www.benodonoghue.com 
Follow Ben on Twitter!
For chef and television presenter Ben O’Donoghue, cooking is a passion and a reflex, 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 topclass Australian restaurants including Tribeca and Goodfellas in Sydney and Jessicas in Perth before moving to London ten years ago. For four years he worked at The River Café and then joined his mate Jamie Oliver at the exclusive Monte's Club as head chef.
He then worked as Head 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. He is now the creative director of food for The Great Australian Pie Company in the UK.
Ben is now living back in Australia after 13 years in the UK. He has just finished filming the brand new series of The Best in Australia. The second 8x60mins series, based on the hit BBC series, The Best, will screen on The LifeStyle Channel from the end of August. 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 recent Great BBQ Challenge series; and has also appeared on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and Planet Food.
Ben’s new cookbook with Hardie Grant Books, Outdoor: Grill Your Way Round the World, will be released in October 2008. Ben writes a regular food column ‘Ben’s Basics’ for Olive Magazine in the UK as well as a regular column for Delicious Magazine in Australia.
In his spare time, Ben enjoys surfing, fly-fishing and playing with his three children.
Simply enter your email address below and we'll email it to you.
Think Ben will sell his soul to the devil to advertise junk on TV, not impressed either by the way he talks down to the 2 other chefs on Brest Australia, not good , not clever
Trying to find your recipe for pavlova Roll
Could you please tell me the name of the pub/brewery you visisted in Canberra on the 21-3-2011 episode
How disappointing to hear you childishly slagging off vegetarians on Quickies in my Kitchen, alienating a large market.
Actually it was on Best in Australia. Since then I've repeatedly seen ads promoting Sanitarium vegetarian products. I wonder what they'd think of the episode?
hey ben. i dare you to come to the whitsunday and show people how to cook
they are great recipes !
BEN YOU'RE A HOTTIE!
I am in love with Ben and his food!
You nail everything you do and we especially like how you nail the Asian cuisines. When are you going to open up a restaurant in Perth or Rotto seeing you started out in WA!
Ben, you are an absolutely incredible chef and it seems from TV at least to also be a really great guy! Love you in The Best of Australia and in Surfing the Menu, I hope you continue to have the best of luck and get to enjoy the best things in life - good food and great people! You have such a wonderful job! Cheers!
watched christmas chef and your frozen margarita looked so simple but could not find a pen in time to write the mix please help
Bender you always inspire with your grascious style
Ben, absolutely hooked on the sage butter in which you served with your cornflake crumbed veal.
Love the best in Australia keep given Darren heaps Your salt crusted chicken was amazing
Hey Bud Hows it going? Whens you new book out in SA? Keep well. Chow
i love your show and watch it regulary, but my concern is that most of you chefs do not practice safe handling of food. if you are preparing food for people to test do you not think it right to wear gloves. health regulations permitt you from handling food without the use of gloves yet you chefs get away with not using them on your shows. please explain on one of your shows.
The Westin Melbourne's Allegro Restaurant is also a fan of Ben's that is why we have invited him to take over our kitchen in November. For those of you in Melbourne, experience Ben's unique style of cooking from Wed Nov 18 - Sat Nov 21. For more details visit http://www.westin.com.au/melbourne/dining-events.html
Hey Ben! wow!!!!!! the Hot smoked salmon was awsome. Thanks for the show... all 3 of you make it look such a hoot. Wish I could be one of the foodie tasters. Please pick me, pick me !!!!!
Hey Ben, Love the show, you all look like you have a great time. Have tried lots of your recipes and love them all. Keep giving it to Darren. xx :)
LUVIN YOUR RECIPES BENNO!!!
I love watching you cook, you make it look like such a lot of fun. Loved Surfing the Menu also . Keep smiling. XX
great show Ben carnt wait to try the calves liver recipe . But what is Gorgonzola Dolci and is there a substitute? Your recipes are good for anyone to make My cooking has improved out of sight .Husband very happy!!! truthfully you Desiree`
Hey Ben, How was your hair and eyebrows after the Pizza Demo at Food & Wine in Sydney! Love your show and recipes ... and give Darren heaps! :o)
hey ben, love all your recipes your style of cooking is great keep it up.
Hey there Bey love your style of cooking im actually going to try the chicken birani tomorrow looks great whis me luck and i hope the family like it......
leave darren alone butt head
Well i never HaHaHaHaJaHaHa
I just love the show and getting to recipe on the net. I might be of the old school but to many sexual inuendo make me blush,but the cooking is great
you are one sexy man
ye ben you are how was the breakfast I cooked you the other morning LOL XXX D
you are a layed back chef and are enjoyable to watch...thanx for all the recipies and hope to see you more on tv...
ben's the man in my opinion im a big fan of his shows, i like the style of food he produces aswell
If you love Ben then come support him by going to http://www.everydayhero.com.au/ben_odonoghue and sponsor him to give up swearing for one week!
Bender, the 'Cannelloni of Artichoke' is beautiful. I come from an Italian background and I made it (well, tried my best!) and my parents loved it. So did my daughter, Tess. Thanks heaps, for this recipe. We were virtually licking our plates.....beauty! Definitely will make it again and again.
I LOVED YOUR CURIZO AND MOZZARELLA PIZZA
Ben stop ganging up with Anna and picking on Darren, not nice
He deserves everything he gets!!! dont be fooled by his nice guy persona!!
great kanga recipe
ben your chicken byriani is the easiest and tastiest I have been able to cook with success thanks Ben
Ben, why did you steel Darren's potato & scallop pancake with creme fraiche & caviar and put it in Delicious????? Naughty Boy !!!!
you are a great and fun Chef, love your work !!
loved surfing the menu New Zealand wish there were more shows, love your food too Ben
When is the next series of The Best in Australia going to be shown. Please keep these show coming, they were my favourites in 2008.
I was at the Brisbane Good Food and wine festival. I bought my lunch at the diner as did many and my choice was your beef Wellington, but it was not like? i think, the one you did on the best of. Can you please send me the recipet? I loved the beef wellington that I got there, but it was not wraped in a crepe as you did on the Best of, The other thing was that my partner interrupted me when watching you cooking it so it may have been the best. I love it anyway and would love to cook like you, even if I am a granny. Thanks
I've just checked and all the recipes for series 1 & 2 are on thelifestylechannel.com.au Then put the best in Australia in the search box.
Great BBQ ideas Ben keep them coming
luv the sense of humour...food's pretty good too
loved you in the best in australia, and surfing the menu . Keep coming back home to oz.
What a fantastic best series a pleasure to watch
Onya mate keep up the inspiration
i loved you in both shows, i have had so much insperation from waching best in australia and surfing the menu.
I love you in the best in Australia 1 and 2 but you were cuter in the Surfing the menu. My kids love your recipes and makes me cook almost everything you cook. Only thing that I am not allow to cook for my husband with stuff with Cheese in it. What a bummer?!?! :(
Your number one fan Belinda
thanks Bindy73 your a champ!! Ben