Latest news with #MattPreston
NZ Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Travel Alerts: Europe shoulder season, pizza celebrations, museum events, winter reds, and Disney cruise
Pizza in all ways Pizza takes centre stage in Milan on June 25 as The Best Pizza Awards celebrates its third edition at the iconic Spazio Antologico, East End Studios. With over 500 international guests, this event unites more than 300 of the world's top pizza chefs, journalists, and gastronomic innovators to celebrate the craft of pizza making. This year's theme explores how pizza continues to evolve. The programme includes masterclasses from Franco Pepe and Amalia Costantini, offering hands-on insights into both traditional and modern pizza-making techniques, forums about the pizza industry, and the annual Best Pizza Awards Gala. Kiwi chef Vaughan Mabee joins the post-awards Pizza Party, representing New Zealand in this global celebration. From classic margheritas to unique sourdough, the awards highlight the best in the world of pizza. You might not know it yet, but this could be the day you meet your perfect slice. Kiwi chef Vaughan Mabee joins the Best Pizza Awards 2025. Learn from superstars Night at Auckland Museum returns this July and September school holidays with the captivating theme, Superstars. Families explore the museum by torchlight, encountering theatrical characters from New Zealand's history and today's icons. Kids dive into interactive activities across three floors, learning to command the spotlight like silent film stars, uncover scientific passions with quirky characters, and pick up self-promotion tips from ancient Egyptian pharaohs. Alongside hands-on games and live audience shows, guests gain exclusive access to the dazzling DIVA exhibition featuring iconic garments worn by global performers. This immersive event offers Kiwi families a fresh, inspiring way to connect with culture and history. Discover your inner superstar at the Night at Auckland Museum. Sip on winter reds As winter's chill settles over the Adelaide Hills, Winter Reds invites you to gather around warm fires and toast to rich, cool-climate reds. From July 25 to 27, this celebrated festival lights up the region with over 50 events, from intimate tastings to lively food and wine pairings. For the first time, MasterChef's Matt Preston joins the festivities, sharing his love for great food and wine. Easily accessible from Adelaide, Winter Reds offers Kiwi travellers a rare chance to indulge in fine wines, delicious meals, and cosy ambience in a stunning winter landscape. Winter Reds celebrates red wine, great food, and its partnership with Matt Preston. Cruise with Bluey and Bingo Disney Cruise Line brings Bluey and Bingo back to sail around Australia and New Zealand from October 2025 to February 2026. The Disney Wonder will cruise from Auckland, Sydney, and Melbourne, offering three to 10-night trips packed with exclusive Bluey meet-and-greets, lively dance parties, and appearances by other beloved Disney characters. Guests can enjoy world-class Broadway shows, themed dining, and youth clubs on board. This cruise offers Kiwis an unforgettable family vacation at sea, blending iconic entertainment with stunning destinations. Early bookings save up to 30% on select sailings, making it an irresistible travel opportunity. To book or for full details, speak to your preferred cruise wholesaler.
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Are Masterchef Australia's original trio returning to TV? Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston set to reunite on exciting new project
Gary Mehigan, George Calombaris and Matt Preston reportedly have an exciting project brewing - and it could mean the beloved trio's return to Aussie screens. The ousted MasterChef Australia judges, who left the program in 2019, are said to be making a cooking show comeback after discussions with ABC executives. While little is known about the potential culinary project, insiders have revealed the MasterChef alum are crossing their fingers it will be their golden ticket into the spotlight again, reported New Idea. Reports surrounding the trio's initial departure from MasterChef suggested their exit was due to unsuccessful contract talks, but Gary has since denied this claim. Following their exit from the beloved Channel 10 show, Gary, 58, hinted it wouldn't be the last time viewers saw the three chefs in action together. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'Working together will continue to be the most important thing for us,' he assured fans at the time. Since then, Gary, George, 46, and Matt, 63, have hosted a number of events together, including pop-up dinners and food festivals. The trio joined forces at the Friends of George event at Hotel Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula in November last year. Raising money for Bowel Cancer Australia, they cooked up a storm with a bespoke menu of dishes for guests at the event. The year before, the kitchen gurus hosted numerous live events in India, presenting a series of dinners in Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi from November. Gary, George and Matt hosted MasterChef Australia for a decade, from 2009 to 2019. However, in July 2019, Channel 10 announced the three judges would not be returning for season 12 of the hit cooking show. It has been widely reported the hosts left the show because they couldn't agree on money. But Gary said at the time it had nothing to do with financial matters. In a statement posted to Instagram he wrote: 'It was time to move on [and] have more free time to explore our own creativity. 'It was never about the money and never will be about the money.' Daily Mail Australia has reached out to ABC for comment.
