About
Christine acknowledges the Minyungbal people, the traditional custodians of the land and waters of Bundjalung country where she lives and works, and pay her respects to Elders – past, present and emerging.
Christine Manfield is one of Australia’s most celebrated chefs – a curious cook and a perfectionist inspired by the culinary melting pot of global flavours. As an award-winning author, her books – Indian Cooking Class, A Personal Guide to India & Bhutan, Dessert Divas, Tasting India, Fire, Spice, Stir, Paramount Cooking and Paramount Desserts have spiced up the lives of keen cooks everywhere. She has regularly contributed to food and travel features in print media.
As one of Australia’s leading culinary ambassadors, her professional culinary life as restaurateur culminated in three ground breaking, highly acclaimed restaurants: Paramount in Sydney 1993 to 2000, East@West in London 2003 to 2005 and Universal 2007 to 2013.
“Chris has always had the most fantastic radar for where things are headed, for where the sun is setting; where it’s rising.”
— Jill Dupleix
Her diverse work portfolio includes promoting and liaising with farmers and artisan producers, mentoring and collaborating with chefs and industry colleagues, hosting pop-up restaurant events in Australia and weaving First Nations storytelling and indigenous ingredients into those events.
Since 2020, Christine has been a proud Sydney Swans Ambassador.
An inveterate traveller, Christine has hosted bespoke gastronomic tours over the past twenty years to exotic destinations including India, Africa, Bhutan, France, SE Asia, Italy and South America. Since relocating to the Tweed Coast in northern NSW in early 2020, she has recalibrated her working platform to invest in celebrating regionality through meaningful, sustainable tourism and is a member of Destination Tweed, a collective of engaged businesses across the Tweed region. Her vision for future travel and food tours has a sharp focus on immersive food and agri-tourism adventures in regional Australia.
“Christine woke people up to the flavours and influences from around the world through her food.”
— Nigella Lawson
Giving back is an integral part of Christine’s work portfolio and she lends her support to the following charities.