Former MasterChef star Sarah Todd is now making an impact in Goa

THIS busy restaurateur has more than enough on her plate

Sarah Todd Inside Story. Pictures: Chris Groenhout

• Who: Sarah Todd, former MasterChef contestant, now the subject of SBS series, My Restaurant in India.

• Where: Prahan, Melbourne in an Art Deco-style home with her son Phoenix, 5.

• Favourite thing: My new dining table. I like to entertain and to have a space to feel comfortable in. It’s one thing for food to taste delicious, but it’s important that everything looks beautiful too.

• Inspiration: I take inspiration from the food and culture that I have the pleasure of experiencing from every place that I visit, but my home is very neat and clean.

• Home is: I have such a hectic lifestyle that when I am home, sitting on the couch and watching a movie with my son, that is my ideal moment. Home is my calm, happy place.

SHE is a former model-turned-MasterChef favourite who is now making an impact on the culinary scene in Goa.

No one could accuse Sarah Todd of resting on her laurels, as the camera trails her as she travels to India to set up a 400-seat beach club and restaurant for the SBS series My Restaurant In India.

Sarah, who is passionate about Indian cuisine but has no restaurant experience, is relatively relaxed about the mammoth task of running a business on the other side of the world.

“We survived,” she laughs. “It was touch and go, but we made it, and I spend four to six months of the year travelling to Goa and back.”

The restaurant shuts down during the monsoon season, with Sarah running it from November through to February.

AT HOME WITH CHRISTIE WHELAN BROWNE

Raised in Walkerston, Queensland, Sarah travelled the world as a model before settling in Sydney. That was until MasterChef lured her to Melbourne in 2014 and she’s been there ever since. And as if the single mother doesn’t have enough on her plate, Sarah recently moved into a new home in Prahran, with her son, Phoenix, 5.

“Life has been full of change for us and I love nothing more than being at home with him sharing a home-cooked meal,” she says. “I was based in Bondi for 10 years, so Prahran is different altogether.”

Sarah has filled her new Art Deco home with sleek, modern furniture, adding colour in accessories such as cushions, rugs and candlestick holders.

“I became completely obsessed with homewares when I moved into this house,” she says. “Instead of shopping for normal stuff, I would spend hours looking at things like rugs, cookware and ceramics.”

More: The My Restaurant In India finale screens on Thursday at 9pm on SBS

Jaguar XE: I have older brothers and I’ve always enjoyed nice cars. If I wasn’t a chef I would be a race car driver. My dream is to be on Top Gear.

Nail polish: I am always cooking or cleaning so my nails could be a disaster, but nothing makes me feel more feminine than having a manicure. I keep nail polish in the kitchen so I can touch them up.

Aesop, shower gel: As I get older, I need to take better care of my skin. This product makes my skin feel nourished

Gucci perfume: I buy new perfumes all the time in duty free, and always something different. They remind me of a particular holiday. Somebody will walk past, and I’ll think, “That’s from my Germany trip”.

Ceramics: I collect ceramics from all over the world, and these are from Denmark. We use them every day. I don’t see the point of hiding them in the cupboard.

Le Creuset pot: I love my pot. I just throw everything in and let it cook for hours. The last meal I made in it was slow-cooked osso buco.

Alexander Wang bag: I’m a one bag kind of girl. It has to be something comfortable and practical that I could throw everything in. I am really obsessed with this bag right now.