Cook, writer and broadcaster, Peta Mathias says that like a restaurant, a cookbook is a labour of love - it only hurts when you laugh.
Since 1995 Peta has been presenting the award winning prime time television food shows 'Taste NZ', 'Taste Takes Off' and 'A Taste of Home' and has written eight gastronomic travel books.
The NZ Guild of Writers voted Peta as the Supreme Award winner at the New Zealand Guild of Food Writers Culinary Quill Awards in 2003. The Supreme Award recognises the most outstanding entry of the fourteen category winners. Mavis Airey, President of the Guild said the judges found it difficult selecting an overall winner and it was Peta's passion for the craft of food communications that made the final decision.
The next book is a departure and is about women - 'Can We Help It If We're Fabulous?' due out in August 2008. Peta also hosts culinary adventures in the South of France, Marrakesh and Rajasthan every year. She is a member and judge of Slow Food and is proud of the fact that she lives in one of the cleanest, most beautiful countries in the world.
Career Highlights
Taste New Zealand, Taste Takes Off and A Taste of Home presenter - Won 'Best Electronic Media Award' from NZ Guild of Food Writers in 2001 and 2003 and also the Supreme Award in 2003 for most outstanding entry overall.
Fête Accomplie week long Culinary Adventures every year in Uzès, South of France, Marrakesh, Morocco, and Rajasthan, India.
Peta Unplugged Cooking DVD's
BOOKS:
'Fete Accomplie', 1995 - (voted onto the Top 20 best books in NZ) - life in Paris - stories and recipes
'Don't Get Saucy With Me Bearnaise', 1997 (short listed for Montana Book Awards) - Taste New Zealand stories and recipes
'Salut', 1998 (highly recommended in NZ Food Writers Awards) - gastronomic travels in France
'Burnt Barley', 2000 (Best Literary Food Writing/English at World Cookbook Fair in Perigueux) - gastronomic travels in Ireland
'Insatiable', 2000 (Recipe Book of the Year, NZ Food Writers Assn) - cookbook
'Sirocco', 2002 (short-listed for Best Food Book at the Jacobs Creek World Food Media Awards in October 2003) - gastronomic travels in Portugal, Morocco & Andalusia.
'Noodle Pillows', 2003 (Best Foreign Cookery Book in English at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards) - gastronomic travels in Vietnam
'A Cook's Tour of New Zealand', 2005
'French Toast' 2006 - update of 'Salut'
'Can We Help It If We're Fabulous' and other thoughts on being a woman - 2008 (Numnber 1 on the bestseller list a week and a half after publication, and already in its second reprint)