Penguin Books (N.Z.) Limited
News Release
10 December 2001
for immediate release
New Zealander becomes new Face of Food for
Sydney Morning Herald and Melbourne Age
Penguin Books New Zealand’s best selling food writer, Julie Le Clerc has been appointed Food Editor for Sunday Life –
the weekly Sunday supplement for the Sun Herald (Sydney Morning Herald) and Melbourne’s Sunday Age.
Julie Le Clerc’s latest book, Vineyards of New Zealand Cookbook, co-authored by well-known wine expert Vic Williams has
just won the 2001 award for Best Food and Wine Matching Book at the prestigious Gourmand Food Awards in France
The new editor of Sunday Life, Shelley Gare searched for a new food editor as part of the revamping and expanding of the
Sunday supplement of The Sun Herald. Her focus was to locate someone whose food was fresh, innovative and would inspire
people to cook at home. She found a copy of Julie Le Clerc’s earliest book Simple Café Food in a Sydney bookstore, and
on the strength of her recipes and distinctive writing style, Julie was offered the position.
Julie Le Clerc’s creative and original food was first ‘noticed’ in mid 1997 when she was approached by FQ Entertaining
Magazine to contribute food features to their pages. At that time Le Clerc was catering, cooking for and running her own
successful café, and giving demonstration classes at cooking schools around the country. Le Clerc is presently food
editor for New Zealand Home and Entertaining Magazine and is a regular guest chef on the National Radio’s ‘Sounds
Delicious’ programme with Kim Hill.
Le Clerc’s food writing career has been inspired and prolific since she was first approached in mid 1998 by Penguin
books to write what was to become a best seller - Simple Café Food. More Simple Café Food and Little Café Cakes
Cookbook, closely followed this success.
Julie’s new role at Sunday Life is a significant commitment with the requirement that all dishes be photographed each
week and every recipe be developed and tested exclusively for Sunday Life. However, this weekly written column provides
Julie with an exceptional opportunity to share her enthusiasm and food knowledge with Australians.
ENDS