Just $7 per resident was spent daily on food in some aged care facilities when Maggie Beer testified at the 2019 royal commission, prompting her to push for a minimum of $10.50. Twenty years after the first episode of the Cook and the Chef aired in 2006, Maggie Beer reflects on the enduring legacy of the program and her ongoing advocacy work in aged care. The cooking series, which paired Beer with Simon Bryant across 154 episodes over four seasons on ABC, captured a generation of viewers through unscripted culinary collaboration before concluding in 2009.
Hosts Overcome Initial Rejections
The series nearly faltered before cameras rolled. As Beer recalls, their first trial in front of the camera was hopeless
as both hosts battled nerves.
Once filming stopped, however, the pair sat on the steps afterwards and just talked and talked, and laughed and laughed, about how hopeless it had been,
revealing a natural off-screen rapport that convinced their executive producer to greenlight the project.
The co-hosts turned down a Wednesday prime-time slot on ABC in favor of an earlier 6.30pm evening broadcast. The best decision we ever made,
Beer noted, pointing out that the earlier schedule helped capture younger viewers prior to bedtime.
Two decades later, the program continues to resonate with millennials and Gen Z fans, with Beer approached at a recent concert by admirers three generations her junior. I’m proud of the fact that I have the ability to share with people, to give them the confidence to cook and the joy that comes from cooking and sharing their table,
Beer says.
Foundation Tackles Aged Care Nutrition
Beyond her television career, Beer established the Maggie Beer Foundation in 2014 to advocate for improved nutrition and wellbeing for aged care residents, running free trainer-mentor programs and online learning modules for residence staff. When she appeared as a witness at the 2019 royal commission into aged care, Beer recommended lifting the inadequate daily catering budgets—which had dropped to just $7 per resident in some facilities—to a minimum of $10.50 in order to improve meal quality.
While a Sydney Morning Herald investigation examined the foundation’s capacity to scale health and food improvements, Beer welcomed the oversight. The foundation maintains fortnightly meetings with federal government representatives, and an independent evaluation of its operations is scheduled for release at the end of the year.
Chef Rebuilds Strength at 81
Now 81, Beer has also focused on personal health and recovery. Following a fall at her Barossa Valley home in 2024, she rebuilt her strength through support from friends and fans.
I’m walking up hills!
she said, noting that her health, energy and fitness have all been restored. Alongside her garden, family, and local choir, Beer remains dedicated to her culinary roots, maintaining that extra-virgin olive oil, great salt and pepper, and verjuice remain the core of her kitchen. Colin, her spouse of 56 years, has proposed scaling back to a four-day schedule as a compromise, but Beer continues to be fueled by her zeal: I am driven by the fact that there is so much that can be done. I’m a very determined person. And I have so much to do. And I love what I do.