News.com.au
29-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
ABC in talks of new show with original MasterChef judges
MasterChef Australia's three original judges – Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris – are in talks to reunite for a mystery television project. Six years after Preston, Mehigan and Calombaris last collaborated, executives at the ABC are hoping the three can be brought together to recreate the MasterChef magic in a new culinary program on the public broadcaster. Industry sources last week said the trio hoped the yet-to-be-greenlit program would relaunch their prime time television careers. Flamboyant food critic Preston and restaurateur/chefs Calombaris and Mehigan enjoyed 11 seasons as presenters and judges on MasterChef before the three made a pact in 2019 to jointly walk away from the Ten Network reality series if they couldn't extract a better deal. Industry claims, reported by your scribe at the time, had it the men had each demanded a million dollar contract from Ten. This was 18 months after the financially embattled network had been acquired by American media company CBS (later rebranded Paramount) after entering into voluntary administration in 2017. Despite the program's consistently high ratings, Ten refused the trio's demands and the presenters left the program. The following year Preston and Mehigan were signed to Seven's short-lived cooking show, Plate of Origin, alongside chef Manu Feildel. The program lasted just four weeks and was cancelled due to poor ratings however both would be invited to appear on the 2022 season of Seven's My Kitchen Rules. The two have remained regular collaborators and this year have joined forces to conduct food adventure tours in Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as a tour of India. Meanwhile prior to and after his departure from MasterChef Calombaris was sunk in financial scandal after it emerged he had underpaid restaurant staff $7.83 million. Following the closure of his 21 restaurants his company went into voluntary administration. He eventually made his return to television in 2022 on Ten with a six-part docu-series entitled Hungry after working diligently to rehabilitate his career and reputation. All three men are said to be keen to re-establish the chemistry that made them household names from 2009 and to relaunch their on-screen partnership, even with the expected downsized ABC pay cuts. SEVEN'S POWER MOVE Departed Nine Network journalist Chris O'Keefe has received an approach from the Seven Network to return to television. Former Seven Perth news director Ray Kuka was only days into his new job as replacement for recently departed national news boss Anthony De Ceglie when Kuka started canvasing for an experienced hand to take the reins of his Sydney newsroom. The approach follows this column's revelation Seven's Sydney news director Sean Power, promoted under De Ceglie to move across from executive producer of Sunrise to run Seven's Sydney newsroom, is headed home to Melbourne. We hear the well-regarded Power is currently without a job to go to in Melbourne but is hopeful Kuka will find him a role. It's news that has to be unsettling for the network's appointed-under-De-Ceglie Melbourne news director Chris Salter. Power's impending departure would be less of a problem for Kuka were he now permanently relocated to Sydney. With his family remaining in Perth – and Kuka apparently in no hurry to quit Perth for Sydney – he's under pressure to appoint a strong and loyal 'number two' to helm his newsroom in the nation's news capital. O'Keefe, who was a reporter for Nine for over a decade before trying his hand at talk radio on Nine-owned Sydney station 2GB, quit the media, and Nine, at the end of last year. After announcing he was to start his own political advocacy business he surprised former colleagues by joining the Clean Energy Council as its national spokesman. According to our Seven sources, O'Keefe didn't hesitate in declining Kuka's offer leaving the Perth news veteran, another chairman's pick by Kerry Stokes or so we hear, to go hunting for a new contender. JULIE'S ANGUISH CONTINUES Julie Martin's heartbreaking statement to a coronial inquest has confirmed claims the mother-of-three has become a virtual recluse in her eastern suburbs home since her daughter died in a random attack at Bondi Junction 13 months ago. Friends of the lawyer say she has been held up in her eastern suburbs home for over a year refusing to leave the house or take phone calls. Sources say the grieving mother has, since her 25-year-old's daughter's tragic death, stopped leaving the house to shop for food and provisions and now has groceries and supplies delivered to her home to help avoid public scrutiny or contact. A second statement tendered to the inquest this week also contradicted media reports the soon-to-be married Dawn had been at Westfield Bondi Junction to shop for make-up for her upcoming wedding. Friends of the deceased have previously informed this column Dawn was set to have her makeup done by a professional on her wedding day, and had no need of wedding-day cosmetics. Having received a stern rebuke from Dawn's younger sister Daisy for granting an interview to 60 Minutes, Dawn's father John Singleton has taken a lower profile since the inquest began on April 28. PAY PARITY TAKES BACKWARD STEP AT NINE The last word for the week must surely go to a report in The Australian earlier this week that Sarah Abo is earning $800k-a-year as co-anchor of Nine's Today show. The figure is roughly a quarter (or 28.5 per cent based on the lowest end of his estimate) of the salary currently being paid to her co-host Karl Stefanovic whose salary has been put at between $2.8 million and $3 million. Now this injustice should stick in the craw of Nine's news boss Fiona Dear, the first woman ever installed to run Nine's TV news division. If Dear (and Nine CEO Matt Stanton) has crunched the numbers, as indeed we have, the gender pay gap between the two Today co-hosts has grown since former anchor Lisa Wilkinson lost her job at Nine in 2017 for fighting hard – some have claimed too hard which we reckon is nonsense – to achieve pay parity with Stefanovic. While comedian and radio host Dave Hughes will always be a hero in our eyes for taking a pay cut in 2017 to ensure his co-host Kate Langbroek, who was on 40 per cent less, was given an equitable salary bump and even Kyle Sandilands insisted early in his radio partnership with Jackie 'O' that his 2DAYFM increase her salary from $80k to an equitable arrangement, it seems sexism is still king in television or at least in Nine's light news division.
