About Lauren

Lauren started cooking back when she was 5 years old, when her dad taught her how to make simple salad dressings for family meals. During university, she started the @laurenleyva Instagram account as a simple photo gallery to show her friends what she was cooking as a student, however as her audience grew, she realised she could develop her hobby into a comforting online place where people could enjoy her recipes and lifestyle content.

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She initially founded the brand The Starving Student®, encouraging students to cook from scratch and to eat well throughout university. As a student for 7 years, Lauren became an expert in meal-planning, budget-cooking and adapting her meals based on her busy study schedule. This brand further grew Lauren's online presence within the food space.

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Years later, after graduating with 3 degrees to become an architect, Lauren made a huge career pivot to work full time as a campaigner, creator & home-cook...​