Amanda Maiorano

Amanda Maiorano (’16) reflects on how her Loreto journey - from Reception to Year 12, inspired confidence, creativity, and a passion for food that led her to an unexpected but fulfilling career as a full-time food content creator, recipe developer, and digital storyteller.

Amanda in her own words:

“I graduated from Loreto in 2016, and it’s crazy to think that even at 25, I’ve spent most of my life there, starting Reception in 2004. Loreto shaped so much of who I am today, both in the classroom and outside of it. What I value most about my time there is the focus on empowering girls, fostering a sense of community, and instilling a strong set of values that I carry with me today.

From a young age, I was always obsessed with food. I’d spend hours in the kitchen trying new recipes or glued to cooking shows. I didn’t think much of it then, but by the time I got to year 11, I’d started leaning towards studying something related to nutrition, and ended up studying a Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics at Flinders. I graduated in 2020, right in the middle of COVID, which made for a very strange final year. We somehow did placements virtually, but it was still a success in the end.

While I was at University, I started a food Instagram account, @madeby.mandy. At the beginning, it was just a fun side hobby where I’d post whatever I was cooking at home or eating out at cafes. But as I neared the end of my degree, I realised how much I loved the creative side of food. I began teaching myself how to take better photos, how to style dishes and edit videos. Bit by bit, I built a small following online, and what started as a passion project slowly evolved into a career.

Nowadays I work full-time as a food content creator, photographer, and recipe developer. I’ve had the pleasure of working with brands like San Pellegrino, Le Creuset and MECCA, creating recipes and digital content for their socials. My work spans everything from cooking reels to magazine photography and running content strategies for a few FMCG brands too.

It’s definitely not the job I imagined when I first applied for University. At the time, the only person I could picture doing something even remotely similar was Donna Hay, and that felt completely out of reach. But now, looking back, I can see how all those small steps - studying nutrition, experimenting in the kitchen, taking photos of food - led me to where I am. It’s a path that unfolded naturally, even if it wasn’t one I could’ve predicted.

One of the biggest things Loreto gave me was the belief that there’s no one “right” path. You don’t have to follow the most conventional route or have everything figured out by the time you finish Year 12. If you have something you love, and you’re willing to work hard and back yourself, that’s enough to get started. The culture at Loreto was one that celebrated individuality and hard work, and I think that’s what gave me the confidence to try something different - even if it didn’t look like a traditional career path at first.

If I could give one piece of advice to current Loreto students, it would be to not be afraid to go after what excites you - even if it doesn’t totally make sense yet. You don’t need to have it all mapped out. Some of the best things in life happen when you take a small idea and give it time and space to grow. Trust that your interests will lead you somewhere, and be open to the idea that it might not look exactly how you imagined, and that can be a really good thing.

I’ll always be grateful for the way that my time at Loreto has shaped not just my career, but the kind of person I am today.”