George Calombaris
Encyclopedia
George Calombaris is an Australia
n chef
and a judge of the Network Ten
series MasterChef Australia
. Prior to his role on MasterChef, Calombaris regularly appeared on the daytime Ten cooking show Ready Steady Cook
. He owns three restaurants in Melbourne
and one in Mykonos
, Greece
. His flagship Melbourne restaurant, The Press Club, was awarded The Age Good Food Guide "Best New Restaurant 2008" with Calombaris named 'Chef of the Year 2008'. Calombaris draws on his Greek and Greek Cypriot
heritage for inspiration.
and won the Bon Land scholarship in 1999 while an apprentice.
to open Fenix, where he worked for two years. He also entered the Bocuse d’Or culinary grand prix in Lyon
, France
, achieving a best ever result for an Australian representative.
He spent two years working at Reserve, in Melbourne’s Federation Square where, at the age of 24, he won Young Chef of the Year, Best New Restaurant and two chef’s hats in The Age Good Food Guide. In 2004, the Global Food and Wine Magazine voted him as one of the Top 40 chefs of influence in the world. In 2006 Calombaris opened his own restaurant in Melbourne, The Press Club. In 2008, he opened 2 other restaurants in Melbourne, Maha Bar and Grill (with chef Shane Delia) and Hellenic Republic (with chef Travis McAuley). Also in 2008, he opened his first international restaurant, The Belvedere Club, in a hotel on the Greek island of Mykonos. In December 2010 Calombaris opened P M 24 with culinary legend Philippe Mouchel. In 2011 he opened St Kathrine's in Kew. He opened it with chef Shane Deliah.
Calombaris has published three cookbooks: The Press Club, Hellenic Republic: Greek Cooking from The Hellenic Heart, and Your Place or Mine with MasterChef co-judge, Gary Mehigan
.
He appears in Who's Who in Australia
2011 edition and appeared at the 2011 Good Food & Wine Show
.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n chef
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 a judge of the Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
series MasterChef Australia
Masterchef Australia
MasterChef Australia is a Logie award winning Australian competitive cooking game show based on the original British MasterChef. It is produced by FremantleMedia Australia and screens on Network Ten. Restaurateur and chef Gary Mehigan, chef George Calombaris and food critic Matt Preston serve as...
. Prior to his role on MasterChef, Calombaris regularly appeared on the daytime Ten cooking show Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook (Australian TV series)
Ready Steady Cook is a twice Logie Award-nominated Australian cookery competition show that airs on the Ten Network. It is based on the original Ready Steady Cook series broadcast by the BBC. The format is owned by Endemol....
. He owns three restaurants in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and one in Mykonos
Mykonos
Mykonos is a Greek island, part of the Cyclades, lying between Tinos, Syros, Paros and Naxos. The island spans an area of and rises to an elevation of at its highest point. There are 9,320 inhabitants most of whom live in the largest town, Mykonos, which lies on the west coast. The town is also...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. His flagship Melbourne restaurant, The Press Club, was awarded The Age Good Food Guide "Best New Restaurant 2008" with Calombaris named 'Chef of the Year 2008'. Calombaris draws on his Greek and Greek Cypriot
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
heritage for inspiration.
Education
Calombaris studied at Box Hill Institute of TAFEBox Hill Institute of TAFE
Box Hill Institute is a secondary and tertiary education institute based in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, with additional campuses overseas...
and won the Bon Land scholarship in 1999 while an apprentice.
Career
He started his career at the Hotel Sofitel in Melbourne under Raymond Capaldi. After his apprenticeship, he teamed up with Capaldi and the Sofitel’s executive sous chef Gary MehiganGary Mehigan
Gary Mehigan is an English chef, restaurateur and a judge of the Network Ten series MasterChef Australia.Mehigan also co-hosts two shows on Australia's Lifestyle Food Channel, Good Chef, Bad Chef, and Boy's Weekend and will be appearing at the 2011 Good Food & Wine Show.Mehigan trained at The...
to open Fenix, where he worked for two years. He also entered the Bocuse d’Or culinary grand prix in Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, achieving a best ever result for an Australian representative.
He spent two years working at Reserve, in Melbourne’s Federation Square where, at the age of 24, he won Young Chef of the Year, Best New Restaurant and two chef’s hats in The Age Good Food Guide. In 2004, the Global Food and Wine Magazine voted him as one of the Top 40 chefs of influence in the world. In 2006 Calombaris opened his own restaurant in Melbourne, The Press Club. In 2008, he opened 2 other restaurants in Melbourne, Maha Bar and Grill (with chef Shane Delia) and Hellenic Republic (with chef Travis McAuley). Also in 2008, he opened his first international restaurant, The Belvedere Club, in a hotel on the Greek island of Mykonos. In December 2010 Calombaris opened P M 24 with culinary legend Philippe Mouchel. In 2011 he opened St Kathrine's in Kew. He opened it with chef Shane Deliah.
Calombaris has published three cookbooks: The Press Club, Hellenic Republic: Greek Cooking from The Hellenic Heart, and Your Place or Mine with MasterChef co-judge, Gary Mehigan
Gary Mehigan
Gary Mehigan is an English chef, restaurateur and a judge of the Network Ten series MasterChef Australia.Mehigan also co-hosts two shows on Australia's Lifestyle Food Channel, Good Chef, Bad Chef, and Boy's Weekend and will be appearing at the 2011 Good Food & Wine Show.Mehigan trained at The...
.
He appears in Who's Who in Australia
Who's Who in Australia
The Who's Who in Australia is an Australian biographical reference first published by Fred Johns in 1906 as Johns's Notable Australians. It has been used by academics as a resource that identifies Australia's leading individuals, and has been analysed when studying the social backgrounds –...
2011 edition and appeared at the 2011 Good Food & Wine Show
Good Food & Wine Show
The Good Food & Wine Show is Australia's largest consumer exhibition. It showcases cuisine matches and celebrity chefs.The event is staged annually in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane and so far has attracted just under 100,000 food and wine lovers for 2008.- History :The inaugural...
.