CHARACTER STUDY

BY KIRSTY MCKENZIE, PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIM SELBY

Idle is not a word in Dani Venn’s vocabulary. When Australian Country recently caught up with the self-taught cook and 2011 MasterChef Australia finalist, she was juggling the joint responsibilities of running her own food consultancy and raising her two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Harlow. She was also in the throes of organising her wedding to her long-time partner, construction manager Chris Burgess, helping him and a couple of mates launch a bar in Melbourne’s inner north and arranging to host two wellness retreats in Bali. In her “spare” time she adds that she’s gearing up for her busiest time of year as an awareness ambassador for Ovarian Cancer Australia (OCA).

“I do feel like I work a lot,” she says. “But I’m fortunate that I can pick my hours so I work when Harlow goes to sleep. And I have a nice balance because we