Yasmin Newman: Writer. Presenter. Photographer.
Born in Sydney, Australia to a Filipino mother and an Australian father, Yasmin’s mixed cultural background, as well as her parents’ charming idiosyncrasies, acted as a constant source of both inspiration and pride. From an early age, Yasmin’s enquiring mind and a desire to communicate was already apparent.
With parents — avid travelers — and an extended family from around the world, this interest in understanding the world was nourished. At the age of two, Yasmin embarked on her first trip overseas.
She has been on the road more or less ever since.
A love for food hit early too. At age 5, Yasmin feverishly guarded chocolates, consuming them at all hours of the night from her secret stash; at 9, she discovered her mum had the same trick; and by 11, Yasmin had mastered how to spend all of her hard earned cash on food. It was a skill that would remain with her for the rest of her life.
After high school, Yasmin passed down the opportunity to study medicine or law like many of her classmates, and instead decided to follow her own heart. Media was her true passion and she began studying a double degree in Communications and International Studies.
During these years, Yasmin cultivated her skills and broadened her understanding of the industry, working as a professional portrait photographer and also as a studio manager of a live-broadcast TV station in Sydney. It was during this time that Yasmin also began to observe her interest in writing.
Now, as Yasmin’s career has flourished, she recalls the formidable training that these earlier experiences provided and, to this day, Yasmin’s passion for all forms of media remains, as can be seen through her work in a variety of mediums. “Whether combined or on their own, they are all fantastic means through which I can communicate all the wonder that I see in the world around me each and every day.”
Over the last five years, Yasmin’s journey has taken her worldwide, from Paris to Mexico and the Philippines. In 2005, Yasmin worked as Editor-in-Chief of Merge Magazine, a luxury publication based in Los Angeles. Upon returning to Australia two years later, she moved into food writing and became Deputy Editor of FoodinFocus, a cross-media publication for which she also co-hosted a live 2-hour weekly radio show about food.
At present, Yasmin works as a freelance writer, editor, presenter and photographer covering food, lifestyle and travel for a variety of media outlets including Selector Magazine, FoodService and Unseen TV. She is currently working on her second cookbook; her first The Brownie Book: A Collection of Friends will be released early next year.
In her spare time, Yasmin likes to bust out her French and Spanish skills with local expats (she’s just now started to learn Tagalog) and go to the cinema as often as she can.
Yet, let us not forget, Yasmin’s favourite thing of all: baking cakes, which she likes to do late at night when everyone is asleep while she listens to music that soothes her soul. A hopeless foodie, dessert is Yasmin’s one true weakness and testing recipes a compulsive habit. Upon training in Professional Pastry in Los Angeles, Yasmin set up a personalised dessert catering service which she runs through her food blog and website, Almond & The Hazelnut.
As a communicator, Yasmin continues to seek out meaningful projects that engage and share with others her enthusiasm for life, creative pursuits, great food and lots of travel.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
