Come Dine With Me Australia

Leonie is a Mum to two now grown up “kids” and a very proud Grandma to one. Leonie was an operations manager in the security industry for 25 years until deciding recently on a career change. Leonie now paints daily, teaches piano, and has also been enjoying researching her family ancestors. Leonie has always been psychic. She has seen quite a few apparitions and is frequently contacted by spirits on the other side. She also reads tarot cards and practices psychometry. Leonie says she owes all of her culinary skills to her Grandma, who was a great mentor, a brilliant cook and a fantastic hostess.

With 20 years experience in the funeral industry Lance is an embalmer of some credit. He is involved in vocational training within the industry and the mentoring and examining of embalming students. Lance has a fascination for the history of funeral culture and specialises in the creation of death masks. He hopes, in time, society may be ready to embrace some of his more unusual concepts for memorialisation.

Mary is a recently retired office administrator, beauty therapist and interior decorator, who is now an aspiring writer and poet. Mary decided that pursuing her passion in life outside the hours of nine-to-five held a lot more satisfaction for her. She began writing love poems several years ago and now her dream is to one day release them as Valentine’s Day greeting cards. Her latest project is a book which she is currently working on about the do’s and the never do’s within a relationship intended for both men and women. Mary has a son, a daughter and three adorable grandchildren.

Shane is a single easy going guy who enjoys sport, playing golf and watching Rugby League. Shane gets great joy from his toy; a turbo charged GTP FPV V8.

Ammie lives with her partner of five years. She thoroughly enjoys cooking and says it’s her escape from the world. Ammie’s dream would be to work full time as a chef and ultimately to one day open her own restaurant called "Lush". Ammie also works in the entertainment industry as an impersonator of Lady Gaga, calling herself Baby Gaga and also Britney Spears.

Cheryl has travelled around the world which has given her the opportunity to taste many unusual foods. Cheryl has honed her skills in cooking from living and eating with the locals in Asia and on a recent trip to Vietnam she picked up a few good new recipes. Cheryl keeps herself busy and is currently studying a diploma in event management and also performing in a band, The Purrfect Pussycat Show Band, impersonating divas such as Cher, Tina Turner, Bette Midler and Marilyn Monroe.

Donna is a sales executive in the software industry, who loves socialising and dining out with her friends. Donna enjoys singing and travelling the world and has spent the last 20 years visiting many exotic locations. Travelling gives Donna a wonderful sense of how diverse food and culture can be teaching her to experiment with new ingredients and flavours. Donna’s family and friends are what make her life special and she loves nothing more than hosting dinner parties for them believing the key to any successful dinner party is love. In Donna’s opinion, no dinner party is complete without a beautiful selection of wine, cocktails and her favourite French champagne.

Tony has two beautiful children and currently works as a freight train driver which he thoroughly enjoys. He’s also worked in the field of antique restoration, a job he held for 25 years. These days it is just a hobby along with playing guitar and oil painting. Tony likes to cook and experiment with different recipes switching them around to make them his own when having dinner parties with friends and family. Tony’s pride and joy is his 34 year old Mercedes Benz.

Doreen is a qualified hairdresser, personal trainer and aerobics instructor who owns her own hair salon business which she runs from home. Doreen’s family is very competitive by nature with her two teenage sons racing go karts, holding eight state titles and three Australian titles between them. Their dedication inspired Doreen to compete in female body building competitions with her greatest achievement coming 3rd in the world titles in 2008 in New York. Even when Doreen isn’t competing she trains at the gym five days a week and power walks every day. Doreen is always looking for new challenges and is always determined to complete them, she never give

Lachlan is a real estate agent and is incredibly passionate about the industry with nearly seven years experience in residential sales and auctioneering. Lachlan is lucky enough to have travelled to most parts of the globe, living for extended periods of time in Sydney and London. Outside of work, Lachlan is very active and enjoys most sports including football, golf and running, along with many hobbies such as cooking, cars, and playing with his dog Maya. Lachlan’s friends would describe him as outgoing, gregarious and articulate.

