For Sydney’s food stylist and business partners Alexandra Heard and Heleena Trahanas, life and business are all about taking your happiness seriously. 

"For us, the boundaries between business, food and life are blurred," Hurd said.

They met at the beginning of their careers and worked for companies such as Gourmet Traveller, Vogue Travel and Vogue Living. It was from here that they started their food styling journey, assisting in filming and work activities. 

After leaving the publishing industry and pursuing a career in design and food, their shared love of travel brought them back together in 2017 and co-founded the digital lifestyle concept and Paddington store, ALEX AND TRAHANAS. As a mecca of handmade and hand-painted ceramics, bold jewellery and chic unisex suits, this Italian-inspired brand aims to bring the enthusiasm of Mediterranean hospitality to the Australian coast. 

As summer approaches-and with it comes the perfect excuse to enjoy good food and good company-we ​​interviewed the designer duo to reveal their food styling and entertainment skills, and how they helped the photographer The new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G is available for purchase at Optus.

According to Sydney food stylists Heard and Trahanas, here is how to plan the perfect long lunch. 

The hospitality of Europeans inspired our work. We have thought a lot about the feelings of people interacting with our works at lunch or at the table, all of which come back to the feelings of being surrounded by your favorite people when having lunch in a seaside tavern or restaurant in Europe. 

Collaboration with some talented people we admire: artists and designers Louise Olsen, Carlo, Giorgia and Alessio, founders of the Masseria Moroseta boutique farmhouse in Puglia, chef Scott McComas Williams of Ragazzi and Fabbrica, and our recent Collaboration with Australian family design company and furniture company Jardan. We also got a real buzz from creating series and great feedback from our lovely customers.

This time really highlights the opportunity to listen to and create a good time in our home, especially when enjoying or sharing food.

We have many in Sydney, but our favorites include Penny's Cheese Shop, Fabbrica Pasta, Haberfield IGA, Producer of Everleigh Carriageworks Farmers Markets, Iggy's Bread, Haberfield's Raffael's Bakery, Grandiflora and Paddington's Bess.

Everything is in preparation. The dream menu, drinks and table setting are almost as interesting as the occasion itself. Be methodical and make all preparations well in advance. Involve your family and friends, so you have extra hands! By completing all the work ahead of time, you can become a warm, relaxed and attentive host. 

In addition to generously serving food and wine, the best entertaining menu does not require much extra attention when your guests are there, you just need to take things out of the oven, assemble and season salads, etc. In addition, consider the balance and flow of the menu. If your guests are uncomfortable eating, they are unlikely to dance in the future.

The table is what we depend on for survival. For us, table setting is a creative form of meditation and a visual gift for guests-there are no rules. Combining bold table arrangements is a joy, and our favorite is nothing more than entertaining with colorful hand-painted ceramics from Puglia.

After confirming the menu, we put a new washed linen tablecloth and Italian printed napkin on the table to fix the space and set the scene. From there, we planned our Apulian ceramics to match various dishes, ensuring that the tables have different heights, shapes and colors, and placed them on the side of the kitchen.

Then on the table are placed the tiered main plate and Mediterranean-toned pasta bowls, classic tableware, ceramic kettles, high-quality breadboards, our Ischia woven rattan bread basket and Bitossi water cups.

Before the guests arrive, we will prepare salad bowls and vases filled with colorful fruits, vegetables and flowers-anything that catches our eye and is seasonal. When the table is full of food, they will be moved to our beverage trolley or adjacent surface.

We believe that entertainment should not have any rules, it is the love and happiness that brings people together. We like to think about the whole picture of a beautiful rolling lunch or dinner experience, from the things on the table to what we feel confident and comfortable wearing. It is not so much a public theme occasion that makes people feel artificial and dull, but rather it is a seamless integration of all parts to create a relaxed and gorgeous environment.

We rely on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G for shooting. Color is very important to our brand, and the quality of Flip3 is excellent. 

It is really important for us to choose hands-free shooting, because the participation of both hands in shooting will create a lot of warmth and movement around the table. It can be difficult to do this when you have to shoot content yourself, so we can really create more content and achieve this with the Samsung Flex mode hands-free option.  

Image taken on Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G, available from Optus

Take your happiness seriously. The more you invest, the more you get.

We have a lot of exciting things. Our new series has just been released, and we are very excited to release it, and there are many products that will be launched in 2022.

Use the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G provided by Optus to capture your visual feast. With its excellent camera quality and hands-free photo shooting capabilities, it is a must-have technical accessory in your food styling toolkit for many reasons. 

The best part is that you can buy immediately and use OptusPay to pay for 12, 24, or 36 month device payment plans completely interest-free.

Editor's note: This article is sponsored by Optus and proudly supported by Urban List. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Urban List possible. Click here to learn more about our editorial policy.

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