Anna Gare is recognised as one of the most popular female chefs on Australia's Life Style Food Channel. She has recently featured in three consecutive series of the very successful “The Best in Australia” program, co-starring with celebrity chefs Ben O'Donoghue and Darren Simpson.

Anna's life has always revolved around music and food. She was a member of the internationally acclaimed all-girl rock band the “Jam Tarts” in the 1980s and 1990s at the same time as developing her culinary career in various restaurants around Australia. From the late 1990s she ran her own catering company, the highly regarded “Deluxe Catering”, in Fremantle. She has had 22 years' experience in the food hospitality industry.

Her work in television cooking shows has allowed Anna to combine her natural flair as a performer with her passion for cooking.

“The Best in Australia” was nominated for 3 awards at the 2008 Astra Awards including a nomination for Anna Gare in 08 and 09 for “Favourite Female Personality”.  The show has recently been taken up by the ABC television network.
These are some comments about Anna Gare from people in the world of cooking and entertainment:

“Anna is a natural communicator with great warmth, sensitivity and humour. To say she was outstanding is almost an understatement”
(Ian Parmenter - Media personality, Writer, Cookbook Author)

“Anna's TV Personality is as mouth watering as her food”
(Ben Elton  - Writer, performer, comedian)

"Anna is a girl of now and her food is now. She is a terrific cook, her food reflects her personality, it's bold and has great flavour. Her style of cooking is very accessible, it's the kind people want to eat and feel comfortable cooking"
(Margaret Johnson - Food Writer & Restaurant Critic-Gourmet Traveller, Scoop Magazine ,West Australian  Newspaper)

Anna Gare
Career Highlights

• Life Style Channel-“The Best in Australia”, 2007, 2008, 2009

Co-starred with celebrity chefs Ben O'Donoghue and Darren Simpson in “The Best in Australia”  The cooking series was nominated for 3 awards at the 2008 and 2009 Astra Awards in Sydney, including a nomination for Anna Gare for “Favourite Female Personality”. The trio have recently filmed the third series of “The Best” shot in Anna's parents' home, an old converted church in North Fremantle.

• Life Style Channel- “Chef's Christmas”, 2007

Featured in and narrated this five-part series, for The Life Style Channel. The series features ten of Australia's hottest chefs who invite viewers into their homes to share their festive entertaining secrets.

• Perth Food and Wine Show- Perth Convention Centre, 2008 - 2009

Hosted live cooking shows on the “Celebrity Chef” stage.

• “Taste the Great Southern”, 2007- 2009

Hosted numerous cooking events featuring local produce in the “Taste the Great Southern” section of the Great Southern Festival in Denmark and Albany, Western Australia.

• Seven Network- “Nuts and Bolts”, 2006

Presented her own cooking segments on this Perth DIY show.

 

• Northbridge Festival, 2006

Hosted and judged the “Kings Table” events.
Hosted an event celebrating Northbridge's finest food establishments as part of the festival.

• Seven Network –Fremantle documentary, 2005

Hosted a 1 hour documentary on Fremantle.

 

• Magazine Column –“Eat your Heart Out”, 2005-2006
Contributed to the Perth magazine “Flourish” with a regular column called “Eat Your Heart Out”, solving people's romantic problems with culinary solutions.

• Seven Network- “Perth at Five”,2003 

Presented her own cooking segment on this television magazine chat show with Basil Zemplis. The program was shot live and the series ran weeknights for four months.

• ABC Network – “Consuming Passions” , 2000-2002
 
Worked as Ian Parmenter's right hand assistant for a period of more than 2 years. Was responsible for recipe development and was food stylist on three of the national “Consuming Passions” series.    

• “Jam Tarts” - Singer performer, co-manager, 1982-1992

The “Jam Tarts” were a successful and acclaimed all-girl rock band, touring and recording across Australia at international music festivals with brother band the “Nansing Quartet”.
Locally the ”Jam Tarts” performed at numerous corporate and private events.

 

• Deluxe Catering –Food by Anna Gare - 1999-2007
Was proprietor and Executive Chef for Deluxe Catering which was listed as one of Perth's most innovative and successful catering companies.  Catered for weddings, and corporate and private functions.
High profile clients included the West Australian Maritime Museum, the Fremantle Arts Centre and the Art Gallery of Western Australia.

Anna Gare
1985 - 1999

• Vermillion Restaurant
Napoleon Street, Cottesloe, 1996- 1999

Worked as Pastry Chef and was involved in restaurant menu design and staff training programmes.

• Trotters Deli, Boat Shed Markets

Worked as Week-end Head Chef, produced all take-away gourmet foods, and managed staff.

• Gare & Cole Catering, 1994-1996

Was co-owner of the company and managed all aspects of the business.
Catered for private and government clients including the Fremantle Port Authority and the Western Australian Water Corporation.

• Empire Restaurant,
Brighton, Victoria, 1992-1994

Worked as Front of House manager.

• Benedykt Delicatessen
Acland Street, St Kilda, Victoria, 1990-1992

Worked as Head Chef, responsible for menu design, catering and production of all food.

• Blue Duck Cafe
Marine Parade, Cottesloe, 1989-1990

Worked as Front of House waitress and casual Kitchen Chef.

• Ord Street Cafe
Ord Street, West Perth, 1998-1999

Worked as Cold Larder Cook assisting Head Chef.

• Kim's Bar & Cafe
Bayview Terrace, Claremont, 1985-1998

Worked as Kitchen Hand, Cold Larder Cook, with Temporary Chef duties.