Vanessa is a Canadian by birth and an Australian at heart. She has been a small animal veterinarian for eleven years and loves her job. Vanessa lives with her partner and their three dogs, Monty, Buster and Oliver as well as their two cats, Chicken and Noodle. Her passions include her work, her pets, keeping fit and her partner. She is outgoing, enthusiastic and always on the lookout for fun. A self confessed average cook, she loves to eat and drink and socialise with friends. Her partner does most of the cooking at home so Vanessa loves to get her time in the kitchen to play!

Sheila owns her own businesses importing, wholesaling and retailing lingerie, club wear, costumes and shoes to Australia and New Zealand. Sheila is also a professional freelance model. Sheila has been married for 34 years and works together with her husband everyday. They have three grown up children and are now enjoying some “me time” having travelled for the last two years to different regions in Italy. A healthy lifestyle is important to Sheila and she practices hot Bikram Yoga five days a week and enjoys healthy food and exercise. Sheila thoroughly enjoys cooking for family and friends, often hosting dinner parties.

Anita loves her home and when she’s not there she feels homesick. Anita enjoys cooking for family and friends and gets a thrill from seeing people enjoying her food. Being the director of a security company Anita is kept very busy but always makes time for fresh air and walks as part of her daily routine. Anita loves to have a laugh and enjoys her Champagne and wines. Anita is a confident woman who loves challenges

Lachlan is a science, health and physical education teacher who loves surfing, cooking, music and spending time with his family and friends. His favourite thing to do is spend dreamy days down at the beach surfing all day with his mates, dining at amazing restaurants and topping off the day with a few cold beers and a live band. Lachlan recently spent six months in Indonesia surfing, fishing and volunteering at schools teaching environmental education and English which he found very rewarding.

Warren lives with his partner, his daughter and their hyperactive ‘Jack Russell’ dog named Bella. Originally from New Zealand, Warren also has a daughter and son who live in New Zealand. Warren and his partner run two Art Galleries, while Warren also regularly performs as a stand-up comic. Even though their days are busy, they are enjoying the slower paced lifestyle of coastal living. The kitchen is Warren’s domain and he cooks most nights finding it a good way to wind down for the day.

Suze has worked within banking for seventeen years, spending seven of those years in Vanuatu where she also indulged in her love of scuba diving. She lives with her husband who she recently married in Las Vegas. Suze has obtained a one square foot of land in Suffolk UK, which entitles her to a “Ladyship” and she is now known as a Lady! Suze loves to entertain and is renowned for her “Lady’s Lunches” and is the glue that keeps “The Ladies” together.

Jacki works ‘behind the scenes’ in the emergency department at a major Hospital. Before Jacki started her current job she was lucky enough to transport Super Yachts around the world which she found incredibly challenging as well as super exciting. Jacki has a spectacular group of friends, most of who are living vicariously through her eyes! Jacki tends to keep her ‘attached’ friends in the ‘loop’ by writing about her dating life which keeps them entertained. Jacki loves to go out for a nice bite to eat and you will usually find her in a great wine bar on a Friday or Saturday night. Jacki likes to think of herself as a bit of a foodie with cooking and entertaining at her home for friends and family one of her favourite things to do.

Gerald has been a cook for approximately nine years and considers himself one of the luckiest people to get paid for a job he loves to do. Gerald’s interests include ten pin bowling, golf, playing the occasional game of poker and watching AFL on weekends while having a few drinks with his friends. Gerald says he enjoys the simple things in life, having a good laugh and happy people around him.

Bromwyn lives with her husband and two children. She has been a florist for over fourteen years and has been styling weddings, functions and window merchandising for over six years. Bromwyn says being a Capricorn makes her a perfectionist when it comes to work – if anything is not perfect, she can’t rest until it is. Being on a gluten free diet due to her coeliac disease, Bromwyn wants to showcase some of the foods she can eat that don’t taste like cardboard. Bromwyn says generally when she eats at restaurants the only thing that is safe are salads and they can be quite boring! Bromwyn has a sweet tooth and loves a good chocolate cake or slice

MaryAnn is a life coach who works with individuals and organisations. She loves to travel and lives to fill her life with experiences. Whether this is dining in Italy or merely beholding the beauty of a flower, she appreciates the perfection of each moment. MaryAnn is married with a combined family of six children. She loves large family get togethers, cooking and experimenting with food, trying to re-create and improve upon dishes she has seen or tried. She feels that food should be considered as a preventative medicine. We are what we eat so MaryAnn encourages people to eat wisely.