Amanda Reboul, Co-founder, The Truffle Man
Grab life by the horns and live it to the full ...
Behind every great man you’ll find an equally gifted lady, and Amanda Reboul is one such treasure. A woman of many talents, Amanda is not only the co-founder of The Truffle Man alongside her husband Philippe, but also the company’s marketing and events manager, blogger and mother of three. While the story may start out as boy meets girl, in this case the couple goes on to live happily ever after while jet-setting overseas, spending ten years in France, four years in Tokyo, and finally returning to Australia to establish a niche French import company in 2006. Specialising in truffles and champagne, The Truffle Man range encompasses all kinds of culinary delights, from caviar and foie gras to salami and rare spices. The Weekend Edition caught up with the lady behind The Truffle Man to chat weekend essentials and Saturday morning rituals.
How do you like to start your weekend?
I am usually rushing around a lot during the week, so I love to start my Saturday off with a cup of tea and the newspaper.
What’s your favourite thing to do on a Saturday morning?
We live quite close to Mount Coot-tha and we love taking our dog for a walk up the trail with a couple of our friends. It really wakes you up for the day and makes us appreciate how lucky we are to live in this part of the world.
How do you like to unwind?
I just love a glass of a great champagne at the end of the week. There is something about champagne that just makes all your troubles disappear!
What are your essentials for a well-spent weekend?
Good food, good wine and great company.
What’s something you’ve been meaning to do on the weekend but haven’t got around to yet?
I would love to take the kids to the beach for a picnic breakfast. However, we are at a time in our lives when school sports and other activities take precedence. It will be over in the blink of an eye, though – plenty of time for beach picnics later!
What’s your favourite thing to do on a Sunday evening?
I love having nice relaxed drinks with friends and getting ready for the week ahead.
What are you looking forward to next weekend?
Next weekend is my ‘baby’ boy’s eighth birthday. We are having a birthday party for him and his friends at the Lego Educational Centre and a picnic afternoon tea in Musgrave Park. He’s never had a big birthday party like that before, so we’re all very excited about it.
What are you reading at the moment?
The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry. It is an emotional story about a young woman with Asperger’s Syndrome who has been left to live alone after the tragic death of her parents. She finds consolation in cooking and discovers that she can conjure up ghosts by cooking the hand-written recipes of significant people she has lost in her life. I can’t put it down.
What inspires you?
I am constantly inspired by people who have followed their passion and succeeded in business often with only a small plan and very little experience. I am also inspired by people who face great adversity in life and still come out smiling.
What was your childhood dream?
I wanted to be a famous actress and walk the red carpet at the Oscars.
What has been your greatest achievement?
Learning another language and culture has been a pretty big achievement for me, and raising my three kids.
What is success to you?
Success for me is achieving what you set out to achieve in life and ultimately being happy within yourself.
What are your words of wisdom?
Grab life by the horns and live it to the full. Take the opportunities that come your way and have no regrets.
Only a local would know … Mount Cooth-tha means ‘place of honey’ and was the place that local indigenous people would go to collect honey from the native stingless bee.
FAVOURITE WEEKEND SPOT TO:
Perk up … Sofitel, Brisbane City. It’s my happy place – a bit like Tiffany & Co. for Holly Golightly, it takes away the mean reds!
Relax … Stradbroke Island – North or South, it doesn’t matter.
Dine … Restaurant Two, Brisbane City.
Indulge … French Rendez-vous, Fortitude Valley.
Shop … QueensPlaza, Brisbane City.
Catch-up … Plum Cafe, Kenmore.
Be inspired … GOMA, South Bank.
