MediaDiet: Roberta Pecoraro
Roberta Pecoraro: from runway to recipe
Roberta Pecoraro is someone we’ve known for a long time, so trust us when we tell you that what’s unfolding right now could be her most exciting chapter yet.
She’s Sicilian-born, Australian-raised and been modelling for over 12 years, with stints in New York and Berlin that many people would build an entire identity around. And for a while, that was her story. But, alongside the glamour of it all, Robbie was always cooking. For friends, for herself, and for the joy of things like recreating family recipes with her Nonna.
Now she caters private events, runs a food content page called Plated., writes a Substack called Seconds, and spends her afternoons at Bondi cafes typing it all up because (in her words) it makes her feel like Carrie from Sex and the City. People send her recipes all day long – reels, recs, random things the internet served up at 11pm – and she appreciates every single one.
This MediaDiet is from someone finding their rhythm in life. She still models. She still runs in complete silence. She still walks everywhere. She still hosts dinner parties for her friends. She still watches Real Housewives straight after without flinching. It’s all a part of the same meal.
Buon appetito!
Wake up
I try not to consume any media when I first wake up. I only reach for my phone to turn off a loud and abrupt alarm that’s going off anywhere between 6.00am and 7.30am, get up to brush my teeth, wash my face and then I’m straight out the door for a run. Most mornings I don’t even listen to music while running. I can get into a flow state and do some of my best thinking without it. However, there are particular mornings where all I want to do is stay curled up in bed, so a little music is needed when I wake. At the moment, my song of choice to get me moving is Gavin DeGraw’s I Don’t Want to Be.
Morning
For work, I’m usually either driving to a shoot, heading to a catering job or walking to one of the many grocery stores I frequent on a prep day (and because I like to get my steps in where I can). I almost always put a podcast on during my commute. I rotate between a few favourites: Selfdom or On Purpose with Jay Shetty if I’m in the mood for something a little more informative, otherwise Call Her Daddy or SmartLess when I feel like something lighter and conversational. I just finished the Kevin Hart interview with Alex Cooper from Call Her Daddy, and it had me giggling and smiling to myself throughout - would recommend.
Afternoon
If I’m not on set modelling, a lot of my time is spent at home, at a local cafe working on my laptop, walking around Bondi, or doing something wellness-related like sauna-ing – Icebergs and Nimbus are my go-tos.
When I’m working on my laptop, I’m the type of person that hates seeing 100 little tabs open… it gives me anxiety. I usually have three or four main tabs open which nearly always includes my emails, Substack and Pinterest. I’m pretty new to Substack but I love it, especially when I have an idea to share. I lock in at a local cafe and get typing. It makes me feel like Carrie from Sex and the City. Nice Nothings by my friend Bella Thomas is one worth checking out.
I frequent Pinterest for all my food content inspo, with boards for different categories and upcoming events. And then there’s Instagram. These days I spend more time on my food page over my main page, scrolling through endless amounts of food recipes. All people do is send me food recs! My favourite food pages at the moment are @bitten.bitess (her palette is right up my alley), @hannahwilding_ (for fresh, vibrant, home cooking), and @levicoralynn (her and her husband are so entertaining to watch!). I find myself saving recipes, recreating them in my notes app and then finally bringing them to life by cooking and filming them before they go up. Shooting and styling my content is my favourite part of the whole process.
Evening
I love a little reality TV show and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills would have to be at the top of my list. Devastated that this season has just ended. My boyfriend also got me hooked on Friday Night Lights. I can really get around a teen drama show: “Clear eyes, full hearts, cant lose”… if you know, you know.
I just finished Murakami’s memoir, What I Talk About, When I Talk About Running… great book! I do think you’ll appreciate it more if you have an interest in running. I also just picked up Lena Dunham’s new book, Famesick: A Memoir, so stay tuned.
To be honest, I wish I scrolled less in the evenings, but I have a habit of doing it before bed. It’s become a little ritual. I’m mainly looking at food recipe reels, so technically, I’m learning, right?
Roberta’s Picks & Recs
SCREEN TIME: 3 hours, 28 minutes.
SUBSCRIBED TO: Spotify, Hayu, and the Selfdom podcast.
SOMETHING I WANT YOU TO READ: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid.
SOMETHING I WANT YOU TO LISTEN TO: The whole album, Ugh, those feels again by Snoh Aalegra.
AN UNEXPECTED GOOGLE SEARCH: “What’s another name for cod fish?” I was making a fish curry and couldn’t find cod by name at the fish markets.
A LINK WORTH FORWARDING:
She’s a great cook, knows all things nutrition and a great friend.
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT I’M LOVING RIGHT NOW: @max.baroni, everything he makes is just yum!
My fave foodie bestie