Mark Olive (1962 - ) CHEF
Introduction Mark Olive, aka ‘The Black Olive’, has been a chef for over 25 years and has become a well known Australian celebrity with his charismatic style and creative approach to food, starring in his own television series ‘The Outback Cafe ’ and a host of cooking, lifestyle and travel shows nationally and globally. Born and raised in Wollongong on Dharawal Country, Olive is a Bundjalung man whose family are originally from the Northern Rivers region of NSW. An exceptionally talented chef, businessman and presenter, Olive exudes a calm and warm energy with a genuine disposition that has seen him become one of the world’s most sought after and recognised Australian television chefs. Mark is an iconic ambassador for “Indigenous Food and Hospitality” with unique skills in development of gourmet food products. Mark has cooked and presented locally in Melbourne, across Australia and around the world and is in frequent demand to present and appear at food events, Indigenous celebrations and representing Australia’s vibrant culinary and cultural tapestry, right across the world. Mark has a passion for fusing native and Indigenous Australian ingredients with contemporary cooking techniques to create a dynamic and unique gastronomic philosophy.
Mark’s passion for fusing native food and culture with contemporary
lifestyle cooking has led to a huge international profile specialising in
gourmet Australian Indigenous cuisine. Recently he’s been a celebrity judge
alongside Dan Hong and Melissa Leong on the successful series on SBS The
Chefs’ Line which brings home cooks and seasoned chefs together making some
delicious dishes. It wasn’t until Olive wrote his own screenplay, Passing Through in the late 90s, which was included as part of the critically-acclaimed SBS series Shifting Sands, that pursuing a career in media was undoubtedly is calling. Olive’s large and endearing smile, deep brown eyes that glint at a contagious jovial demeanour, his long curly dark hair, his humble disposition and intense passion for our people makes for an champion celebrity chef. At the brunt of it, Olive is a very talented cook, but he understands all aspects of the film and television industry.
Early Life
Olive is one of five children with two brothers and two sisters. His father
is Bruce Olive, who broke ground as one of the nation’s first Aboriginal NRL
players in the 1950s and 60s. Growing up in a household of women who were connected to land that surrounding them, Olive was both an onlooker and engaged cook, often with his mother, godmother and aunties teaching him the delicate balance between discipline and creativity in the kitchen. This resulted in natural, delicious and healthy meals made with the energy of love for family and a cultural connection which acknowledged their Indigeneity. “I was only nine-years-old when I took a real interest in what Mum and the Aunties were doing in the kitchen,” he explains. “I’d be outside playing footy with my brothers, but then I’d spend time a lot on weekends watching and learning these cooking ways — they cooked with lemon myrtle among other native herbs; some of my earliest memories of native ingredients." Education During his course at Swinburne, Olive amassed both the courage and drive to apply for entry to the highly competitive and prestigious Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) in Melbourne, where Olive took on a Bachelor of Film and TV (Producing and Directing). He may have been in a new industry, but his love for food and cooking never left. Olive’s passionate to reach large audiences with the significance of native Australian food really began.
He trained under a European chef and has worked in a number of kitchens ranging from theatres, universities, health services, film sets and in a lá carte restaurants around the globe, before establishing his own successful business in 2008 which operated till 2014.
Employment Olive got his first major break many years ago, with the ABC’s former Indigenous Affairs program Message Stick where he secured weekly five-minute segments as TV Chef 'The Black Olive'. Then came the self-produced Foxtel’s Lifestyle channel hit The Outback Café which saw its international debut in several different countries including across Asia after a successful run on home soil. More recently he has starred in the popular SBS and Netflix series The Chef’s Line and now, with the exceptional On Country Kitchen with co-host comedian Derek Nannup, a Noongar man from Western Australia.
On Country Kitchen is a delectable concept building on Olive’s passion for
fusing native Indigenous Australian ingredients with contemporary cooking
techniques to create a dynamic and unique gastronomic philosophy. Nannup is
Olive’s sidekick, so to speak; he is the hunter and gatherer of the native
ingredients – taking them back to Olive, who teaches Nunnup what to do with
them. Nannup comically confesses he can’t cook to save his life.
In 2010 Mark was chosen as one of the destinations on Oprah’s Victorian
itinerary when she travelled to Australia with her Ultimate Audience. Her
lucky guests were treated to a cultural experience of indigenous food, art
and storytelling during Mark’s infamous cooking demonstration.
Due to his success, Mark has been selected to be a member of Tourism
Australia’s ‘Friends of Australia’ program, which was “created to harness
the power of bright and influential individuals who are making a name for
themselves on the world stage, and who have a genuine affinity with
Australia”.
Experiences Olive has come full circle in honouring his ancestors, tapping into his own intuitions and creativity as a Bundjalung man of this country; he embodies the beauty of sourcing, cooking and eating what the land provides. “It’s about time we look in our own backyard for some of the most nutritious and delicious ingredients around; lemon myrtle, wattle seed, Davidson plum, native finger lime, bush honey, bloodroot and sea parsley to name just a few…”
Yet Olive is very humble and he is still amazed when
people recognise him. Recently, on a tour in Europe people in places like
Prague and Berlin stopped him for autographs.
YouTube: NAIDOC Week 2021: Mark Olive Shares Recipes With Native Herbs | Studio 10 https://youtu.be/becwad44JvY
YouTube:
Mark Olive
YouTube:
Black Olive - Full Interview
YouTube:
Aboriginal Chef Mark Olive on cooking with indigenous foods
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