Ian Parmenter dead at 79: The celebrity TV chef awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia, has passed away

Celebrity TV chef Ian Parmenter has died at the age of 79. ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) reported that “Parmenter rose to national prominence in the 1990s as the host of ABC TV's Consuming Passions, helming 450 five-minute episodes between 1992 and 2001.”

Ian Parmenter was born in London in 1945 and trained and worked as a journalist on Fleet Street. Ian Parmenter then moved to Australia and worked in advertising there. He joined ABC Perth in 1974 and worked his way up to television producer and director.

However, it was Ian Parmenter’s passion for food that led to his fame. The show ‘Consuming Passions’ was originally filmed at his home in Fremantle, but he decided to buy a small cottage near Margaret River, three hours south of Perth when the series premiered. The reason behind the move was to “get away” from the pressures of production. 

Consuming Passions aired between 1992 and 2001 and was sold to many countries including the UK, Ireland and Singapore. In an interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Ian Parmenter said that ''I called Consuming Passions Playschool for grownups - you could watch me doing something and go in the kitchen and do something like that.”

The Sydney Morning Herald asked Ian Parmenter what he would have as his last meal and he replied by saying, “oysters from Albany or South Australia, then crab with homemade mayonnaise and salad. Roast lamb, studded with garlic and rosemary, served with ''the world's best gravy'' (his own). Then cheese, and the sweet finale would be homemade ice cream with chocolate sauce made with a Cointreau or Grand Marnier.”

After the show Consuming Passions ended, Ian Parmenter continued to contribute to ABC, he also had a key role at food events and festivals and wrote a number of successful cookbooks.

Many fans took to X to pay tribute to Ian Parmenter. One said: “#IanParmenter made a wonderful contribution to ABC-always light-hearted and fun to watch. The people in Margaret River are so lucky he retired to their locality and from all reports made a great contribution there too. RIP,” whilst another said: “Oh no! The host of Consuming Passions has died. R.I.P Ian Parmenter, sadly dead at 79. #ian parmenter #consuming passions.”