By N.D. Prashant
Morgan-Leigh Norman might be known as the daughter of the legendary Australian golfer Greg Norman and girlfriend of Spanish heartthrob Sergio Garcia.
But what is relatively unknown is that she is a culinary artist, a wine maker and a successful entrepreneur.
She is a staunch believer that every individual should have his or her own identity and mustn’t shy away from any job as long as they enjoy it.
“I always wanted to be a chef. So I entered the culinary world and studied about food and wine, alongside each other. Once I had enough experience under my belt, I took over the family wine business,” says Morgan, who is currently working on the menu for the Norman Clubhouse at the Jumeirah Golf Estates.
“I was studying about food and wine in Italy and Australia, but never thought of being a part of it.
“Later I realised it shouldn’t just be a Norman family label on the bottle. But everybody should know we are taking it on a personal level.”
It is difficult to believe that the daughter of a golfer of Norman’s stature was never inclined to take up the sport. However, Morgan asserts, she never wanted to try and get the perfect arc and to know that the dad never persuaded her to, was all the more astonishing.
“My dad actually pushed me away from golf. Since I was two weeks old I’ve lived on a golf course. So I would never go there in my free time. You can understand why. People expected me to take up golf. But thankfully, I have a younger brother who is a very good golfer and he kind of did that for me.”
So does this mean she’s never played golf at all? “No, I can play. I’m okay. I can break a 100 once every five or six years. But have never gone out there and practiced. Yes, I do enjoy watching it.”
An avid traveller, in search of the best food and culture, Morgan believes in the age-old adage - The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
“It’s shocking and sad, that today’s woman shun away from cooking. I know many women of my age who don’t know to cook. It’s a shame. I never like to eat out, if given a choice. It’s a different feeling to see others enjoying your cooking. It can bring people together, trust me.”
Is Sergio a fan of her cooking. “Yes, he is. His favourite is the Spanish Payaya. And I spent some time with his chef to learn. He likes his wine to be a bit sweet.”
Like any woman in love, Morgan blushes when asked about what got her close to Garcia. “He is much like my father. Both have a passion for life and always try to achieve what they possibly can do and have a good heart.”
And to all the aspiring women, her message was simple. “Follow your heart, be happy on a daily basis and don’t worry about what people have to say to you. You should be able to talk the talk and walk the walk.” |
