Veteran media personality Yumi Stynes reveals her surprising new career venture

Yumi Stynes revealed her surprising new career move during an interview on Today Extra on Friday.

The veteran media personality, 46, announced she’s launched a cooking podcast called 5 Minute Food Fix.

Speaking with Today Extra hosts David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys, Yumi explained the inspiration behind her new podcast.  

‘I’ve got four kids, and I’ve been busy and flat-out working for 20 years, but I still really love food, and I’m quite a good cook,’ she said.

‘But I don’t want to be fussing in the kitchen, so I was like, “Okay, please, does somebody else want to tell me what to cook for dinner?” Like, give me the inspiration!

‘So, I wanted people who are like, “Okay, I don’t care, but I have to cook.” I wanted something I could give to them.’

Making a meal of it: The veteran media personality, 46, announced she’s launched a cooking podcast called 5 Minute Food Fix

Cooking up ideas: Speaking with Today Extra hosts David Campbell (left) and Sylvia Jeffreys (centre), Yumi explained the inspiration behind her new podcast

Yumi explained that each episode ‘lasts five minutes, and it’ll be like, “Here’s what you can do with sausages!” or “Here’s what to do with a tin of cannellini beans!”‘

She added that in addition to being ‘super quick’, the recipes she shares are ‘all really, really easy hacks’.

‘You know what I really get a thrill out of? Giving people who are busy permission. People will be like, “Can I really give my family toast for dinner?” Actually, you know what, you can!’ she said.

Life experience: ‘I’ve got four kids, and I’ve been busy and flat-out working for 20 years, but I still really love food, and I’m quite a good cook,’ she said

Yumi added that she wanted people to know that if ‘you’re busy, you don’t have to sweat in the kitchen’.

While at first it may seem like a surprising venture for the TV and radio presenter, Yumi has released two cookbooks in the past.

She also worked in restaurants before landing her breakthrough role as a host on the now-defunct Channel V in 2000.

Inspo: ‘I don’t want to be fussing in the kitchen, so I was like, “Okay, please, does somebody else want to tell me what to cook for dinner?” Like, give me the inspiration!’ she said

‘I always deeply enjoyed the “mud pies” aspect of cooking: getting your hands in there, mucking around physically with something, being tactile with ingredients,’ she told Gourmet Traveller in July 2020.

‘But a big part of my attraction was the fact that you could do a dinner service, feed a bunch of people, then knock off and not think about work until the next dinner service. I realise now that the head chef doesn’t get to do that!’

Speaking about cooking at home, Yumi told SBS in October: ‘Finding ways to save time as a busy mum became a kind of philosophy. I don’t want to be snobby about food, and I don’t want to make my life harder!’ 

Something for everyone: ‘I wanted people who are like, “Okay, I don’t care, but I have to cook.” I wanted something I could give to them,’ she said