Celebrity Profiles
Saunders, Alan
Alan Saunders studied Logic and Scientific Method at the London School of Economics. He came to Australia to pursue research at the Australian National University and was subsequently awarded a PhD.
He now presents By Design and The Philosopher's Zone on ABC Radio National.
Alan has written about food for various publications. He is the author of A is for Apple, and his first novel, Alanna, was published in 2002. In 1992 Alan Saunders was awarded the Pascall Prize for critical journalism.
Most recently he has appeared as food critic on the Channel Nine television series, The Chopping Block.
Savill, Joanna
Joanna Savill is a journalist, presenter, linguist and world traveller, with a particular fascination for food, wherever she may find it.
In 2009 she was named inaugural director of the new Sydney International Food Festival, held in October 2009. She is also the co-editor of the best-selling Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) Good Food Guide and contributor to a number of Australian and international magazines and newspapers.
Previously Joanna has been an SMH food and restaurant columnist, author of the SBS Eating Guide to eating out and shopping in fifty different nationalities, and co-creator/presenter of the highly-acclaimed TV format, The Food Lovers’ Guide to Australia, shown in more than 20 countries (five series, filmed 1997- 2005).
As a highly professional presenter, consultant, moderator and MC, Joanna has hosted and coordinated events and forums for the international Slow Food movement, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, Sydney Good Food Month and Tasting Australia, among others. She has also designed and led culinary tours to Vietnam with international travel company, World Expeditions.
A former international television news and current affairs reporter/producer and accredited translator/subtitler in Italian, French and German, Joanna spent 25 years with SBS TV, Australia’s multicultural public broadcaster.
2009 – finalist, World Gourmand Book awards
The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2009, co-editor with Simon Thomsen
2007 – Food Media Club of Australia awards
Best Food TV segment - for the Food Lovers’ Guide to Australia, “Sea Cucumbers”
Highly Commended: Best Culinary Tourism Article for “Super Bowl”, Travel and Leisure magazine
Highly Commended: Best food-related book, SBS Eating Guide to Sydney 10th ed
2007 – Finalist. World Food Media Awards:
Best long-form Food and Drink TV show – Food Lovers Guide, Series 5
2005 – Gold ladle for the Best Food/Drink TV Show
Food Lovers’ Guide to Australia Series 4 at the World Food Media Awards
2004 – Best Overall Contributor to the Communication of Food – a peer nomination award and the top honour from the Food Media Club of Australia.
2003 – Silver Ladle for Best Food/Drink Guide Book (The SBS Eating Guide to Sydney 2002) - World Food Media awards.
2003 - Best Coffee Experience Food Lovers Guide series 2 Coffee Art
Food Media Club awards
Shrager, Rosemary
With a decade in broadcasting and teaching, Rosemary Shrager’s role in ITV1’s Ladette to Lady has cemented her position as Britain’s best loved Chef and Cookery Teacher. 2008 was an incredibly busy year for Rosemary, not only did she film a second series of Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks for ITV1 which aired in the lead up to Xmas, she is also the very popular resident chef on The Alan Titchmarsh Show, ITV1. Further afield Rosemary has filmed Ladette to Lady US and Australia which both aired in early 2009 on MTV and Channel 9 respectively. The Australian version was shown in June 2009. A second series has just been filmed and will air on Channel 9 in Oct 2009. Added to the long list of work, 2009 also sees her as one of the mentors of ITV’s Taste the Nation – which she and her team won!
Previous work includes Supersizers with Giles Coren and Sue Perkins (BBC 2) resident judge on Soapstar Superchef (2007) and Kitchen Showdown with Rosemary Shrager (2006) which won rave reviews on UKTV Food as well as one of the judges on the acclaimed Local Food Heroes, alongside Gary Rhodes.
Rosemary is a talented and versatile chef who loves talking about food as much as she loves cooking. 2005 saw her broadcast career span the Atlantic with her first series for US Broadcaster ‘Discovery Home’ - “Rosemary - Queen of the Kitchen”. This was coupled with her series for Channel 4 - “Mind Your manners” and, of course, ITV1’s prime time show “Ladette to Lady”.
Rosemary’s six part series, Rosemary - Castle Cook for Five led to a second series, Rosemary on the Road. Rosemary has worked on a number of television projects including an eight part contribution to the Carlton TV series Nosh.
Her first cookery book, Rosemary - Castle Cook was described by food writer Michael Raffael as “an object lesson in handling the finest produce”. Her second book Rosemary Shrager’s School for Cooks to accompany her series was published in August 2008. August 2009 saw their release in paperback.
