Come Dine with Me Australia

Originally from Melbourne, Julie moved to Sydney six years ago and now calls it home. At 43, Julie is a true blue Aussie who enjoys spending time at home, watching every reality TV show possible with her two cats Mr Terrorist and Blue (who were inherited from a past next door neighbour) and entertaining friends when and wherever possible. She loves exploring Australia and has recently returned from her dream holiday to New York. A good planner, with an unforgettable laugh whose motto is to live life to the fullest with no regrets!

Gail manages a medical practice of ophthalmic surgeons which she has done for the past 15 years. Her passions in life are food, kitchenware and shoes. It is often said that she would rather spend her days off work in a growers market searching and buying fresh produce then returning home to cook and serve it. Gail adores shopping for divine kitchenware to use when she shares her passion for cooking with family and friends. Her shoe fetish is evident by the number of shoes in her wardrobe, giving her the nickname ‘Imelda’.

People are often surprised when Ben tells them he is a lawyer. He finds they believe a lawyer who surfs and cooks must be deemed a kook and should be treated with the utmost suspicion. Ben considers himself to be staid and professional when required, but at all other times is relaxed and gregarious. He doesn’t like to take life too seriously and generally sees the humour in any situation. Ben has a voracious lust for life which he is comfortable expressing at work, in the surf, at the footy or when he’s cooking and entertaining his family and mates. Ben thinks life is short and you are a long time dead, so you might as well have a good crack at it, eh?!

Born in Mexico City in 1973, Jennifer has been working since the age of 16 and considers herself a workaholic! She was a co-host on a national television show in Mexico for eight years, getting to meet celebrities such as Ricky Martin and Robbie Williams. After breaking her leg she had to quit the program and returned to university to study graphic design and complete a masters degree in marketing. Jennifer has pursued her marketing career in Mexico, Italy and now in Australia. Jennifer loves Australia, its friendly people, quality of life and her job. She believes in destiny and good luck, is passionate about her job, good friends and dogs. She wants to stay in Australia for about five more years before going wherever life wants her to go…

Richard is 43 years old and loves entertaining and having lots of friends around to join in the fun. Originally from the UK he now lives in Sydney with his partner of 16 years, and his Norwich Terrier "Beau". Richard used to be the lead singer of pop bands Kiss Like This and Indecent Obsession but walked away from music 10 years ago to start his own boutique advertising/graphic agency.

Trudi is married and a stay at home Mum of two boys. As a young girl, she remembers food, family and friends always being part of her life. Having 30 first cousins was a feat in itself when the family would get together for Christmas and Easter. Trudi remembers there was always enough food to feed the masses, those delicious aromas wafting from the kitchen tantalising her nostrils and the vividness of the room with festive colours and polished cutlery. She knew from that moment the day was already a success. Trudi takes those memories and applies the same principles when she hosts her own event. Her organised personality shows when she indulges her passion for friends, food and entertaining.

Luke is the Chief Operations Manager at his family’s business – Harris Farm Markets and is the middle of five brothers. He has a true passion for growing, selling and most importantly, eating fresh food. He loves hearty, home-style food as long as the ingredients are of good quality and fresh – it’s always about what’s in season. Luke lives with his two dogs and girlfriend, who describes him as the next Jamie Oliver! He describes himself as the world’s keenest ocean swimmer and a lover of the surf, sun and swimming.

Anne-Maree was raised in Sydney as an only child. She started working in 1975 as a junior typist and continued with clerical work specialising in accounts receivable. Her first big adventure overseas was in 1980 but after three months she got home sick and came home early! She then moved to Perth and got engaged, but realised she missed Sydney more than she loved her fiance so moved back. Anne-Maree currently works part-time and is looking for a new challenge as a voice-over artist. She is single and is looking for someone special who can share her love, life and joy.

Angela has been married for over 29 years and looks forward to reaching her 50th wedding anniversary with her adored husband. They have two children in their twenties. Angela is a creative, bubbly personality and successfully juggles family, career and personal pursuits. After she had her first child she realised staying at home was ‘not her thing’ and she entered the workforce in marketing and promotion. Angela has many other loves including travel where she experiences different cultures and gets to eat unusual foods. This has inspired her own cooking and she has introduced different cooking methods from all over the world into her home. It’s difficult for Angela to relax – she is always zooming around at a million miles an hour. The energy she uses in work and leisure reflects her personality. She has admitted to being a “control freak” on occasion but tempers this with a relaxed and liberal attitude at home. Angela loves hosting dinner parties and isn’t adverse to taking risks and challenging her guests with new and exciting flavours.

Alex started dancing at the age of 11 and immediately became passionate about it. He discovered his talents quickly and after only one year of training with his first partner, they achieved the title of Juvenile Champions of NSW and Juvenile Champions of Australia. When Alex had achieved all there was to in Australia he moved to England where he had a successful career as a professional competitor and dance teacher. Four years later he returned to Australia where he has continued to compete and teach. His biggest passion is coaching students and helping them achieve their goals, whether it be competitive or social dancing. He tries to teach his students to enjoy dancing by developing their understanding of rhythm and music and it gives him great pleasure to see them succeed. Throughout his career Alex has trained many successful dancers and champions, his greatest achievement being his daughter Karina. Alex has trained Karina since she was seven and watched her recently reach the semifinals with her celebrity partner on Dancing with the Stars.

Bryan is a part-time actor, property developer and full-time animal lover! As an actor he has appeared in Rafferty’s Rules, Willing and Abel, Water Rats, Forensic Investigators and Living with the Law starring opposite Russell Crowe, he also played Dr Wilson on Home and Away for four years. He has worked as a TV and radio presenter for networks around Australia and is a sought after voice artist. Bryan began buying property at the young age of 16 and today has a multi-million dollar portfolio in Australia and the UK. In-between acting jobs Bryan runs a foster home for homeless and abandoned animals

Mel was born in Indonesia and grew up in Australia. After graduating from university she started work in music television before moving on to produce and write a national radio show. Mel has also been managing bands since she was 16 years old and is now adding to that by opening an art gallery exhibiting art with music at its heart. Mel has always been obsessed with music and food. She is a pop culture queen – ask her about anything in pop culture but if it’s to do with politics, sports and world affairs then she’ll most likely get it wrong!

Rita grew up as a farm girl in an Italian family. Her mother cooked hot meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner and by the age of 12 Rita was cooking for the farm staff after school and on weekends. Cooking soon became her passion, along with riding dirt motorbikes, music and entertaining! She started an entertainment company working as a professional magician and children’s performer. Rita has traveled to almost 40 countries, sampling all the cuisines they have to offer and tries to recreate the meals at home. She entertains her friends with performances and dinners around two times a week.

Set and costume designer James has numerous design credits under his belt and his creativity often extends to his dinner parties. He is also involved with teaching stage design to students, in particular at The Australian Institute of Music and is a regular judge for the National Rock Eisteddfod Challenge. James was costumier for the Human Nature National Tour and was associate designer for the musical Shout! He is currently designing for the Sydney Theatre Company.

Nicole has been married for 13 years and has a seven year-old daughter. While admitting she’s not the best cook, Nicole entertains at home as often as she can and finds it a great pleasure to show hospitality to family and friends. Nicole works two jobs and still finds time to fit the gym in four times a week where she regularly participates in spin classes, which is to try and counteract her passion for great food and wine… Travel is Nicole’s major passion and she enjoys it for relaxation and for the cultural experience. She considers herself adventurous in her approach to food and will try most things – even if only once!

Tony is a single dad with three busy primary school kids. His ex does the morning shift so he can get into work early and spend the afternoon and night with the kids. His day job is his investment practice – he looks after portfolios of a select group of wealthy families and not for profit organisations. His work hours are flexible which means he has plenty of time to seek out the best coffee and food inspiration! His passion is to use his work skills helping organisations that help young people. Tony recently won 15 dinners in 15 top restaurants at a charity auction so is currently working his way through some of Australia’s best chefs’ ideas!

Celeste is married with three children. She works part time as a Paediatric Occupational Therapist, helping children with special needs.She runs her own business which has won numerous Business Awards. Celeste strives to achieve excellence in all that she does and this is also reflected in her passion for food. She loves entertaining and a dinner invitation to her house is rarely declined! Celeste enjoys cooking modern Australian cuisine and adores Asian flavours. She is experienced in a wide range of cooking techniques and enjoys tackling multiple process recipes. She hopes Come Dine With Me Australia will encourage others to enjoy fine food and entertaining friends.

Nicole is a criminal defence lawyer who loves her job! Her clients are interesting to say the least and she always feels challenged with confronting cases. She loves that she gets to make a contribution to people’s lives. Cooking for Nicole means fun and excitement. It is her passion – she loves that food brings people together and is something that everyone does, every day, for their whole lives. Nicole likes to think of her cooking as flavourful, fresh, colourful and sexy. She believes that knowing how to cook great food really adds to the experience of life.

Stephen is a Financial Services Industry negotiator. Stephen and his wife built their large five bedroom and four bathroom home four years ago, ready to fill it with a modest family in the future. Stephen is a self declared ‘foodie’ and has developed his interest in food and entertaining from years of fun events at home with friends and through extensive dealings with the top-end chefs and restaurateurs in Australia over the last 12 years.

Sheeneagh is a single mum who has owned her own business since 1984, which manufactures and produces promotional products. Anything you want your logo on – caps, clothing, corporate giveaways, sporting goods – she’ll do it. She loves her clients and everyone she works with – even after 25 years! Sheeneagh loves to start her day with a walk on the beach, followed by breakfast at her favourite coffee shop, before heading to work to run the empire. Sheeneagh has a wonderful group of girlfriends who are always there for support and to keep her in check. She loves a good laugh, good food and good wine!