George Calombaris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Calombaris
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Calombaris in 2016
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George Dimitrios Calombaris
4 October 1978 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Natalie Tricario
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| Children | 2 |
George Dimitrios Calombaris (born 4 October 1978) is a well-known Greek Australian chef. He is also a restaurateur, which means he owns and manages restaurants. Many people know him as a television personality. From 2009 to 2019, George was one of the judges on the popular TV show MasterChef Australia. Before that, he often appeared on another cooking show called Ready Steady Cook.
George Calombaris owned several restaurants in Melbourne. His most famous restaurant, The Press Club, won "Best New Restaurant 2008". George himself was named "Chef of the Year 2008". He gets ideas for his cooking from his Greek, Cypriot, and Italian family background.
In 2019, George's company, MAdE Establishment Group, faced a big challenge. They admitted to not paying some employees correctly. The company had to pay back $7.83 million to 515 employees. MAdE also agreed to pay $200,000 to the Australian Government. In February 2020, MAdE faced more difficulties, and most of its restaurants closed down.
Contents
Learning to Cook: George's Education
George Calombaris went to Mazenod College in Mulgrave. He later studied at Box Hill Institute of TAFE to learn more about cooking. In 1999, while he was still learning as an apprentice, he won the Bon Land scholarship. This was a special award to help him with his cooking career.
George's Culinary Journey and TV Career
George Calombaris started his cooking career at a young age. When he was 23, he competed in the Bocuse d'Or culinary competition in Lyon, France. This is a very big cooking contest, and he finished in 16th place.
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He worked at a restaurant called Reserve in Melbourne for two years. At just 24 years old, he won "Young Chef of the Year". His restaurant also won "Best New Restaurant" and received two chef's hats in The Age Good Food Guide. In 2004, Global Food and Wine Magazine named him one of the top 40 most influential chefs in the world.
Opening Restaurants
In 2006, George Calombaris opened his own restaurant in Melbourne called The Press Club. He worked with famous architects Mills Gorman to design it. In 2008, he opened two more restaurants in Melbourne: Maha Bar and Grill and Hellenic Republic. He also opened his first international restaurant, The Belvedere Club, in Greece.
George continued to open new places. In 2010, he opened P M 24 with chef Philippe Mouchel. In 2011, he opened St Katherine's, and in 2012, Mama Baba. In July 2019, The Press Club closed, and a new restaurant called Elektra took its place.
Cookbooks and TV Appearances
George Calombaris has written five cookbooks. Some of his books include The Press Club and Hellenic Republic: Greek Cooking from The Hellenic Heart. He also wrote Your Place or Mine and Cook With Us with his MasterChef Australia co-judge, Gary Mehigan.
He is listed in Who's Who in Australia 2011 edition. He also appeared at the 2011 Good Food & Wine Show, sharing his cooking skills.
In 2012, George spoke about the rules for paying restaurant staff. He felt that paying high rates on weekends and public holidays made it hard for small businesses to make a profit. He mentioned that some of his restaurants were not making money on Sundays because of these costs. Later, his company faced issues for not paying employees correctly, as mentioned earlier.
In 2021, George Calombaris appeared on the TV show The Masked Singer in Australia. He was the "Duster" and was the second person to be eliminated. In 2022, George returned to Network Ten with a new cooking show called Hungry. He hosted it with former MasterChef Australia contestant Sarah Todd.
George's Family Life
George Calombaris married Natalie Tricarico in 2018. They got married in Greece. They have two children, a son born in 2011 and a daughter. The family lives in Melbourne, Australia.
George is also a big fan of the Melbourne Victory soccer team. He was even their No.1 ticket holder for the 2012–13 season.
