Emily O’Halloran.

I’m a daughter, sister, girlfriend and pal. Also obsessed with Sam, the family labrador. I’m half-Kiwi and half-Australian, but always go for the All Blacks (sorry Dad). I’m a freelancing publicist and content creator. A keen explorer, walking-enthusiast and planner of events and weekends away. An Aucklander dreaming of her next move. A lover of food, drink and fresh produce, restaurants, cafés, food trucks and farmers’ markets. And a proud owner of @Forkingyum, a carefully curated feed championing the best of NZ hospitality, travel and culture.

 

What’s your talent you don’t get paid for?

Being organised. I live for planning events, organising people, list-writing, running errands and making sure everything is tidy. Some have taken to calling me the “admin queen”... I’ll take it. 

Death Row meal? Or should we say, post-lockdown meal of choice?

I’ve always said my death row meal would be Italy’s finest bowl of pasta and glass of red wine. The condition being that I have to scour Italy to find said pasta and wine myself. Are you allowed to negotiate conditions when on death row? Hmm… 

Post-lockdown, I will take literally anything that I haven’t cooked myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love cooking and the kitchen is my happy place, but I thrive when I’m immersed in the best of NZ’s hospitality scene - I miss the service, the smiles, the menus, the passion, the dimly lit tables and the buzz of conversation as people make connections and memories over food. 

If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be?

When Bohemian Rhapsody plays, something happens deep inside my bones and I can’t not dance. And when I say dance, I’m talking air guitars and standing on couches. My friends can vouch for this - there is a video of me doing the guitar solo with a broom out there somewhere. I feel like this would put me in a good mood for life. 

Give us a weird but surprisingly good flavour combination…

I recently discovered the joys of desserts with olive oil and sea salt. If you’re curious, try the cheesecake at Pici in St Kevin’s Arcade on Karangahape Road. Apparently vanilla ice cream, olive oil and sea salt is also divine. I will try it and report back!

You’re wearing The Indiana Dress in Cherry, don’t you just love it? Tell us why you love it.

This dress arrived on my doorstep on the first day of spring, which felt just right. I put it on stright away and honestly, I felt beautiful. As someone who has struggled with negative body image and poor self-esteem for a very long time, that’s not something I say casually. The colour is vibrant and invites a feeling of confidence. The fabric is light and soft and fits in all the right places, so you feel comfortable, too. 

I walked differently when wearing this dress, tip-toeing my way across the house, the same way a little girl does when wearing her favourite tutu.

 

Thank you to the lovely Emily for joining our community of humans in hej hej! Make sure you follow Emily @forkingyum for all thinking foodie, recipes, recommendations and generally great content!