Maggie Beer AO (b. 1945) is a cook, restaurateur, businesswoman and media personality. She grew up in the Western suburbs of Sydney, where her parents instilled in her a passion for food. In 1970, she married Colin Beer and, three years later, the couple moved to the Barossa Valley in South Australia, which remains their home today. There, they started a farm and, in 1979, opened the Pheasant Farm Restaurant, offering simple meals made from scratch using only seasonal ingredients they grew themselves. This back-to-basics philosophy earned the restaurant a devoted following and critical acclaim—it won the Remy Martin Cognac/Australian Gourmet Traveller Restaurant of the Year Award in 1991—while quietly revolutionising the Australian food industry, encouraging a greater focus on local produce and rustic, regional cuisine.
After Beer closed Pheasant Farm Restaurant in 1993, she launched her own brand, Maggie Beer, which produces pâté, jams, wines, vinegars, verjuice and dozens of other products that are sold in Australia and around the world. Beer has also written several cookbooks and become a television presenter, appearing on programmes such as The Cook and the Chef, The Great Australian Bake Off and MasterChef Australia. In 2010, she received the Senior Australian of the Year award for her work educating Australians about what they eat. Four years later, she created the Maggie Beer Foundation to enrich the lives of older Australians, especially those in aged care homes, through food.
