Justin Bonello (born 21 June 1971) is a South African cook, television personality,

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

, and writer.

Early life

Bonello was born in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

and grew up in the Gardens suburb of

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. He also spent some of his childhood on the Breede River and the Wild Coast. He has a sister. He learned to cook through his grandmother, who gave him his first pan, and about filmmaking through his mother Jeanne. He graduated with a degree in Information Systems, Analysis and Design from Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Career

Bonello's first cooking series ''Cooked'' first premiered in 2006 on BBC Food and later BBC Lifestyle. Together with Peter Gird, Bonello co-founded the production company Cooked in Africa Films in 2011, through which he has executive produced and hosted a number of food and travel shows, such as ''Getaway to Africa'', ''Exploring the Vine'', and ''Around Iceland on Inspiration''. In 2012, he created and began hosting the competition ''

The Ultimate Braai Master ''The Ultimate Braai Master'' is a South African reality cooking competition television series created and hosted by Justin Bonello. The first season premiered on 13 September 2012. The first three seasons aired on SABC 3 before switching to e.tv ...

'', which was later acquired by " Okuhle Media" now
Trace Studios
. He considered The Ultimate Braai Master a celebration of "who we are as South Africans through food". In addition, Bonello founded the non-profit organisation Neighbourhood Farm, which aims to create jobs and improve food security by bringing urban farming into communities and schools in Cape Town.

Personal life

Bonello lives in Noordhoek with his wife Eugenie (née Tancred) and their three children.

Bibliography

* ''Cooked in Africa'' (2010) * ''Cooked: Weekends Away'' (2011) * ''Cooked: Out of the Frying Pan'' (2011) * ''Justin Bonello Cooks... for Friends'' (2012) * ''Cooked in the Karoo'' (2014) * ''Roads Less Travelled'' (2014) * ''Ultimate Braai Master: Road Tripping with Justin Bonello'' (2015)

References

External links

*
Justin Bonello
at TVSA
Cooked in Africa Films
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonello, Justin Living people 1971 births Cape Peninsula University of Technology alumni People from Durban South African chefs South African company founders South African cookbook writers South African television personalities South African television producers South African travel writers