Cook Maggie Beer: from Bankstown to finding her purpose in the Barossa

Maggie Beer started her working life at the age of 14 in a chenille bedspread factory. Two decades later, in a pheasant farm in the Barossa Valley, she found her dream jobLegendary cook, author food producer and educator Maggie Beer grew up in Lakemba in South-West Sydney, and got her first job when she was 14.Maggie had to leave school early to go out to work to help support her family after her father's business went bankrupt.Although she had a varied working life over the next two decades, it wasn't until her mid-thirties that Maggie found her purpose.She and her husband Colin began a pheasant farm in South Australia's Barossa Valley, then added a farm gate shop and a restaurant.In the process, Maggie discovered that she loved to cook for people. For the first ten years they struggled to make the restaurant work financially, until a big award catapulted the business to fame.Eventually the hours and the demands became too much, and Maggie's husband Colin issued an ultimatum - it was him or the restaurant.Maggie chose her husband, and eventually began her media career writing newspaper columns, and then became a TV star on The Cook and the Chef and Masterchef.In 2010 Maggie was named the Senior Australian of the Year. More recently she has been campaigning to improve the quality of food in aged care.Further informationLearn more about the Maggie Beer FoundationTo binge even more great episodes of the ‘Conversations podcast’ with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, singers, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.

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