Matt Preston

Matt Preston
Matt preston.jpg
Matt Preston at the 2011 Australian Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards
Born 1961
London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation Food journalist, critic
Known for MasterChef Australia judge
Spouse(s) Emma Preston
Children 3 children
Website
http://www.mattpreston.com.au/

Matt Preston (born in 1961 in London, United Kingdom) is a British-Australian food journalist and restaurant critic. He is best known for his role as a judge on Network Ten's MasterChef Australia and his weekly food column in the Taste[1] supplement available in the Herald Sun, The Courier-Mail and The Daily Telegraph (Australia) newspapers. Preston is also a writer for MasterChef and delicious. magazines as well as the former columnist for The Age newspaper’s food section, "Epicure" and Vogue Entertaining + Travel. Preston was the Creative Director of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival[2] until 2009.

Biography

Preston was educated in Sussex at Worth School and graduated from the University of Kent with a BA Hons in Politics and Government. He began his career in the sales and marketing departments of British magazines, including City Limits where for five years he wrote the "Backhanders" column. Preston then spent four years with United Kingdom magazines, TVTimes and What’s on TV, becoming the head of promotions and marketing.[3] He continued to work for these publications after moving to Australia in 1993, as an Australian soap opera correspondent.

Preston also works as a regular food correspondent in a number of publications, including Taste, a supplement in the Herald Sun, The Courier-Mail and The Daily Telegraph (Australia) newspapers and MasterChef Magazine, delicious. (Senior Editor), Australian Good Taste as the drink reviewer, The Guardian newspaper (UK) and Time Out (London). Preston was a weekly contributor to Epicure between 2000 and 2009, writing a weekly review of a cafe or restaurant. He also wrote a weekly column in The Age's A2 and was a senior editor at Vogue Entertaining & Travel. Preston has made many appearances on Australian radio.

Masterchef

In 2009, Preston joined Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris on the judging panel of the first season of MasterChef Australia (Network 10), a reality television competition to find Australia’s best amateur chef. Preston says that his favourite part of MasterChef Australia is ‘the joy that comes from the contestants delivering us a delicious dish that’s a pleasure to eat’. Preston has gone on to judge four more series of MasterChef Australia (2010, 2011, 2012 and Masterchef All Stars). In 2013 Preston co-hosts MasterChef Australia: The Professionals with Marco Pierre White. The show premiered on Sunday, 20 January 2013.

Vogue Entertaining + Travel and delicious. [4]

Matt has been contributing to Australia's leading glossy food magazines writing about restaurants, chefs and leading culinary destinations. The role has taken him to more than 30 regions across Australia and the world, from Copenhagen to Hyderabad. He is currently Vogue Entertaining's restaurant reviewer focusing on Australia's influential restaurant openings.

Epicure and The Age

Matt began regularly contributing to the Epicure food section of The Age in February 2000. He writes a weekly review of a cafe or ethnic eatery in his 'Unexplored' column in Epicure and, since February 2009, has written a weekly column in The Age on Saturday's A2 section. Matt also contributes cover stories to Epicure for which he has won a number of awards

Other Professional Roles

  • Creative Director, Melbourne Food and Wine Festival (2004-2009). [5]
  • Contributor, The Age Good Food Guide; Food and Wine (US). [6]
  • Five years as National Chief Judge for Restaurant and Catering's National Awards for Excellence. [7]
  • Contributing drink editor, Good Taste magazine. [8]
  • Secret reviewer on Channel 7's My Restaurant Rules (series one). [9]
  • Matt Preston is currently a Judge in the worlds best 50 restaurants awards.[10][11]
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Personal life

Preston married his wife, Emma, in 1999 and the couple have three children.[12] A football fan, Preston supports Chelsea FC and Melbourne Victory.

His biggest cooking triumphs are: "The national award I've won for my jam recipes and cooking a BBQ for 1,000 people at the Noosa Food and Wine Festival with some volunteers and chef mates.[13] His favourite inspirational cooking quote: "It's not the food on the table but the eyes across the table that matter" - Robert Castellani, chef at Melbourne's Donovan's restaurant.[14]

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Books

Matt Preston's 100 Best recipes, launched 23 October 2012, Plum/Pan Macmillan. Preston's book Cravat-A-Licious, a collection of food writing, launched on 1 October 2009.[15] He is a contributor to Food and Wine (US) and has previously contributed to The Age Good Food Guide.

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Accolades

Preston has won a number of awards, both individually and as the leader of an organisation, including:

  • 2003 Food Media Club of Australia Grand Marnier Award for Best New Writer Winner: Matt Preston for articles published in the Epicure section of The Age.
  • 2004 Food Media Club of Australia Australian Mushroom Growers’ Award Best Food Article Winner: Matt Preston for “The Temple Kitchen”, Epicure, The Age.
  • 2006 Food Media Club of Australia Calypso Mango Award for Best Recipe Feature in a Newspaper or Newspaper Magazine Winner: Matt Preston for “Preserving knowledge”, Epicure, The Age.
  • 2008 Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards, Food Journalist of the Year for articles in Delicious Magazine and the Epicure section of The Age.[16]
  • 2010 The Graham Kennedy Award for Most Outstanding New Talent (Male).
  • 2011 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards Winner – Awesome Oldie.[17]
  • Preston appears in Who's Who in Australia 2011 edition.[18]
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Notes

  1. ^ "NewsSpace - Taste"
  2. ^ "Does Blumenthal smell of Caramel, Matt Preston, Epicure, The Age, 9 April 2009"
  3. ^ Matt Preston Speaker Biography
  4. ^ http://www.mattpreston.com.au/profile.html
  5. ^ http://www.mattpreston.com.au/profile.html
  6. ^ http://www.mattpreston.com.au/profile.html
  7. ^ http://www.mattpreston.com.au/profile.html
  8. ^ http://www.mattpreston.com.au/profile.html
  9. ^ http://www.mattpreston.com.au/profile.html
  10. ^ http://www.theworlds50best.com/
  11. ^ http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/attica-eatery-from-melbourne-enters-san-pellegrino-worlds-50-best-restaurants-list-for-the-first-time/story-e6frfkp9-1226632375630
  12. ^ Wendy Squires (23 September 2009). "Matt the cravat". The Australian Women's Weekly. ninemsn. Retrieved 14 July 2010. 
  13. ^ "Eye on the Prize", The Guide, 'Herald Sun', 3 June 2009"
  14. ^ "Eye on the Prize", The Guide, Herald Sun, 3 June 2009"
  15. ^ "Cravat-A-Licious, Matt Preston, Random House, 10 October 2009"
  16. ^ "The hottest dish at Icebergs", Sunday Telegraph, 5 July 2009"
  17. ^ Australian Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards 2011 Winners List
  18. ^ "Who's Who pack now boasts Siddle, Hamish and Andy and the Masterchef judges". heraldsun.com.au. 9 December 2010. 
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External links

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Last modified on 3 May 2013, at 06:09