Peter Russell-Clarke, the legendary Australian chef, illustrator, and culinary ambassador, died on his 89th birthday, October 14, 2023. He died from complications from a stroke. Russell-Clarke was born in Ballarat in 1935. Over those decades, he grew into a beloved television host, a purveyor of cookbooks, and a food consultant, winning the hearts of everyone who respects Australia’s culinary culture.
By the tender age of 14, Russell-Clarke had started his pro career. He accepted the position of a lowly visualiser at an ad agency. His love for the kitchen sparked a different journey. He immediately jumped into churning out freelance cartooning and food consulting for big hitting magazines like New Idea and Woman’s Day. Despite facing challenges in his youth, including time spent in foster homes and on the streets of Melbourne after being displaced from his rural Victorian home, Russell-Clarke’s resilience shone through as he established himself in the culinary world.
A Journey Through Art and Food
…as much as cooking — was Russell-Clarke’s constant companion Throughout his life, Peter Russell-Clarke was bathed in creativity. His works became not only featured across exhibitions in Australia but were exhibited worldwide. Significantly his works have sold at Shepparton Art Museum auction and collected by the National Immigration Museum. In a reflection shared with the National Portrait Gallery in 2022, he expressed the similarities between his two passions:
“I realised that the bloke in front of the camera got more applause than the person who wrote it,” – Peter Russell-Clarke.
He went on to illustrate this relationship by comparing cooking to painting, saying,
“[While painting,] you’re mucking around with colour, form, texture, shape. And with cooking, you’re doing the same thing.”
Russell-Clarke’s ability to blend these artistic forms helped inform his innovative approach to food promotion.
A Television Pioneer
Peter Russell-Clarke gained widespread fame through his influential cooking show “Come and Get It,” which aired from 1983 to 1992 and featured 900 episodes. His engaging personality and memorable catchphrase “g’day” in the show’s theme song resonated with audiences and helped bring Australian cooking into homes across the nation.
Russell-Clarke wrote down and published at least 35 cookbooks over his years. He popularised healthy eating and championed the use of Australian native ingredients decades before they became on-trend. His quiet promotion of farm to table practices were ahead of their time. Mr. Russell-Clarke Jr. noted:
“He had strong opinions and liked to share them. In public, he loved to educate and inform, and food was a natural outlet for him to do that.”
Peter Russell-Clarke exulted in television fame. He emerged as a public figure for such bodies as the Australian Dairy Corporation and the Australian Egg Board. His commitment to promoting healthy lifestyles was evident through his work with these organizations over two decades starting in the mid-1970s.
“It brought the idea of farm-to-table eating well before that was a thing. He talked about the ingredients and what would be the benefits of eating naturally and eating good, healthy farm food back in the 80s before chefs and influencers were doing that.”
A Legacy of Healthy Eating
Russell-Clarke’s impact clearly transcended the classroom as well. As an educator, he motivated a generation of Americans to appreciate good cooking as a cornerstone of healthy living. Mr. Russell-Clarke Jr. shared:
During his time as an ambassador for food with the United Nations, he emphasized the importance of nutrition across the globe. He was a fierce advocate for the inclusion of local Australian produce.
“I think his legacy is introducing a whole new way of cooking to Australian households and allowing people to understand what healthy eating is and how it benefits your health and your body.”
As an ambassador for food with the United Nations, he emphasized the importance of nutrition on a global scale while continually advocating for local Australian produce.
