Anna Simon, the popular face behind @annasimoneats, is a Calabrese-Australian food creator who first caught attention on SBS’s ‘The Chefs’ Line’ and now appears regularly on Channel 7. In this profile, she reflects on her journey in content creation, from sharing family recipes online to celebrating community at events like Ferragosto, and the challenge of keeping her page authentic while growing her audience. Let’s start with the basics – What are your handles? Instagram: @annasimoneats TikTok:@annasimoneats How would you describe the content you create? My content is a mix of nostalgic, traditional Calabresi recipes from Southern Italy, often cooked alongside my mum and dad, and quick, everyday family meals that I create for my own household. A big part of my storytelling is the relationship I share with my dad and his friends, capturing the generational gap between Italian migrants and the next generation. Alongside this, I love dining out and showcasing Sydney’s food scene, from timeless family-run restaurants to being one of the first to visit and share the city’s newest hotspots. Tell us about your creator journey so far. My creator journey really started in the kitchen at home, cooking alongside my parents and realising how much people connected with those stories and recipes. What began as sharing family traditions and Southern Italian food turned into a space where I could celebrate both my heritage and my everyday life as a mum feeding my boys. Over time, it’s grown into more than just recipes. It’s about connection, storytelling and keeping culture alive while making it fun and relatable. What have been some of your biggest achievements and challenges along the way? Some of my proudest achievements have been the community work I’ve done with Ferragosto and the Norton Street Festa, two Italian festivals that mean so much to me. I’ve also been part of the project to rejuvenate Little Italy in Norton Street, Leichhardt, helping to bring it back as a true cultural experience for the community. I’m honoured to be an ambassador for the Purple Picnic with the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, and I’m really proud of my regular appearances on Sunrise and The Morning Show. Each of these opportunities has allowed me to share my love of food and culture in a meaningful way. On the flip side, one of the biggest challenges has been juggling family life with two boys while also managing content creation and brand work. My head is always full of ideas, but it’s about finding the time to bring them all to life. I also care deeply about keeping my page authentic. Yes, it’s a business and a source of income, but I never want it to feel like just a selling platform. It’s always about real food, real stories and meaningful collaborations. Another challenge is the sheer number of foodies in this space. Staying relevant and different can feel daunting, but it also motivates me to keep evolving and finding my unique voice. How has the social media food scene changed since you started? What do you love (or not love) about where it’s heading? When I first started sharing food online, reels weren’t even around. They only came later, and COVID really accelerated the shift. Creators who jumped on Reels early gained a huge advantage because everyone was glued to their phones. I only started posting reels towards the end of the pandemic, so it felt like I missed that early growth spurt. What I don’t love is how oversaturated it’s become. It feels like every second person is a food blogger now. With so much competition for views and likes, you naturally want your content to stand out, but ultimately, it’s about resonating with your own community. I’m also not a fan of overly AI-driven content. I’d much rather share something raw and real, even if it’s not “perfect.” What I do love is how creative the food space has become. Instagram is also such a learning platform for me. I draw endless inspiration from other creators, which pushes me to grow, experiment, and keep shaping my own voice in it all. What do you wish people understood better about content creation? People think it’s easy, but it’s not. There’s so much time that goes into it. The planning, shopping, cooking, filming, editing, cleaning up afterwards and then there’s also the money it takes to get to a stage where it actually starts to become lucrative. On top of that, you need to put in the effort to support other creators if you want them to support you back and become invested in your story. It’s a lot more work behind the scenes than most people realise. Which food creators or pages are you following right now? The foodie pages I love following are Australian food and drink e-magazines and ‘What’s on’ guides. They’re great because they always share the new restaurants that are up and coming, and I love being across what’s fresh on the Sydney food scene. I also love following individual creators and chefs like @annapolyviou for her creativity and fun, @thecordonykitchen for the beauty and aesthetic behind the food, as well as the luscious recipes, @thesundaykitchen for her effortlessly tasty Middle Eastern recipes, and @foodbylucy because everything she does looks like sex on a plate. I also follow various European foodie pages, especially Italian ones like @giallozafferano, which is Italy’s number one food media brand. I love their daily inspiration and the way they showcase traditional Italian recipes in such a vibrant way. What’s your foodie top-tip? Don’t stress too much about perfection. Food is meant to be enjoyed, not overthought. And take photos of everything because one day it will be a memory! And finally, what do you enjoy doing outside of work and content creation? Outside of content creation, you’ll usually find me spending time with my two boys and on the soccer sidelines most of the week. I love good food, a good cocktail, and exploring new spots around Sydney….