B. 1912 D. 2008
Graduated 168¿ª½±¹ÙÍø’s 1928
(Photo published in Vogue Entertaining + Travel magazine)
Joan Campbell (nee Perry) was an influential food editor and gastronome, regarded as the doyenne of food writers. She received numerous awards during her long and illustrious career.
After finishing school, Joan married and lived in central western NSW with her grazier husband, raising Corriedale sheep and Devon cattle. She was a self-confessed “bush cook”, whose love of seasonal produce started during her time in the country where she developed a large kitchen garden. The abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables allowed her to experiment with recipes that made full use of ingredients when they were at their best.
Joan’s career in the food industry began in the 1960s, when she moved to Sydney and started a catering company servicing the social set, including the Packer family.
Her reputation preceding her, Joan came to the attention of Ita Buttrose, who invited her to write on food for Cleo magazine. Joan then wrote restaurant reviews for The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph before, in 1979 and at the age of 66, she became food editor of Vogue. Soon after, Joan became food director of all Vogue publications, including cookbooks.
During her nearly 30 years at Vogue, Joan changed the way Australians looked at food and the way they cooked. She defined the look of modern Australian food on the plate and was influential in putting Australian food on the world map.
She continued catering well into her eighties, cooking for King Hussein of Jordan, the Prince of Wales and Luciano Pavarotti.
Joan wrote many books including Bloody Delicious, a biography with recipes published when she was 85. Other books include From Market to Table: Recipes and Ideas for Fresh Produce, which she co-authored with Barry McDonald, and 5 Minutes in the Kitchen with Joan Campbell.
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