Vale: Ian Parmenter

WA chef, broadcaster, and author Ian Parmenter, best known for ABC’s Consuming Passions has died, aged 79.

Long-time friends confirmed he passed away over the weekend.

Parmenter rose to national prominence in the 1990s as the host of Consuming Passions, helming 450 five-minute episodes between 1992 and 2001.

Born in London, he joined ABC Perth in 1974 in behind-the-scenes roles and eventually becoming a television producer and director.

Consuming Passions was originally filmed at Parmenter’s home in Fremantle but he purchased a small cottage near Margaret River, and relocated  in 1999, becoming a long-time advocate for the region’s food, wine, and culture.

“I never got into areas of high speed food processing and complex things,” he once said.

“If it couldn’t be done in the cottage, it couldn’t be done at home, basically.”

He remained a regular contributor to the ABC and other media after the series wrapped up, authoring a string of successful cookbooks and playing a prominent role in food events and festivals.

“While he was very flamboyant, he was also quite strongly opinionated,” said former ABC journalist and broadcaster Verity James.

“He was unapologetically himself” and “encouraged us all to value what we have down here.”

Parmenter was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2011 for his service to the food and tourism industries as an event director, author, journalist, and broadcaster.

“Bon appetit!”

Source: ABC