Local Chick – Anneka Manning From Randwick

By Marcus Braid on December 9, 2014 in

Randwick resident Anneka Manning is using her expertise in food to great effect and opened her own baking business last year. Anneka shares her local favourites with The Beast…

How long have you lived here?
My husband Paul and I moved to Randwick 18 years ago. It was our first home and we love the area so much I doubt we will ever move.

What’s your favourite beach?
Definitely Bronte. Our kids, Brooke and Ben, are nippers down there and as a family we are very involved with the Bronte SLSC. It’s a great beach, great club and great community.

What’s your favourite eatery?
For breakfast, it’s Ruby’s Diner on Bronte Road, Waverley; for lunch and a good cuppa, it’s Eugene’s on Macpherson Street, Bronte; and for dinner, it’s Bronte Road Bistro on Bronte Road, Waverley. They are all walking distance from our house, which is a huge plus.

Where do you like to have a drink?
We often end up at the Bronte Surf Club for a casual drink on a Sunday night; if the weather is good, it is magic down there.

Do you follow a sporting team?
I have a soft spot for the Roosters.

What music are you into at the moment?
Hudson Taylor are a favourite at the moment; they are an Irish folk pop duo. My daughter discovered them and now we are hooked.

Who is your favourite person?
I have many, but I’ll name three: my family – Paul, Brooke and Ben.

What do you get up to on the weekends?
If I’m not holding my baking classes, I’m watching the kids play sport, doing the coastal walk, having friends around for dinner, reading and cooking.

What do you do for work?
After almost 25 years in food publishing as a writer, editor and publisher, I launched my own business last year called BakeClub. We offer online baking resources and hands-on demonstration-style BakeClasses. I still write a lot, including a column for SBS Food, called Bakeproof, and my recipe book is keeping me busy.

What’s your favourite thing about work?
I love the face-to-face teaching. The biggest buzz is when someone suddenly realises that they can bake, especially those who are self confessed non-bakers. They leave us with the know-how and confidence to bake at home.

Do you have a favourite quote?
“Procrastinbaking: The art of making cupcakes instead of doing something else you should be doing.”

Any other words of wisdom for readers of The Beast?
Life is too short not to spend it doing what you love. Surround yourself with good friends and those who support you and, in turn, be a good friend and support them.