George Calombaris Biography
George Calombaris is a chef and restaurateur from Australia. From 2009 to 2019, Calombaris served as a judge on Network 10’s MasterChef Australia. Prior to joining MasterChef Australia, Calombaris was a regular on Network Ten’s daytime cookery show Ready Steady Cook.
How old is George Calombaris? – Age
He is 44 years old as of 4 October 2022. He was born in 1978 in Melbourne, Australia. His real name is George Dimitrios Calombaris.
George Calombaris Parents – Education
He is the son of Jim Calombaris and Mary Calombaris. Calombaris attended Mazenod College in Mulgrave and Box Hill Institute of TAFE. While still an apprentice, he won the Bon Land scholarship in 1999.
George Calombaris Wife – Children
Calombaris married Natalie Tricarico in Greece in 2018. They have a boy and a daughter, both born in 2011. They are from Melbourne.
George Calombaris Net Worth
He has an estimated net worth of $4.5 million.
George Calombaris Cookbooks
Calombaris has five volumes, including The Press Club, Hellenic Republic: Greek Cooking from The Hellenic Heart, Your Place or Mine, and Cook With Us, which he co-wrote with MasterChef Australia co-judge Gary Mehigan.
George Calombaris Restaurant
He worked at Reserve for two years in Melbourne’s Federation Square. At 24, he won Young Chef of the Year, Best New Restaurant, and two chef’s hats from The Age Good Food Guide. He was selected by Global Food and Wine Magazine as one of the world’s forty most influential chefs in 2004. In 2006, Calombaris opened his own eatery in Melbourne, The Press Club planned by eminent café designers Factories Gorman.
He collaborated with Mills Gorman to open Maha Bar and Grill with chef Shane Delia and Hellenic Republic with chef Travis McAuley in Melbourne in 2008. Likewise in 2008, he opened his most memorable global café, The Belvedere Club, in a lodging on the Greek island of Mykonos. In December 2010, Calombaris and Mills Gorman opened P M 24, which featured renowned chef Philippe Mouchel. He again opened St. Katherine’s in Kew in 2011 with Mills Gorman and Shane Delia. He opened Mama Baba in South Yarra, Melbourne, in January 2012. The Press Club closed its doors in July 2019, and Elektra, a new restaurant, took its place.
He is listed in the 2011 edition of Who’s Who in Australia and attended the 2011 Good Food & Wine Show. He criticized the Fair Work Act of the federal government in January 2012 for imposing high penalty rates on restaurant employees, which he claimed were uneconomical for small businesses. He griped that a portion of his eateries was unbeneficial on a Sunday since he was expected to pay staff up to $40 for 60 minutes.
George Calombaris Masked Singer
Calombaris was revealed to be the “Duster” in the third season of Australia’s Masked Singer in 2021 and was the second competitor eliminated. Calombaris returned in 2022 with a new Network Ten food show called Hungry, which she co-hosted with former MasterChef Australia Sarah Todd. The chef’s return was met with criticism in light of his wage underpayment issue, and it launched to low ratings.
George Calombaris The Press Club
Calombaris opened The Press Club in Melbourne in 2006, designed by famous restaurant architects Mills Gorman. The Press Club closed in July 2019 and was replaced by Elektra, a new restaurant.
George Calombaris Scandal
The MAdE Establishment Group of George Calombaris was notified in 2015 by the Fair Work Ombudsman of a payroll system issue that had led to the underpayment of one employee. Troy McDonagh, MAdE Establishment’s chief executive, ordered an independent review of the company’s payroll systems following this incident. A number of disparities in payment were discovered during this investigation, which had led to additional staff members being underpaid.
MAdE Establishment said in April 2017 that it had fixed the problem and repaid the underpaid employees voluntarily at the highest overtime rate. The Fair Work Ombudsman and MAdE Establishment entered into an Enforceable Undertaking on July 18, 2019, in which MAdE Establishment admitted underpaying $7.83 million to 515 of its current and former employees, as well as $16,371 to 9 employees of related company Jimmy Grants Pty Ltd. The Enforceable Undertaking also provided for training, audits, and apologies.
After making physical contact with a 19-year-old man at Allianz Stadium during the 2017 A-League Grand Final, Calombaris was charged with assault in May 2017. Calombaris was caught on camera punching a spectator who had yelled at him for underpaying his staff. On Calombaris’ behalf, his attorney entered a guilty plea on August 17, 2017. Calombaris appealed the conviction, which resulted in a $1,000 fine.
The judge decided that Calombaris had been provoked, so the charges were dropped and a 12-month good behavior bond was issued instead. Football community members compared Football Federation Australia’s lack of action against him to their extremely aggressive behavior, which included hiring private detectives to track and follow football supporters who were critical of Frank Lowy’s leadership or ran afoul of police brutality.
