Matt Preston

Biography

Matt Preston is a food journalist and restaurant critic. Best known for his weekly restaurant column in The Age newspaper's food section, 'Epicure', and as a judge on MasterChef Australia, Preston is also an editor of Vogue Entertaining + Travel and delicious magazines, and a former Creative Director of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival.

Preston was educated in Sussex and graduated from the University of Kent with a BA Hons in Politics and Government. He began his career in the sales and marketing departments of British magazines, including City Limits where he wrote the 'Backhanders' column for five years. He then spent four years with UK magazines, TVTimes and What's on TV, becoming head of their promotions and marketing department.In 1993 Preston moved to Australia where he worked as an Australian soap opera correspondent for British magazines What's On TV, TVTimes and Women's Own.

In 2009 Preston joined Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris on the judging panel of the first season of MasterChef Australia, a reality television competition to find Australia's best home cook. Preston is a contributor to The Age Good Food Guide and Food and Wine (US). He has appeared on Network 10's 9am with David and Kim as well as SBS's Blue List, Channel 9's Postcards and Channel 7's Absolutely Melbourne. Preston has appeared on radio as a guest on Denis Walter's show on 3AW, and on 774 ABC Melbourne, where he has also co-hosted a number of times. Previous positions include five years as the National Chief Judge for Restaurant and Catering's National Awards for Excellence, contributing drink editor to Good Taste magazine and as the 'secret reviewer' on series one of Channel 7's My Restaurant Rules. In 2003, 2004 and 2006 Preston won Food Media Club of Australia awards for articles which appeared in the 'Epicure' section of The Age, and in 2008 he won the Le Cordon Bleu World Food Media Awards, Food Journalist of the Year Award for articles published in delicious and 'Epicure'.