Speakers Profile - Maeve O'Meara










Travels From:
Sydney

Fee Range: E


Television Presenter; Food Author and Broadcaster; Director of Food Adventure Company Gourmet Safaris.

At the age of 20, sitting on the Arcopolis on a year-long voyage of adventure, Maeve decided she never wanted two days of her life to be the same. Pursuing her passion for exotic food around the world and in Australia has enabled her dream to come true - Maeve is an award-winning food and cooking author, journalist, broadcaster, television producer and presenter as well as director of food tour business Gourmet Safaris.

Maeve is best known as presenter of the acclaimed Food Safari series on SBS Television. Covering 44 different cuisines, it was described by The Australian newspaper as "a landmark for Australian food television". It was followed by the glorious Italian Food Safari, celebrating Italian food in Australia, hosted by Maeve and Melbourne restaurateur Guy Grossi, which screened to large audiences and great critical acclaim.

In 2011 French Food Safari, hosted by Maeve and top French chef Guillaume Brahimi and shot in France and Australia also won ratings, hearts and tastebuds. DVDs of all the Food Safari series have been a huge commercial success in Australia and around the world.

Maeve is the author of three exquisite cookbooks which have accompanied each series and shot to the bestseller lists - Food Safari -- Glorious Adventures Across a World of Cuisines, Italian Food Safari -- A Delicious Celebration of the Italian Kitchen and French Food Safari. She has co-authored 11 books, including the cookbook "Lamingtons and Lemongrass" and the best-selling "SBS Eating Guides To Sydney". Maeve is a former Food Editor of Family Circle and New Woman magazines.

Maeve's television work has been honoured by the World Food Media Awards - for "The Food Lover's Guide To Australia", a 5 series opus that is still on air and for her work as Food Presenter on Channel Seven's "Better Homes and Gardens".

In 1998 Maeve built on her passion for food and the many cultures within Australia and created the highly successful food tourism business, Gourmet Safaris which has now hosted 60,000 people on tours in Sydney, Australia and around the world.
In 2007 the company was voted "Best Tour Operator" in the Australian newspaper's prestigious Tourism and Travel Awards, edging out much larger companies who were also shortlisted for the award.

Gourmet Safaris takes groups on exotic food tours throughout Sydney, regional Australia and overseas. Every week scores of people explore food in Sydney and more recently in Melbourne; in Australia trips run to Kangaroo Island and regional Victoria, and overseas to Vietnam, Sardinia and Corsica and the Greek Islands. A huge success has been Maeve's newest business idea -- Gorgeous Safaris -- single perfect weeks for women only focusing on good food, retail therapy and spa treatments which currently runs in Vietnam, New Zealand and Broome.

Maeve is a regular speaker and MC at many events and is ambassador for the charity "OzHarvest" which collects unused food from restaurants, cafes and caterers and distributes it free of charge to organizations that feed needy men, women and children. Gourmet Safaris supports a wide range of charities.