Ben O'Donoghue
Encyclopedia
Ben O'Donoghue is an Australian chef
and television personality. Currently he is one of the hosts and contestants of The Best in Australia airing on LifeStyle Food
.
. At the age of ten, his family moved to Perth
. On finishing school O'Donoghue was employed at a restaurant at Rottnest Island
for the summer as a kitchen hand. As a result he applied for and obtained an apprenticeship in a seafood restaurant in Nedlands
called Jo Jo’s.
area of Sydney and at the Tribeca restaurant in Double Bay, Sydney
, where he was subsequently promoted to Sous Chef. In 1993, the restaurant was awarded the' Best New Restaurant Award' by The Sydney Morning Herald
Good Food Guide.
In 1996 O'Donoghue travelled to the United Kingdom where he worked at The River Café
before moving to become Head Chef at the Monte’s Club in Knightsbridge with Jamie Oliver
. He then worked as the Head Chef at the Atlantic Bar & Grill and also helping Oliver Peyton
win the contract to open the National Dining Room at the National Gallery with his creative and seasonal menus. He is now the creative director of food for The Great Australian Pie Company based in the UK. O'Donoghue has also worked with Oliver as a consultant food stylist as well as assisting him with various outside catering functions, including cooking for Tony Blair
and the Italian Prime Minister.
for American Television, which was followed by an invitation to co-present a BBC2 ten part prime-time series The Best
in April 2002, with an accompanying BBC book of the same name, and filmed an 8-part food and travel series for the ABC
in Australia called Surfing the Menu, with Curtis Stone
with an accompanying ABC book in early 2003. This series was shown in Australia in February 2004 and was screened on BBC’s UKTV Food channel in 2004, with the UK book coming out at the same time. It has also sold to 26 other territories. Ben filmed the second series of Surfing the Menu and wrote the accompanying book in 2004. He has finished filming the third series, and will be co-presenting the fourth series-taking place in New Zealand in 2006.
From 2007 onwards, O'Donoghue has appeared in The Best in Australia with fellow chef, Darren Simpson and Anna Gare
on LifeStyle Food
.
In June 2009 O'Donoghue took part in Masterchef Australia
in a Celebrity Chef Challenge, where he was beaten by contestant Lucas Parsons
, cooking a seared kangaroo loin with creamed corn.
Chef
A chef is a person who cooks professionally for other people. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who cooks for a living, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation.-Etymology:The word "chef" is borrowed ...
and television personality. Currently he is one of the hosts and contestants of The Best in Australia airing on LifeStyle Food
LifeStyle Food
LifeStyle Food is an Australian food channel, solely dedicated to food, wine and restaurant society. The channel is a subsidiary of The LifeStyle Channel, which runs 24 hours a day on the Foxtel and Austar.-Programming:******-External links:****...
.
Early years
O'Donoghue was five years old when his family moved from England to Port HedlandPort Hedland, Western Australia
Port Hedland is the highest tonnage port in Australia and largest town in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, with a population of approximately 14,000 ....
. At the age of ten, his family moved to Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
. On finishing school O'Donoghue was employed at a restaurant at Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island
Rottnest Island is located off the coast of Western Australia, near Fremantle. It is called Wadjemup by the Noongar people, meaning "place across the water". The island is long, and at its widest point with a total land area of . It is classified as an A Class Reserve and is managed by the...
for the summer as a kitchen hand. As a result he applied for and obtained an apprenticeship in a seafood restaurant in Nedlands
Nedlands, Western Australia
The City of Nedlands is a Local Government Area in the inner western suburbs of the Western Australian capital city of Perth, located about west of Perth's central business district...
called Jo Jo’s.
Career
After qualifying as a chef O’Donoghue was promoted to Sous Chef at Jessica’s Seafood Restaurant in Perth. This was followed by stints as Chef de Partie at Goodfella’s restaurant in the NewtownNewtown, New South Wales
Newtown, a suburb of Sydney's inner west is located approximately four kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, straddling the local government areas of the City of Sydney and Marrickville Council in the state of New South Wales, Australia....
area of Sydney and at the Tribeca restaurant in Double Bay, Sydney
Double Bay, New South Wales
Double Bay is a harbourside eastern suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Double Bay is located 4 kilometres east of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre of the local government area of the Municipality of Woollahra.Double Bay takes its name...