News18
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
MasterChef Legends Reveal Why Biryani Is So Much More Than Just A Dish
Last Updated: A delightful video of Aussie food icons Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan enjoying India's beloved biryani is going viral. Indians share a timeless and passionate bond with biryani, a dish that's not just food, but emotion. Be it Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolkata, or Chennai, each region has its iconic version. Now, a heartwarming video featuring Australian food legends Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan indulging in India's beloved biryani is going viral. Shared on Instagram on May 25, it has already racked up over 2 lakh views, striking a nostalgic and emotional chord with fans across the country. The viral video captures two familiar faces from MasterChef Australia — Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan — joyfully exploring India's culinary treasures. Known for their discerning palates and love for global cuisine, the duo are seen going from one eatery to another, soaking in the bustling Indian food culture. Their recent gastronomic journey took them to Hyderabad, the legendary land of biryani, where they visited iconic places like Shadab Hotel. The video captures their excitement as they dig into aromatic biryanis and slurp down Hyderabadi marag — a spicy mutton soup best enjoyed with warm naan. Watching them relish each bite, laugh, and banter, one thing is clear: these two are loving every minute of their food adventure. The charm of the video lies in its authenticity. It's not staged or scripted. It's just two food-loving friends discovering new layers of flavour in every bite, interacting with the locals, and celebrating a dish that unites millions of Indians. The video has also amassed more than 17,000 likes and sparked over 200 lively comments. Social media users flooded the comments with love and nostalgia. A user wrote, 'I first saw these two on Master Chef Australia when I was in school… Today I'm a mother of two children, even today, when I see them there's only love." Another user expressed her joy by saying, 'It's amazing to see how much you enjoy Hyderabadi cuisine." 'If you're in Hyderabad, don't miss out on tala hua gosht, khatti daal with plain rice, and mandi. Wishing you a fantastic trip!" an individual proudly identifying as a local, recommended. Others encouraged them to try the Kolkata-style biryani, with a user pointing out, 'Surprised you haven't been to Kolkata to try the Kolkata biryani." Fans are thrilled to see their food heroes in India, embracing local flavours and falling in love with biryani firsthand. First Published:
Time Out
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Michelin-star chefs and Aussie icons are turning up the heat for Port Douglas' hottest food festival
What do you get when you combine a Singaporean Michelin-star chef, the owner of one of Asia's oldest cocktail bars and the pastry extraordinaire from Fortnum and Mason? The sizzling line-up for Taste Port Douglas – and that's just a taster. Australia's favourite tropical food festival is returning to Far North Queensland for its ninth year in 2025, flying in a world-class roster of talent for four flavour-packed days from August 7 to 10. Surrounded by two World Heritage-listed wonders – the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest – Taste Port Douglas will see the return of its signature seaside long lunches, exclusive restaurant takeovers, expert masterclasses, a star-lit music festival, and the iconic opening and closing cocktail parties. The hottest ticket in town is always for 'A Night of Fire', which takes place under the flickering candlelights at Flames of the Forest, Australia's only rainforest dining experience. Many of Australia's biggest culinary names and favourite television personalities will be firing up the kitchens at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort festival village, including Matt Preston, Manu Feildel, Colin Fassnidge, Nelly Robinson and Alanna Sapwell. They'll be joined by three international rock star chefs who will keep the food and drinks flowing. Pâtissier extraordinaire and executive head chef at London's Fortnum and Mason, Roger Pizey, will re-create a tarte tatin that has been praised as one of the best ever made. Michelin-starred chef of Singapore's Marguerite restaurant, Michael Wilson, will host an exclusive masterclass with paired wines. Meanwhile, Ryan Clift, chef and owner of The Tippling Club, one of Singapore's oldest cocktail bars and a regular on The World's 50 Best Bars list, will demonstrate how to make his signature dishes to just 24 guests.
