From a Melbourne kitchen to Hollywood: Curtis Stone's life in pictures
Curtis Stone's first food memory is helping his grandmother Maude make Yorkshire fudge.
Stone was just four at the time.
Today, he's one of the world's most recognised TV chefs who has been embraced by US foodies.
His time stateside has also seen him achieve the culinary world's highest honour: Michelin star success.
Despite living in his adopted home of Los Angeles, Stone hasn't forgotten his roots. And it's not just about him being 'that Coles guy'.
Read on to take a look at the life of Australia's loveable celebrity chef.
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Stone grew up far from the glitz and glamour of Beverly Hills, in the Melbourne suburb of East Keilor.
He is the oldest of two boys to parents Lorraine, a florist, and Bryan, an accountant.
Stone's parents separated when he was two, with his mother raising him and his brother, Luke, as a single parent.
"Mum didn't have a nanny or housekeeper to help her raise my brother, Luke, and me. I don't know how she made it all happen but she did," Stone told The Sydney Morning Herald in 2020.
"She's a strong and powerful figure in my life."
Bryan remained active in Stone and Luke's life, particularly through weekend sport.
Some of Stone's earliest food memories are tied to Victoria - especially to the historic town of Woodend.
"My nan Gwen and my grandad had a farm there. My mum grew up there as well, and when I was a boy, we would visit from Melbourne," he said in an Instagram post.
"Gwen and grandad showed me the ropes – from raising the farm animals to cooking with her in the kitchen."
Stone's paternal grandmother, Maude, also taught him to make Yorkshire fudge.
"My mum and granny taught me everything I know about food and cooking. My mum, Lozza, is a great cook, in particular a phenomenal baker, and I would watch her every move while she baked," Stone wrote.
"I was 4 years old, just a little tucker, when I had my first, truly memorable food experience. I tried my granny's Yorkshire fudge and it was one of the first really sweet things that I'd tasted. I just couldn't get enough of it.
"Whenever I went to granny's place, from that first taste forward, we'd get busy in the kitchen and make fudge together. It was our thing."
His first recipe was for an orange cake.
After dropping out of a degree in business at Victoria University, Stone picked up work in restaurants in Melbourne.
"My best mate's dad was a chef. He sort of lived this rock star lifestyle: He'd come in late from work and he had long hair and tattoos and he didn't conform to my dad's social circle where they all wore suits. I wanted what he had," Stone said.
By the time he was 18 he was on a plane.
"I headed to London chasing a dream to work for Marco Pierre White – Britain's most celebrated chef. His cookbook White Heat was the first I'd ever read."
"I offered to work for free just to learn from the absolute pinnacle of chefs," Stone said.
"This pivotal decision to seek out Marco paid off. I started working at the Grill Room (Café Royal) on the very same day I met him.
"This was a place where if you didn't get fired that day, then you did a good job."
The experience saw Stone elevate his skills at the London institutions Café Royal, Mirabelle and Quo Vadis.
At one point, White appointed Stone head chef at Quo Vadis.
Stone returned home to Australia for stints of time in 2003 to film the highly popular TV series, Surfing the Menu.
The series, which aired in Australia on ABC, followed Stone and fellow chef Ben O'Donoghue, as they travelled around Australia and New Zealand.
"I got really lucky when I was asked to co-host Surfing the Menu with my mate, Ben O'Donohue, and had no idea how it would change my life and my career. Becoming an on-air personality has given me the opportunity to work with many talented chefs and heroes of mine, while continuing to teach people around the world how to cook," Stone told Forbes magazine in 2022.
During breaks in filming in Australia, Stone returned to his job at Quo Vadis.
A highlight of his time in England was being invited, along with other industry leaders, to Buckingham Palace to meet the late Queen Elizabeth II.
"Meeting the queen was certainly a unique experience. She was actually very funny, and she was very personable. She took time with her guests and chatted to us, and she made a couple of jokes," Stone told TastingTable in 2022.
"Somebody else made a joke that she thought was ridiculously funny, and she was really lovely."
