I have been told my life is a fairy-tale
but my story is simple. Born in Melbourne, Australia, I met a Balinese
man from Ubud in 1984, and without much thought, moved to this charming
hillside town and threw myself into a new life. Back then, ducks and
cows wandered down the main road and telephones were a luxury. That was
nearly 30 years ago. Hard to believe. And since that time, 4 babies have
been born and businesses have blossomed. We are the proud
owners of Casa Luna and Indus restaurants, and more recently, Bar Luna. I
also run The Casa Luna Cooking School where happy tourists and others
are taught the secrets of Balinese cooking.
In 2003 my memoir/cookbook Fragrant Rice
was published and is an account of my life on this fabled island
interspersed with Balinese recipes and insights into local traditions.
In 2004 I created the international Ubud
Writers & Readers Festival in response to the 2002 Bali bombings. It
has been named by Harper’s Bazaar, UK, as “one of the top Festivals in
the world” and by ABC’s Asia-Pacific network as “the next Edinburgh
Festival of Asia”.
In 2011, my cookbook, Bali; The Food of My Island Home was released and includes my favourite recipes from Bali and beyond.
I live in Ubud on the premises of the Honeymoon Guesthouse with my husband and four children, when they are all home.