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Perth Now
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Australia's ‘first celebrity chef' dies
Pioneering Australian chef Peter Russell-Clarke has died, aged 89. The celebrated TV personality, author and artist died on Friday due to complications from a stroke. Born in Ballarat, he was considered the country's first celebrity chef after he rose to prominence in the 1980s with his ABC show 'Come and Get It'. Known for his catchphrases 'G'day', 'You beaut' and 'Where's the cheese?', he was a fixture on Australian televisions during the show's run from 1983 to 1992. He died in Melbourne on Friday surrounded by his wife Jan and children Peter and Wendy. He wrote over 35 cookbooks, at the height of his fame was a spokesman for the Victorian Egg Board and the Australian Dairy Corporation, was an accomplished artist and worked as a political cartoonist.
7NEWS
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- 7NEWS
Australian TV chef Peter Russell-Clarke dies at 89, remembered for ‘Come and Get It' and his creativity
Peter Russell-Clarke, the bearded larrikin who taught a generation of Australians how to cook with cheer, cheek and a dash of 'you beaut' energy, has died aged 89. The pioneering TV chef, artist and illustrator passed away peacefully on Friday, July 3, surrounded by his beloved wife Jan, his partner of 65 years, and his two children, Peter and Wendy, following complications from a stroke. Russell-Clarke was best known for his five-minute ABC series Come and Get It, which aired in the 1980s and cemented his place as one of the first true celebrity chefs in Australia. Across more than 900 episodes, his expressive catchphrases, neckerchiefs, and twinkling sense of humour became part of the national lexicon. While many remember him for that signature callout, 'Come and get it!', Russell-Clarke's career spanned far more than television. He was a political cartoonist, a commercial illustrator, a creative director in one of Australia's top advertising agencies of the 1970s, a restaurateur decades before 'pop-up dining' was a trend, and the author of nearly 40 cookbooks. He even appeared alongside Derryn Hinch in the cult 1983 comedy At Last... Bullamakanka: The Motion Picture, and was later appointed a food ambassador to the United Nations. Born in 1935 in Ballarat, Russell-Clarke's early life was marked by instability. The son of a former Anglican minister and a dressmaker, he spent time in foster care and even experienced periods of homelessness, once scavenging behind Florentino in Melbourne and half-joking that this is where his appreciation for 'fine food' was born. A stint living with a Chinese family in his youth introduced him to banquet-style cooking and Asian flavours, elements he would return to throughout his culinary career. 'Whether you're cooking or painting, follow your imagination,' he once said, tying together his dual passions. While Come and Get It eventually left the ABC, Russell-Clarke's popularity endured, thanks in part to a beloved advertising campaign for the Australian Dairy Corporation that had him bounding across paddocks shouting, 'Where's the cheese?' Decades later, the question still followed him. His fans remember not just the recipes, but the warmth, mischief and generosity of spirit he brought to the kitchen — and the screen. 'Adieu, Peter Russell-Clarke,' his family said in a statement. 'The lovable, larrikin artist and gentleman of the art of relaxed cooking. 'Til we all meet again.'
ABC News
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Australian celebrity chef Peter Russell-Clarke dies aged 89
Television chef, author and artist Peter Russell-Clarke has died, aged 89. Family friend Belinda Pinder confirmed his death on Sunday afternoon. Reports suggested he died after complications from a stroke. Born in Ballarat in 1935, Russell-Clarke began his career at age 14, working a junior artist at an advertising agency, before moving into freelance cartooning and working as a food consultant for popular magazines, including New Idea and Woman's Day. He went on to produce his own cookbooks before shooting to wider fame through his catchy "g'days" which featured in the theme song of his 1980s ABC cooking show Come and Get it. The show ran from 1983 to 1992, with 900 episodes written and hosted by Russell-Clarke wearing his signature neckerchief. His appearances on Come and Get It made him one of Australia's pioneering TV celebrity chefs. "I realised that the bloke in front of the camera got more applause than the person who wrote it," he told the ABC in 2017. "So I wrote myself into the series and I became known as a cook rather than a painter or a writer." For more than two decades starting in the mid 70s, he was also a popular spokesperson and TV and radio presenter for the Australian Dairy Corporation, as well as for companies such as the Australian Egg Board and Kraft Cheese. Russell-Clarke was also the chef for the Prince of Wales's Silver Jubilee dinner in 1977. He was also invited to cook for Australian prime ministers, Victorian premiers, and the Duke of Edinburgh. He also wrote at least 35 cookbooks and was a United Nations food ambassador. As a child, displaced from his rural Victorian home after the separation of his parents, Russell-Clarke spent time in foster homes and, briefly, and on the streets of Melbourne, a period which he told SWILL magazine in 2023 led to his appreciation of fine food and different cuisines. But Russell-Clarke started painting long before his interest in the culinary arts grew. He worked as a commercial artist for about 65 years, including for 10 years as the political cartoonist for The Herald newspaper in Melbourne. In 2022, Russell-Clarke told the National Portrait Gallery about the similarities between his love for cooking and painting. "[While painting,] you're mucking around with colour, form, texture, shape. And with cooking, you're doing the same thing," he said. "Cooking is only supplying heat to food. The same as painting. Painting is supplying paint to a surface, whether it's a canvas or a piece of cardboard." His artworks have been featured in exhibitions in Australia and overseas, at private venues, auctioned at the Shepparton Art Museum and collected by the National Immigration Museum. Russell-Clarke was even commissioned to produce several pieces for the federal government. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Jan, their two children Peter and Wendy, and three grandchildren. The ABC has contacted the family for comment.
