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ABC’s Cook & Chef close up the kitchen

Just as the nation shows it is hooked on cooking, ABC's foodies, Maggie Beer and Simon Bryant, have announced the end of The Cook and The Chef.

5Just as the nation shows it is hooked on cooking, ABC’s foodies, Maggie Beer and Simon Bryant have announced the end of The Cook and The Chef.

The show, which airs 6:30pm Wednesdays, has been on air with the ABC for 154 programs over four years.

Maggie Beer said, “The demands of filming on my family and business have led me to the difficult decision to leave the show. It’s been a privilege for me to have been able to share my passion for food with Simon and our audience. It always gives me joy when I feel I have inspired people to explore the wonderful produce that Australia has to offer.”

Bryant added: “When I started the show I had no idea that my journey with Maggie about the love of food would teach me so much, and I’ll miss the camaraderie of our days in the kitchen together.

“I have to laugh when people call me a celebrity chef, I don’t think people realize that I have a whole other life, coordinating 800 or so meals a day as an Executive Chef at a 5 Star hotel. I am looking forward to spending a bit more time back in my kitchens…and getting a little more sleep will be a bonus!”

Executive Producer Margot Phillipson expressed admiration and a great respect for the pair. “Maggie and Simon’s friendship, passion, and unprecedented generosity in sharing their food knowledge have become the trademarks of the program.

The final show will air on Wednesday September 16, as a special behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Cook and The Chef, culminating in a farewell party at Maggie’s home.

The end of the show comes at a time when MasterChef taps into a resurgence of interest in cooking television. Earlier this year Nine also discontinued Fresh!

27 Responses

  1. This is an of an era, this show has been a celebration great australian produce, exceptional food ideas and sensational culinary experts. The cook & the chef was a perfect marriage between country cooking and restaurant cuisine and has & will inpire all us would be /could be cooks and chefs . ThankYou Maggie & Simon

  2. Farewell Maggie & Simon I loved how you both always compliment each others creations, it has been great entertainment to watch a natural food love affair grow as I’m sure great friends you must have become (light on the chillies). Good luck to you both and thank you.

  3. My husband and I rarely watch TV together but Cook & the Chef was always a program that we viewed together. We love it. Never miss it. Going to miss it heaps. Maggie & Simon great together. Hope they put another cooking show in its slot. Good luck to them both!

  4. I’m a regular viewer and looked forward to sitting down with a green tea on one of my exercise free nights to watch this show. There’s nothing I’d rather watch so I’ll have to exercise now. Simon is great, he’s sincere, has his own style, is not bad to look at and has fantastic, innovative cooking ideas, he’s one of the best, if not the best, tv chef I’ve ever watched.

  5. Maggie and Simon you have been an inspiration for fresh ingredient cooking.
    I am going to miss you on Wed evenings. I wish you good health. Thanks for a wonderfull 4 years.

  6. maggie and simon, you make lovely food and the best recepies in the whole world, I’d like to give you a special christmas card but mum say that would be difficult. bye from Amara (i’m five years old now)

  7. My daughter was 2years old when she first watched maggie and simon with me, always paying great attention to detail as the receipies were shown. You both have been an inspiration to us and we have bonded watching your shows together. You will be lovingly missed knowing you are now doing your thing… best wishes to you both

  8. Ohhhhhhhh…..so sorry to hear this news.

    But thank you both for your talent, generosity and wit – and for thirty minutes every week for a foodie mum to share a special time with her foodie teenager.

    You will be missed so very much.

    Jac

  9. so sorry to hear this news, but i understand that maggie and simon have given such a generous portion of their time. i’m missing them already and hope auntie shows repeats of their program often.
    thank you for such a unique show, your generousity and showing how genteel cooking can be.

  10. @Chris “I will have one last splash of verjuice and one last drizzle of extra virgin olive oil in their honour. You will be missed.”

    LOL so true… Verjuice and EVOO are the staples of this show… Well done Chris

  11. Surprised not many people watch this (given the comments)… I would buy the box set if and when they decide to sell it…
    I hope ABC let this die a graceful death, and perhaps bring a more experimental (in terms of hosting/program style) show to ABC2… A Good Game for the kitchen could go down well IMO…

  12. Has been and will be for a long time the best, most wholesome cooking show on television.

    The chemistry between these two is second to none.

    Well done to the two of them for such an excellent series, with amazing dishes over the years.

  13. I have never seen the show but this for those of us who have actually seen it was the only one other than Masterchef or anything with Jamie Oliver worth watching.

    Can’t stand Gordon Ramsay or Huey They make us sick!!!!

  14. I didn’t watch the show every week, but when I remembered to watch I loved it, superb recipe’s & a great relationship between Maggie and Simon.

    I wish them all the very best.

  15. Truly sad to hear. Hoepfully the ABC will keep that slot as a cooking show though, perhaps commissioning some Kylie Kwong, or other quality cooking programming.

  16. Nnnoo!!!! We love Cook & the Chef at our place. What a shame.
    I hope Masterchef picks up Simon for the next season – at least then we’d have someone who knows what someone like Poh is cooking and can add some value.

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