The first Australian celebrity chef, Peter Russell-Clarke (1935–2025) became a household name in the 1980s with his ABC TV cooking show Come and Get It. Appearing in over 900 episodes from 1983 to 1992, Russell-Clarke’s catchphrase ‘g’day’ and simple, health-conscious recipes became synonymous with the development of a uniquely Australian approach to cooking. Russell-Clarke began his career as an illustrator for advertising agencies and worked as a political cartoonist for the Melbourne Herald. He was later employed as a food consultant and wrote for magazines such as New Idea and Woman’s Day, as well as producing 35 cookbooks. Throughout his career Russell-Clarke prepared meals by invitation for prime ministers and premiers, and cooked a Silver Jubilee dinner for the then Prince Charles in 1977. Russell-Clarke was also an artist for most of his life, exhibiting around Australia and internationally. ‘The interesting thing about art to me, and painting, is you use the same thinking with painting,’ he said in 2024. ‘You’re mucking around with colour, form, texture, shape. And with cooking, you’re doing the same thing … cooking is not following a recipe book. Cooking is your imagination, and painting is your imagination.’
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2005
© Peter Russell-Clarke
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