West Australian
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- West Australian
Australian TV chef Peter Russell-Clarke dies at 89, remembered for ‘Come and Get It' and his creativity
Peter Russell-Clarke, the bearded larrikin who taught a generation of Australians how to cook with cheer, cheek and a dash of 'you beaut' energy, has died aged 89. The pioneering TV chef, artist and illustrator passed away peacefully on Friday, July 3, surrounded by his beloved wife Jan, his partner of 65 years, and his two children, Peter and Wendy, following complications from a stroke. Russell-Clarke was best known for his five-minute ABC series Come and Get It, which aired in the 1980s and cemented his place as one of the first true celebrity chefs in Australia. Across more than 900 episodes, his expressive catchphrases, neckerchiefs, and twinkling sense of humour became part of the national lexicon. While many remember him for that signature callout, 'Come and get it!', Russell-Clarke's career spanned far more than television. He was a political cartoonist, a commercial illustrator, a creative director in one of Australia's top advertising agencies of the 1970s, a restaurateur decades before 'pop-up dining' was a trend, and the author of nearly 40 cookbooks. He even appeared alongside Derryn Hinch in the cult 1983 comedy At Last... Bullamakanka: The Motion Picture, and was later appointed a food ambassador to the United Nations. Born in 1935 in Ballarat, Russell-Clarke's early life was marked by instability. The son of a former Anglican minister and a dressmaker, he spent time in foster care and even experienced periods of homelessness, once scavenging behind Florentino in Melbourne and half-joking that this is where his appreciation for 'fine food' was born. A stint living with a Chinese family in his youth introduced him to banquet-style cooking and Asian flavours, elements he would return to throughout his culinary career. 'Whether you're cooking or painting, follow your imagination,' he once said, tying together his dual passions. While Come and Get It eventually left the ABC, Russell-Clarke's popularity endured, thanks in part to a beloved advertising campaign for the Australian Dairy Corporation that had him bounding across paddocks shouting, 'Where's the cheese?' Decades later, the question still followed him. His fans remember not just the recipes, but the warmth, mischief and generosity of spirit he brought to the kitchen — and the screen. 'Adieu, Peter Russell-Clarke,' his family said in a statement. 'The lovable, larrikin artist and gentleman of the art of relaxed cooking. 'Til we all meet again.'
Perth Now
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
TV chef Peter Russell-Clarke dies aged 89
Peter Russell-Clarke, the bearded larrikin who taught a generation of Australians how to cook with cheer, cheek and a dash of 'you beaut' energy, has died aged 89. The pioneering TV chef, artist and illustrator passed away peacefully on Friday, July 3, surrounded by his beloved wife Jan, his partner of 65 years, and his two children, Peter and Wendy, following complications from a stroke. Russell-Clarke was best known for his five-minute ABC series Come and Get It, which aired in the 1980s and cemented his place as one of the first true celebrity chefs in Australia. Across more than 900 episodes, his expressive catchphrases, neckerchiefs, and twinkling sense of humour became part of the national lexicon. While many remember him for that signature callout, 'Come and get it!', Russell-Clarke's career spanned far more than television. He was a political cartoonist, a commercial illustrator, a creative director in one of Australia's top advertising agencies of the 1970s, a restaurateur decades before 'pop-up dining' was a trend, and the author of nearly 40 cookbooks. He even appeared alongside Derryn Hinch in the cult 1983 comedy At Last... Bullamakanka: The Motion Picture, and was later appointed a food ambassador to the United Nations. Born in 1935 in Ballarat, Russell-Clarke's early life was marked by instability. The son of a former Anglican minister and a dressmaker, he spent time in foster care and even experienced periods of homelessness, once scavenging behind Florentino in Melbourne and half-joking that this is where his appreciation for 'fine food' was born. A stint living with a Chinese family in his youth introduced him to banquet-style cooking and Asian flavours, elements he would return to throughout his culinary career. 'Whether you're cooking or painting, follow your imagination,' he once said, tying together his dual passions. While Come and Get It eventually left the ABC, Russell-Clarke's popularity endured, thanks in part to a beloved advertising campaign for the Australian Dairy Corporation that had him bounding across paddocks shouting, 'Where's the cheese?' Decades later, the question still followed him. His fans remember not just the recipes, but the warmth, mischief and generosity of spirit he brought to the kitchen — and the screen. 'Adieu, Peter Russell-Clarke,' his family said in a statement. 'The lovable, larrikin artist and gentleman of the art of relaxed cooking. 'Til we all meet again.'
