How Tyra Banks’ Sydney sweet fix is helping LA’s fire victims
Tyra Banks has been living low-key in Sydney, but after suffering her own devastating loss in the LA bushfires, the US supermodel is helping her hometown recover in a very chilled way.
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After suffering her own devastating losses in the LA bushfires, Tyra Banks is giving back with ice cream.
The American supermodel has been living low-key in Sydney for the past year ahead of launching her Smize & Dream business venture in the harbour city with a pop-up cart stationed at The Rocks Square from Thursday.
Ongoing sales from her most popular ice cream flavour will be donated to those impacted by the shocking bushfires.
“It is important to me, that is my home, LA is where I am born and raised,” Banks told The Daily Telegraph.
“I don’t live there anymore, not consistently, but it is home. Our house, it is gone. I’m like, what can I do from here, what can I do to help my people? So we are going to have all the proceeds from ‘Tyra’s Favourite’ for a while, … to go back to (those affected by) the fires. That tends to be our highest selling flavour and hopefully it is here.”
Tyra’s Favourite is a mix of “salted caramel butter swirls through creamy salted sweet cream and butter-roasted pecan”.
The former America’s Next Top Model host continued: “Also, every time I talk to Aussies about the fire, there is something in their eyes and I realise it is that they’ve experienced it. And I remember, it (the 2019/2020 fires) was all over the news in America, … you guys have been through this too so we are giving this to LA but we are now an Australian company as well so we are keen to support local communities.”
Banks has for the past year split her time between New York and Sydney and lost a home in the LA fires.
From March, the first ever Smize & Dream permanent bricks and mortar store in the world will open in Darling Harbour.
“I have been here with culture, friends, with food, slaying, I feel like (I’m) semi-Aussie,” Banks said.
“Except I don’t have the accent down.”
Banks launches with a touch of Australia by way of a ‘Miss Coco Lamington’ flavour. Could vegemite ice cream come next?
“My mum (Carolyn), she raised me when you go to a place, you immerse yourself in a culture, you respect that culture, you learn that culture, if they don’t speak English, don’t expect them to,” Banks explained.
“You have to realise the world does not revolve all around your country. That has always stuck with me and not in a disciplinary way but in an exciting way so whenever I come somewhere I’m like, I know the tourist areas but where are people eating. Tasting lamingtons, I knew I had to put this into an ice cream.”
And vegemite?
“We shall see.”