, where he was subsequently promoted to Sous Chef. In 1993, the restaurant was awarded the' Best New Restaurant Award' by The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
Good Food Guide.
In 1996 O'Donoghue travelled to the United Kingdom where he worked at The River Café
The River Café (London)
The River Café is a restaurant in the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, London, England, specializing in Italian cuisine. It is owned and run by chef Ruth Rogers and until early 2010, Rose Gray....
before moving to become Head Chef at the Monte’s Club in Knightsbridge with Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver
James "Jamie" Trevor Oliver, MBE , sometimes known as The Naked Chef, is an English chef, restaurateur and media personality, known for his food-focused television shows, cookbooks and more recently his campaign against the use of processed foods in national schools...
. He then worked as the Head Chef at the Atlantic Bar & Grill and also helping Oliver Peyton
Oliver Peyton
Oliver Peyton is an Irish restaurateur and judge on the BBC television series Great British Menu.- Biography :Oliver Peyton was born in Swinford, County Mayo, Ireland....
win the contract to open the National Dining Room at the National Gallery with his creative and seasonal menus. He is now the creative director of food for The Great Australian Pie Company based in the UK. O'Donoghue has also worked with Oliver as a consultant food stylist as well as assisting him with various outside catering functions, including cooking for Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and the Italian Prime Minister.
Television
O'Donoghue first started with a food show in MoroccoMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
for American Television, which was followed by an invitation to co-present a BBC2 ten part prime-time series The Best
The Best (UK TV series)
The Best is a British cookery programme which aired for ten episodes in 2002 on BBC2. The series starred British cooks Silvana Franco and Paul Merrett and Australian Ben O'Donoghue, who participated in friendly competition to create the best dish for each of two given categories per half-hour episode...
in April 2002, with an accompanying BBC book of the same name, and filmed an 8-part food and travel series for the ABC
ABC Television
ABC Television is a service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation launched in 1956. As a public broadcasting broadcaster, the ABC provides four non-commercial channels within Australia, and a partially advertising-funded satellite channel overseas....
in Australia called Surfing the Menu, with Curtis Stone
Curtis Stone
Curtis Stone is an Australian celebrity chef, author and television personality, nicknamed "The Quiet Terminator" by fans following his performance on The Celebrity Apprentice 3.-Background:...
with an accompanying ABC book in early 2003. This series was shown in Australia in February 2004 and was screened on BBC’s UKTV Food channel in 2004, with the UK book coming out at the same time. It has also sold to 26 other territories. Ben filmed the second series of Surfing the Menu and wrote the accompanying book in 2004. He has finished filming the third series, and will be co-presenting the fourth series-taking place in New Zealand in 2006.
From 2007 onwards, O'Donoghue has appeared in The Best in Australia with fellow chef, Darren Simpson and Anna Gare
Anna Gare
Anna Gare is an Australian musician and television personality. She is one of four judges on Channel Ten's reality television program, Junior MasterChef Australia, although she is neither a formally trained chef nor trained cook.-Biography:...
on LifeStyle Food
LifeStyle Food
LifeStyle Food is an Australian food channel, solely dedicated to food, wine and restaurant society. The channel is a subsidiary of The LifeStyle Channel, which runs 24 hours a day on the Foxtel and Austar.-Programming:******-External links:****...
.
In June 2009 O'Donoghue took part in Masterchef Australia
MasterChef Australia (season 1)
The first season of the Australian reality television series MasterChef Australia began on 27 April 2009 and aired on Network Ten, concluding on 19 July 2009 when Julie Goodwin was crowned the winner...
in a Celebrity Chef Challenge, where he was beaten by contestant Lucas Parsons
Lucas Parsons
Lucas John Kendall Parsons is an Australian professional golfer.Parsons was born in Orange, New South Wales. As an amateur, he won both the Australian and New Zealand Amateur Championships in 1991...
, cooking a seared kangaroo loin with creamed corn.