Gary Mehigan

BarbeCURE® Ambassador

“My grandfather died of bowel cancer and recently my dad died because he had prostate and lung cancer, so this cause is very personal to me. BarbeCURE does two things, it draws attention to cancer and the need for people to take care of their personal health and it helps fund early-career cancer researchers.”

About Gary

Gary has been part of our television viewing since he first started as a co-host on Good Chef Bad Chef on Channel Seven in 2007. Since then he has been an integral part of shows like Boys Weekend and of course 12 years of Masterchef Australia, Junior Masterchef, Masterchef Allstars and Celebrity Masterchef. Gary’s TV audience stretches around the globe, and his series Far Flung and Masters of Taste, have well and truly cemented him as one of the most watched TV Chefs in history. Gary recently moved to the Seven Network in Australia, where he has the opportunity to develop new shows with his mate Matt Preston, and was a co-host on a new  TV series called “Plate of Origin”, alongside Matt and Manu Feildel.

But there is more to Gary, than television and food, so 2 years ago he started his own Podcast series, “A Plate to call Home”. The series was one of the first original series for Podcast One Australia when they first launched in Australia, and he has interviewed an array of interesting Chefs, Foodies and Food Producers, from all walks of life. Guests have included Nigella Lawson, Curtis Stone, Jack Stein, Matt Moran and Maggie Beer to name a few.

Gary was born and grew up in the UK, in a little place called Hayling Island on the South Coast of England, his Dad was an Engineer, Mum an artist and grandfather a chef and teacher. He attended Highbury College of Technology, where he studied to be a chef, before leaving for London to take up his first full-time position. Gary marks the two Michelin starred restaurants that were the most formative in his early career, as The Connaught Hotel under Michel Bourdan where he worked for almost 4 years and Le Souffle at The Hyde Park Intercontinental under Peter Kromberg. They were at the time, two hugely influential chefs in Britain with two opposing styles and ideas, one a bastion of “French haute Cuisine” and the other modern, creative and progressive.

He moved to Australia in 1991 where he worked at Burhnam Beeches, Browns Restaurant and Sofitel Melbourne before venturing into business at the age of 31. He then started Fenix Restaurant & Events which gained a hat in its first year, and which Gary owned for 14 years. Gary opened the Maribyrnong Boathouse in 2007, which proved to be a huge success known for its prime location and local clientele. Gary sold his interest in the Maribyrbong Boathouse earlier in 2017.

MasterChef was by all accounts, a game-changer for all involved. Eleven years and 12 series later, Gary, Matt & George became part of our daily viewing, when it comes to food. MasterChef Australia series 2 was the highest rating show on Australian television of all time and the show has inspired a new generation of young cooks to embrace food and cooking. 

Recently India has become an important territory for Gary. In November 2017 Gary shot his first series for Fox Life called Masters of Taste and has since hosted a second series that has won Best Cinematography at the Asian Television Awards. 

Gary says he feels blessed in his career, it has allowed him to travel, indulge his passions and meet some extraordinary people. He has by his own admission felt the pain and pressures of failure but enjoyed great success and couldn’t wish for more. He values, honesty, enthusiasm, passion and compassion, and above all else he loves to teach. He is captivated by beautiful produce and has a lasting admiration for the people who grow, rear and craft wonderful things that we can eat and enjoy.

Host your own BarbeCURE® today!

Meet our BarbeCURE® ambassadors