Charmaine Solomon facts for kids

Charmaine Solomon, born in 1930, is a famous Australian cook and author. She has written 31 cookbooks. She also created her own brand of spice mixes and marinades. Many people, including The Sydney Morning Herald, call her "the Queen of Asian cooking in Australia."

Charmaine Solomon is known for introducing Asian food to Australian homes. Her 1976 book, The Complete Asian Cookbook, is very popular. It has sold over one million copies. This book has been translated into five languages. It is considered one of Australia's most important cookbooks.

Early Life and Family

Charmaine Maureen Poulier was born in Colombo, Ceylon. This country is now known as Sri Lanka. Her parents were from a group called Burgher people. Her mother was originally from Burma.

When she was 18, Charmaine worked for the Ceylon Daily News. This was an English newspaper. She was an assistant editor for the women's pages. She interviewed famous people like royalty and film stars. She also wrote about social events.

In 1956, she married Reuben Kelly Solomon. He was a musician from Rangoon. They had two daughters. In 1959, they moved to Australia. Later, they had two sons there.

Cooking Career

Charmaine Solomon taught herself how to cook. She started cooking to feel more comfortable in her new home. Her husband, Reuben, worked at night as a musician.

In 1964, she entered a cooking competition. It was called the Woman's Day Butter White Wings Bake Off. She came in second place. This caught the eye of another cookbook author, Margaret Fulton. Margaret invited Charmaine to work as a food writer for Woman's Day magazine.

Charmaine worked at Woman's Day for 11 years. For three of those years, she was the food editor. After that, she became the cookery editor for Belle magazine. She also wrote regular columns for The Sun-Herald and The Sydney Morning Herald. For three years, she was the food editor for Family Circle magazine.

Her first book, South East Asian Cookbook, came out in 1972. Her most famous book, The Complete Asian Cookbook, was published in 1976. Over the next 30 years, she wrote 29 more cookbooks.

Awards and Recognition

Charmaine Solomon has received many awards for her work. In 2007, she was given the Medal of the Order of Australia. This award was for her service to food media. It especially recognized her Asian cookery books.

Her book, Encyclopaedia of Asian Food, won a silver medal. This was at the 1996 Julia Child Cookbook Awards. It also won a silver ladle at the 1997 World Food Media Best Food Book awards.

Charmaine and her husband Reuben created a line of spice pastes and marinades. These products won a Jaguar Award for Excellence in 1998. In 2002, her book The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook won an award. It was named Best Vegetarian Book in English at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards.