Ben O'Donoghue

Ben O'Donoghue is an Australian chef and television personality. Currently he is one of the hosts and contestants of The Best in Australia airing on LifeStyle Food in Australia and Vibrant TV Network in the United States.

O'Donoghue was five years old when his family moved from England to Port Hedland. At the age of ten, his family moved to Perth. On finishing school O'Donoghue was employed at a restaurant at Rottnest Island for the summer as a kitchen hand. As a result, he applied for and obtained an apprenticeship in a seafood restaurant in Nedlands called Jo Jo's. In his final year of high school at La Salle College in Midland he was head boy.

After qualifying as a chef O’Donoghue was promoted to Sous Chef at Jessica's Seafood Restaurant in Perth. This was followed by stints as Chef de Partie at Goodfella's restaurant in the Newtown area of Sydney and at the Tribeca restaurant in Double Bay, Sydney, where he was subsequently promoted to Sous Chef. In 1993, the restaurant was awarded the' Best New Restaurant Award' by The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide.

In 1996 O'Donoghue travelled to the United Kingdom where he worked at The River Café before moving to become Head Chef at the Monte's Club in Knightsbridge with Jamie Oliver. He then worked as the Head Chef at the Atlantic Bar & Grill and also helping Oliver Peyton win the contract to open the National Dining Room at the National Gallery with his creative and seasonal menus. He is now the creative director of food for The Great Australian Pie Company based in the UK. O'Donoghue has also worked with Oliver as a consultant food stylist as well as assisting him with various outside catering functions, including cooking for Tony Blair and the Italian Prime Minister.