MY CULTURAL LIFE TV: Long Lost Family
Sharon Hearne-Smith, food stylist/author
Sharon Hearne-Smith is a busy working mum to two small girls, Pearl (seven) and Poppy (three). Working with food has always been in Sharon’s blood, having grown up working in her family’s restaurant, The Lobster Pot, in Carne, Co Wexford. Having lived and worked in London and occasionally New York, working as a food stylist and home economist, she now resides in Dublin where she has authored two cookbooks, No-Bake Baking and The No-Cook Cookbook. Sharon is in her third year as ambassador for Supervalu and is also a regular cook on RTE’s The Today Show. Her passions include teaching how therapeutic grade essential oils have empowered her to take control of her health and wellbeing naturally (hello@sharonhearnesmith.com). Sharon will be cooking food fit for a ‘food lovers playground’ at the Taste of Dublin Festival, inspired by NEFF which runs from June 14-17 (tasteofdublin.ie)
Film: Waitress
Waitress (a 2007 cooking-themed comedy drama, right). I’m not a huge movie buff but I do like a bit of easy and entertaining watching. I am easily captivated by all the pies the waitress in Joe’s Pie Diner invents and creates in this movie, including the hilarious names she gives them. I‘ll take the ‘marshmallow Mermaid Pie’ over the ‘Baby screaming it’s head off in the middle of the night and ruining my life’ pie any day.
Music: Counting Crows
Counting Crows’ song Mr Jones was big in America when I spent an incredible and fun summer living and working in Boston in my early 20s and so I love to listen to it still to this day. With food, I love how our sense of taste and smell can strike nostalgia and memories and the same applies when listening to music. I also love the connection I get to past times (which seem much slower and less complicated!) when listening to music from the 1940s and 1950s like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.
Book: The Artist’s Way
I’m a personal development and empowerment (otherwise known as the ‘self-help’ category of books!) kind of person. My favourite authors include Gabby Bernstein, Eckhart Tolle, Florence Scovell Shinn and Louise Hay. The
Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron has also helped me immensely on my journey.
Design: Vintage illustrations
From vintage sewing patterns, cookery, children’s and homemaking books to advertising, I find vintage illustrations and artwork fascinating. When my house was being renovated, I unearthed a whole bunch of torn pieces of 1960s Irish newspapers. I framed all of the illustrated advertisements, including a fab Clery’s department store ad for women’s leather gloves. Long Lost Family presented by Davina McCall (right). I usually have a back-log of recordings, but only dip into them when I feel in the right mood. Nevertheless, I usually end up an emotional mess afterwards! Why do I do it to myself?