Duo to bring ‘all the good vibes’ to Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival

Simone Prest and Viviana Barile’s no-filter, authentic, yet vivacious approach to the pressure of My Kitchen Rules won them fans across Australia and ultimately the competition.

Foodies can expect the same when they appear at Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival at Woody Point’s Apex Park on August 22, 23 and 24.

“People fell in love with us because we have no mask … we are just Simone and Viviana doing what we love. People connected with us,” Viviana says.

During the 2024 television cooking competition, which could be cut-throat at times, they proved ‘nice guys’ can finish first.

“We always tried to respect everybody and then give our opinion without being too b*tchy. Our scoring was always fair and we always gave a pretty good score to everyone … people appreciated our good heart, I guess,” Simone says.

“Kindness was definitely our biggest weapon,” Viviana adds.

The pair will present an hour-long ‘Knead to Know: Pasta Masterclass’ each day of the Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival.

They will share expert techniques to making perfect pasta - from mixing and kneading dough to crafting traditional shapes and pairing them with delicious, made-from-scratch sauces.

“We will try to involve the crowd in the cooking and make it fun. That’s what people want … to keep it fun, to keep it entertaining. That’s our goal,” Simone says.

“We’re people people,” Viviana adds.

She says they will make dishes with ‘fun and love that are easy to replicate at home’ during the masterclasses.

“Sometimes the best recipes are not really difficult to make but people overcomplicate things. It doesn’t need to be complicated to be good,” Viviana says.

“This is what we’re going to try to communicate to people.”

MKR rollercoaster

The best friends say competing on MKR taught them plenty about cooking, themselves and their relationship.

“Our friendship definitely got stronger. Now we have a deeper connection, which I feel is going to stay forever. I think Viviana learnt how to cook,” Simone says laughing.

“It definitely gave us a little bit of a boost of notoriety, I guess. People related to us on the show and I think it was especially for our true friendship.

“I think, more than cooking, it was the bond me and Viviana were sharing on the show. People really fell in love with this feeling that we have for each other. People thought we were a couple, but she is actually my best friend,” Simone says.

“We’re just true best friends. People could see it and they could feel it.”

They say the experience also taught them resilience and fueled a desire to win.

Since taking out the competition in November, Simone has become a father to a son he hopes will share his passion for pizza which began during his own childhood.

He started working in his father’s pizzeria when he was 12 years old, stretching the dough.

“For now, (I want to) create a tradition (with my son). Every Sunday, my mission is to make pizza (at home),” Simone says.

“I’m wanting to give him the passion I have for pizza. While he is growing up, I would love him to do the dough for me.”

Simone and Viviana are keen to continue sharing their passion for cooking with Aussie home cooks, brainstorming ideas for a TV cooking show. It’s something they would love to develop in the next year or so.

In the meantime, they are looking forward to connecting with fans and cooks at Moreton Bay Food + Wine Festival.

“We’re going to definitely have a lot of fun. All the good vibes,” Simone says.

Upgrade your experience

Knead to Know: Pasta Masterclass

With Simone and Viviana

Presented by Riedel (logo)

When: each day, noon-1pm

Tickets: $65 + bf

Inclusions: one-hour cooking masterclass with Simone and Viviana, opportunity to get hands-on during the session, printed recipe to take home, a tasting bowl of what has been created