Celebrity Profiles
Evans, Matthew
Matthew Evans is a one time chef, former food critic and fumbling farmer who rears pigs, runs a market stall and writes about food in all its glory (except the nutritional bit).
His latest book, The Real Food Companion, takes an in depth look at what is good food, what isn't good food, and how the rearing, growing, killing and storing of produce can make all the difference.
Evans, Pete
Born in Melbourne and raised on the Gold Coast, Pete’s passion for cooking was discovered because of his love for the great outdoors, any job that would see him working at night and surfing or fishing all the day was fine with him! After opening his first restaurant, The Pantry, in Melbourne’s bay side suburb of Brighton in 1993 at the age of 19, Pete moved to Sydney in 1996 with his brother Dave and established his second restaurant Hugo’s in Bondi, followed by Hugos Lounge in Kings Cross in 2000, Hugos Bar Pizza in 2004 and his most recent venture Hugos Manly in 2008. Pete’s restaurants have gone on to win numerous awards including the SMH coveted “chef’s hat” 7 years in a row, “Best Pizza in the World” in New York and “Best Bar in Australia” in late 2005,“best nightclub in Australia” 2007,2008 & 2009 and “best pizza restaurant in Australia” in 2008 & 2009.
Along with his restaurants Pete has been in front of the camera for the last 9 years as a TV presenter. February 2010 saw the premiere of My Kitchen Rules in which Pete and his good mate Manu Feildel head up the judging panel. Its state versus state, plate against plate, as five teams of- two from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane attempt to out-dine and out-wine each other to see whose kitchen rules.
Pete’s other work includes over 400 episodes as the host of Australia’s number 1 cooking show “FRESH” on Channel 9, 60 episodes of “Home” a lifestyle program, a one-hour behind-the scenes documentary, “Cooking For Our Princess Mary” and the series “FISH” which saw Pete & his fishing mad brother in-law ‘Udo’ travel around Australia catching & cooking the freshest catch. Pete is currently filming a new project that has him cooking for the world’s best parties.
Pete appears annually at some of Australia’s most acclaimed food events such as “Tasting Australia”, “The Good Food Show” and “The Great Barrier Feast.” He travelled to New York and Los Angeles for the G’day USA promotion in 2009 and 2010 where he cooked at “The Waldorf Astoria” and whilst he was there featured on “The Martha Stewart Show”,”The Rachael Ray Show” as well as the “CBS Early Show”.
Pete has a passion for writing and his first book ”Fish” a collection of over 130 fish and seafood recipes from Australian and New Zealand species, was published by Murdoch Books in August 2007 and is currently up to its 4th reprint. His second book is titled “My Table – food for entertaining” and was released in November 2008 and his most recent book, “My Grill” is all about the art of barbequing and is already into its 2nd reprint as well as been sold into Germany for release in 2010. He is currently writing a book on “cocktail food & drinks” for release in mid 2010. Pete also writes a monthly column for the Australian Women’s Weekly along with being a contributor for Selector magazine. Pete has a range of cooking products hitting the shelves in May 2010 and also is the ambassador for gold week for the Sydney children’s hospital and the ambassador for the pink ribbon breakfast for the national breast cancer foundation