Rosemary is a natural extrovert and communicator whose professional career includes a period working for Pierre Koffman at the internationally famous Tante Claire restaurant in London and also a period working for Jean-Christophe Novelli. Thereafter, Rosemary was the head chef at Moyns Park, the home of the Mountbatten’s who held private and corporate functions and where Rosemary was responsible for all aspects of catering. Both her preparation and her presentation are outstanding. This led to Rosemary having her own cookery school at Amhuinnsuidhe Castle from 1998 till 2002. She is currently running her cookery school from Swinton Park, a castle hotel in the Yorkshire Dales.
When she is not at Swinton Park teaching, Rosemary spends her time developing new recipes, working on further television projects and providing her expertise to private clients. Her passions and loves include food in general and imparting her knowledge and skills to others as well as sourcing new food products especially those that are organic.
Simpson, Darren
Sly, David
After more than 25 years in print journalism, freelance writer and editor David Sly is Food and Wine editor of SA Life magazine.
He has a wealth of experience in food and wine writing, including national awards and a graduate degree in the University of Adelaide/ Le Cordon Bleu Gastronomy course. As a former food and wine editor of The Advertiser and having written for national and international magazines, he has focused intently on the specialised regional produce and wines of South Australia. He has also written extensively about many of his other consuming passions; music, theatre, comedy, snow skiing and travel.
David was recipient of the 2002 and 2007 SA Restaurant and Hospitality Award of Excellence for Food Media in South Australia.
Stubbs, Rebecca
Chef Rebecca Stubbs is part of the celebrated culinary team at Adelaide's Chloe’s restaurant. After working for several years with noted Adelaide identity Ann Oliver, Rebecca worked at Petaluma Bridgewater Mill in the Adelaide Hills with award-winning chef Le Tu Thai, and then at Enoteca, helping to bring national acclaim to the restaurant.
One of the many highlights of her career was to gain second place in the Lexus Young Chef of the year Competition, which won her a trip to Japan to work in Luke Mangan's Tokyo restaurant, Salt.
Studd, Will
Will Studd has been working with specialist cheese for more than three decades and has travelled extensively in his vocation. After establishing delicatessens in central London during the 1970’s, he migrated to Melbourne, Australia, in 1981, where he has done much to promote a greater understanding of what good cheese is all about, as well as championing the cause for cheese made from raw milk.
Will’s first book, Chalk and Cheese, was published in 1999 and won a number of major international awards. It has since become highly sought after by collectors. His latest book Cheese Slices is recognised by cheese specialists around the world as a valuable guide to understanding cheese, and was published in October 2007.
In 2002 Will was awarded the Ordre du Merite Agricole by the French government for his defence of traditional raw milk cheese. He is also recognised by France’s prestigious Guilde des Fromagers as a Maitre Fromager (Master of Cheese) and is the guild’s sole ‘ambassadeur’.
Since 2004, Will has been executive producer and presenter of Cheese Slices, the world’s only television series focused on international artisan and traditional handmade cheeses.
Will is the founding director of Fromagent Australia and the Calendar Cheese Company.
Will’s website can be found at www.cheeseslices.com.
Swanson, Adam
Adelaide born Adam Swanson is the owner and Executive Chef of Zucca Greek Mezze, at Holdfast Shores in Glenelg. At the tender age of 17, Adam realised he had an uncompromised fascination and passion for food. He invested 7 years of training with Majeros restaurant, but always knew he was destined for bigger and more inspiring dreams. By his mid twenties, Adam had become the owner of his own restaurant! Now, with 13 years of experience, his devoted love affair with food has become a personal and professional success!
People who know Adam describe him as an ‘old soul’. His inspiration comes from the much loved traditional home style cooking which was a major part of his upbringing. “I spent my free time in my family’s cheese making business, and countless hours falling in love with the flavours and smells from my grandma’s kitchen”
Adam’s achievements are a testament to his devoted work and love for food. His first restaurant Zucca Greek Mezze was established in late 2003. It had only been open for one year when it won the ‘Best Mediterranean Restaurant’ award. It went on to win this award for three consecutive years
and as a result Zucca was entered into the hall of fame by the Restaurant and Catering Association of South Australia. More recently in 2009, Zucca restaurant also won the association’s first ever category ' Best Greek Restaurant'. Adam also was a founding owner and Executive Chef at Esca, also at Holdfast Shores until February of 2010. Esca accumulated multiple awards including Best New Restaurant (2005) and Best European Restaurant (2006) in the South Australian Restaurant and Catering Association Awards.
Extending his passion for food, Adam is also a regular chef on TEN’s Ready Steady Cook and is the ambassador for pasta maker San Remo.
