Peta Mathias

Peta Mathias, MNZM, has combined her love of travel and cuisine in a run of books and TV programmes. The former counsellor and singer won television's attention while promoting a book about being a chef in Paris. A regular food segment on 90s show Town and Country kick-started a series of programmes hosted or co-hosted by Mathias - including long stayer Taste New Zealand, and Qantas award-winner A Taste of Ireland.  

There is a lot of theatre in what I do. It's not just about the food. There has to be an entertainer in you, to get people to want to eat that recipe. Peta Mathias, in a 2008 NZ Herald blog