Celebrity Profiles
O'Donoghue, Ben
For chef and television presenter Ben O’Donoghue, cooking is a passion and an instinct, it’s
something he’s done since childhood and it never ceases to give him pleasure or stimulate his
imagination. He unequivocally believes that food should be simple and distinctive, technically and culturally correct.
Ben started his career working in a number of top class Australian restaurants including ‘Tribeca’
and ‘Goodfellas’ in Sydney and ‘Jessica’s’ in Perth before moving to London. For four years he
worked at ‘The River Café’ and then joined his mate Jamie Oliver at the exclusive ‘Monte's Club’ as Executive Chef. O’Donoghue then worked as Executive Chef at the famous ‘Atlantic Bar & Grill’ and helped Oliver Peyton win the contract to open the ‘National Dining Room’ at the National Gallery with his creative and seasonal menus. Ben is now the creative director of food for ‘The Great Australian Pie Company’ in the United Kingdom.
Now living back in Australia after 13 years in the United Kingdom, Ben was one of the chefs in the original
series of ‘The Best’, which produced an accompanying book of the same name. His television
credits also include four series of the internationally acclaimed food and travel program, ‘Surfing the Menu’, a journey to source and cook with the finest, freshest ingredients from all over Australia and New Zealand. The popular series screens in Australia and the UK and has also been sold to over 30 other territories. He was the food judge for Lifestyle Food’s ‘Great BBQ Challenge’ series and recently has filmed a third series of ‘The Best In Australia’; and has also appeared on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and Planet Food. Ben has recently appeared locally on Channel Ten’s top rating ‘MasterChef’ as a guest celebrity chef.
When not in the kitchen Ben is frequently working at his laptop writing a regular column for
Delicious Magazine in Australia as well as writing his first cookbook with Hardie Grant Books,
‘Outdoor: Grill Your Way Round the World’ released in October 2008.
Ben is currently a brand ambassador for Barbeques Galore and Penfolds Wines.
In his spare time, Ben enjoys surfing, fly-fishing and playing with his three children.
For more information: www.benodonoghue.com
O'Meara, Maeve
Maeve O’Meara is living her dream – a life punctuated with fabulous food and many friends to share it with, much of it in exotic locations and cosy home kitchens. Maeve is an award-winning food and cooking author, journalist, broadcaster, television producer and presenter who has spent many years travelling the world discovering food.
Co-creator and presenter of the acclaimed series “Food Safari” on SBS Television, described by The Australian newspaper as “a landmark for Australian food television”, Maeve has been delighted to discover the esteem in which the program has been held in Australia and around the world. The secret is the food – achievable delicious recipes – and the passion and tips of the home cooks and chefs featured.
DVDs of the 35-episode Food Safari series have been a huge commercial success, outselling big international names many times over. A book of recipes from the series Food Safari – Glorious Adventures Across a World of Cuisines has also achieved commercial success.
Maeve and her partner, Toufic Charabati, have just completed a new 13-part TV series for SBS TV - Italian Food Safari, a celebration of Italian food in Australia, hosted by Maeve and Melbourne restaurateur Guy Grossi.
Maeve’s previous incarnations have been honoured at Tasting Australia and the World Food Media Awards - “The Food Lover’s Guide To Australia”, a 5 series opus that is still on air. Her work as Food Presenter on Channel Seven's “Better Homes and Gardens” was also awarded.
As well as the Food Safari recipe book, Maeve has co-authored 11 books, including the cookbook “Lamingtons and Lemongrass” and the best-selling “SBS Eating Guides To Sydney”. Maeve is a former Food Editor of Family Circle and New Woman magazines and has spent more than 10 years on ABC radio discussing food including many years on the “Relish” program. She also spent many years writing for the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Living section and other food publications.
Maeve currently writes for Selector magazine, providing insights into cuisines and easy recipes. She is a regular speaker and MC at many events and is ambassador for the Sydney charity “OzHarvest” which collects unused food from restaurants, cafes and caterers and distributes it free of charge to organizations that feed needy men, women and children.
An extension of her passion has been her highly successful food tourism business, Gourmet Safaris which has been running for 12 years and in 2007 was voted “Best Tour Operator” in the Australian newspaper’s prestigious Tourism and Travel Awards, beating much larger competitors.
Gourmet Safaris takes groups on exotic food tours throughout Sydney, regional Australia and overseas. Every week scores of people explore food in Sydney with the company – venturing into cuisines and areas they would never have discovered themselves; in Australia trips run to Kangaroo Island, Margaret River, regional Victoria and overseas to Vietnam and the Greek Islands. A huge success has been Maeve’s newest business idea – Gorgeous Safaris – single perfect weeks for women only, focusing on good food, retail therapy and spa treatments which currently run in Vietnam, and with a new “girls and pearls” safari starting in June 2010
Maeve comes from a close-knit family who all live within a stone’s throw of each other. She has three children who all love their mother’s cooking.
