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Stephanie Alexander OA is an internationally celebrated cook, restaurateur and food writer, who ran the acclaimed Stephanie’s Restaurant for 21 years until its closure in 1997. An essential Melbourne experience, the restaurant was at the forefront of the culinary shift in Australia from French Provincial and Mediterranean cuisines to a celebration of Australian cooking and ingredients. Alexander has published 10 cookbooks, including her classic The Cook’s Companion 1996, which has sold close to 300,000 copies. Described by Alexander as “the book for a lifetime of cooking”, an expanded version was released in October. Alexander, who is now a partner in the Richmond Hill Cafe & Larder, believes “there is no greater joy than sharing food, conversation and laughter around a table”.