first captured our attention when she graced our screens as a contestant on Masterchef Australia. Since becoming a fan favourite and household name, Alice’s achievements have seen no bounds. From being the resident culinary correspondent on ABC News Breakfast, a crafty social media queen known as @aliceinframes, and being the author of the bestselling and award nominated In Praise of Veg, Alice’s mission to educate adults and children about the joys of cooking with fresh produce sees no end in sight.
With many projects under her belt – both current and upcoming – we are excited to welcome Alice to the family as our La Marzocco Home ambassador.
While now identifying herself as an aspiring coffee nerd, Alice’s journey into the world of specialty coffee began with a peculiar order that she still laughs about today. Growing up a tea drinker, Alice confesses that her palate took adjusting to appreciate the art of coffee. While her family and friends took part in the ritual of catching up over a cup of coffee, Alice’s regular order began with one that she now describes today as a “pooey nappy” (think a ristretto topped with a babycino).
While humorous to look back on, Alice’s curious nature led her to start asking her regular barista questions and forming a strong relationship with Zak, head barista and owner of Bayano the Rebel in South Yarra, Melbourne. By asking questions and learning more about the bean to cup process and tasting various blends, Alice’s coffee order has now evolved to always ordering black coffee as she quickly came to realise that coffee is such a unique beverage and doesn’t necessarily need the addition of milk (or in Alice’s case, a tonne of froth) to enhance its flavour.
“We ask questions about where our wine and food come from, so why shouldn’t we ask questions about where our coffee comes from and try to understand the story behind what we are tasting.”
Born in Georgia with Russian-Jewish heritage, Alice’s first memories of coffee involved partaking in the art of tasseography with her mother and grandmother when sharing a Georgian coffee. This culturally rich and traditional association with coffee is strongly contrasted to the one she shares today. After forming a strong relationship with Zak, Alice’s conversations around her morning cups of coffee now centre on the significance of the bean’s origin and roasting process, which influence the flavours in her cup.
“One thing I am passionate about is human connection. In the case of coffee, I love being connected to the stories of the farmers, roasters and wider coffee community involved in the cup I am drinking.”
Outside of her kitchen wonderland, Alice can be found working on a number of projects that are in the pipeline for the year ahead, which include a range of flavour enhancers for the everyday kitchen, new content for her Phenomenom channel – a digital toolkit to encourage children to explore the big, exciting world of food – and also placing the final touches on her second cookbook.
Energetic and always on the go, Alice’s moments of respite can normally be found at her home on the Mornington Peninsula with her husband, Nick and almost-two-year-old daughter, Hazel. With limited cafes near her home, Alice boasts to offer some of the best coffee on the peninsula thanks to her Linea Mini and beans from Disciple Roasters. However, the magic of her Linea Mini does not stop at barista quality coffee, Alice’s Linea Mini has quickly become a kitchen essential to prove bread on the machine’s cup tray, create café-quality Monks Chai, warm cups effectively and, of course make her toddler’s morning babycino.
“Our Linea Mini is way more than a statement piece for our kitchen.”
We look forward to working with Alice and sharing some exciting content with you.
To learn more about Alice and to purchase her book, In Praise of Veg, visit her website.
