Ben O’Donoghue started off his career working in several different restaurants throughout Australia. These included award winning Jessica’s Fine seafood restaurant in Perth, the highly acclaimed Goodfella’s restaurant in the trendy Newtown area of Sydney and the uber trendy Tribeca restaurant in Double Bay, Sydney.

Ben then came to the UK and worked at The River Café from 1996/2000 before moving to become Head Chef at the exclusive Monte’s Club in Knightsbridge with Jamie Oliver from 2000/2003. He then worked as Head Chef at the famous Atlantic Bar & Grill and also helping Oliver Peyton win the contract to open the National Dinning Room @ the National Gallery with his creative and seasonal menus from 2003/20006. He is now the creative director of food for The Great Australian Pie Company based in the UK.

Ben co-presented a BBC2 10-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 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 30 other territories. Ben filmed the second series of Surfing the Menu and wrote the accompanying book in 2004. He has filmed the third series and fourth series-taking place in New Zealand in 2006.

Ben has since filmed the 1^st and 2^nd series of the Australian series “The Best” for the Life style channel. He is also the face of the “I love food awards” for the life style food channel.

Ben wrote a regular food column ‘Ben’s Basics’ for Olive Magazine as well as writing a regular column for Delicious Magazine in Australia. He is the co-author of three cook books and has written a stand alone book published by Hardie Grant in October 2008 called “OUTDOORS grill your way round the world”.

Ben is 37 and loves fly-fishing and surfing.

+ Channel Nine - Co Presenter Fresh

+ Life Style Channel - The Best in Australia 1,2&3 8x45’ series TX 2007-2008,2009

+ XYZ Networks (Australia) - The great barbeque Challenge 19x30’ series TX 2006-2007

+ ABC (Australia) - Surfing the Menu IV- Co-Presenter, 8 x 30’ series, TX 2007

+ ABC (Australia) - Surfing The Menu III– Co-Presenter, 8 x 30’ series, TX 2006

+ ABC (Australia) - Surfing The Menu II– Co-Presenter, 8 x 30’ series, TX 2005

+ ABC (Australia) - Surfing The Menu – co-Presenter, 8 x 30’ series, TX 2004

+ Channel Ten (Australia)  The Panel

+ Food Network (USA) - Plant Food - Morocco. 1 X 50’

+ BBC2 - The Best- Co-Presenter, 10 x 30’ series, 2002

+ BBC2 - Saturday Kitchen, - Guest Chef, 2003-2006

+ UKTV Food - Food Uncut- Guest Presenter, 2006

+ UKTV Food - Great Food Live – Regular Guest Chef, 2001-2004

+ Taste TV - Taste Today/Food Network Daily – Guest Chef, 2000-2001

+ CFN - Quick Cooks- Presenter, 7 X 10’, 2000-2001

+ The Best - BBC World Wide, TV tie-in book

+ Surfing The Menu II - ABC Books, TV tie-in book & UK version

+ Surfing The Menu ABC Books, TV tie-in book & UK version

+ BBC Good Food Magazine - Summer BBQ feature, June 2003

+ Olive Magazine - Regular Feature writer, 2003 - 2006

+ Delicious Magazine, Australia, regular column, 2004 - ongoing

+ Delicious Magazine - United Kingdom July Barbeque feature 2008

+ OUTDOOR - Hardie Grant Books, October 2008

+ BBC Good Food Show - Birmingham, 2001-2006

+ Brisbane Better Homes & Garden - Brisbane, 2005

+ Sydney Food & Wine Festival - Sydney, June 2008

+ Melbourne Food & Wine Festival - Melbourne, June 2008

+ Brisbane Good Food & Wine Show - Brisbane November 2007 - 2008

+ Perth Good Food & Wine Show - Perth July 2008

+ New Zealand Food and Wine Festival - Auckland, August 2005

+ New Zealand Food and Wine Festival - Wellington, May 2006

+ BBC Good Homes Show - Birmingham, Guest Chef, May 2003

+ Festive Food Show - Olympia, 2005