Friends of Zia Grace
Zia Grace wishes to personally acknowledge the contribution of the following people who helped make her first book launch a great success.
Charles “Bud” Tingwell
Zia Grace wanted someone really special to launch her first children’s book, Nubsy McNoodle Wanted A Poodle, with a reading. After stumbling across Bud Tingwell’s website, she thought "perfect!" and began making enquiries. Bud is a great sport and accepted Zia Grace’s invitation to do the reading… and not only that, he also met Zia Grace a few days earlier to do a photo shoot for Melbourne newspaper, The Herald Sun. Zia Grace and Bud are talking about another project together in the near future so stayed tuned.
George Calombaris – Executive Chef – The Press Club
George Calombaris is a personal friend of Zia Grace. George is a creative genius in the kitchen whose passion for food, flair and family echoes those of Zia Grace’s. His ability to transform classic dishes into modern masterpieces recently earned George "Chef of the Year" in The Age Good Food Guide, 2008. George is also a regular celebrity chef on Channel 10’s Ready Steady Cook program.
Artisan Green Eco-Catering
Zia Grace met Frances Paderno, founder of Artisan Green, during a Reiki course in 2004. Frances was also Zia Grace’s yoga instructor who adopted a clean-green lifestyle over a decade ago. When Zia Grace was looking for a kid’s catering company that specialised in organic produce and food allergy sensitivities she hit a brick wall. She called Frances to see if she had any connections to which she replied, "I’m in the process of establishing my own eco-catering business". So Zia Grace helped Frances design her business cards and the rest is history.
The Adriatic Lounge – by Adriatic Furniture
Zia Grace’s family is from a little Italian village called San Marco in Lamis, Puglia. Zia Grace visited her parent’s hometown with her husband Patrick in 2006 after travelling down the Adriatic coast. The Adriatic Lounge is a tribute to Zia Grace’s Italian family and heritage. Zia Grace sends a big thank you to her cousins, the Catalano brothers of Adriatic Furniture, for providing the ultra-luxurious lounge and stage setting for Zia Grace’s Melbourne launch.
Belvoir Organic Cordial – sourced from Macro Wholefoods
Belvoir Cordials are made with the freshest fruits, herbs & spices and use only the finest natural ingredients to make the best cordials possible. Belvoir Cordials are the winners of many awards. All Belvoir Cordials are approximately 2.5 times more concentrated than ordinary cordials - generally you mix one part cordial to 10 parts water.
Animal Trainer Show
When Zia Grace was looking for entertainment as a precursor to her book reading, she came across Animal Trainer Show. What Zia Grace loved most about this show was it educated children about responsible pet ownership in a fun and entertaining way. The extra bonus was that the two stars of the show, Astro and Comet, were adopted from animal shelters, which is a theme in Zia Grace’s book, Nubsy McNoodle Wanted A Poodle. The Animal Trainer Show tours libraries and primary schools, spreading the good word.
Gift Bag Contents
Zia Grace sends a big thank you to the following suppliers of the gift bag goodies.
College Farm Nature Pops
A better choice in children's snacks. Old-school certified organic lollipops in 4 flavors - Tropical Treat, Wild Berry, Citrus Blast, and Cheery Cherry. Kids of all ages will love them. Best of all, no worries about trans fats, pesticides, chemicals, and mystery ingredients. No gluten, dairy, or soy, either. Nature Pops contain nothing but natural sweeteners, flavors, and colors. Each resealable bag contains an assortment of 18 delicious pops.
Click here to find your nearest stockist.
Hip Hop Bars
Hip Hop fruit & cereal bars are a tasty nutritious snack without sulphur dioxide or any other nasty preservatives, artificial colours or flavours and no added sugar. Made with 40% real fruit and low GI oats, they are a great energy snack for healthy kids. Available in the Health Food Section of most supermarkets.
JP+ Gummies®
JP (Juice Plus+®) Gummies are a healthy alternative to lollies and other unhealthy snacks, offering the whole food based nutritional goodness of Juice Plus+® fruit and vegetable juice powders in tasty "gummi" form. Gummies taste great and contain less sugar (from all-natural sources) than regular gummi products.
