Maggie Beer on food, family and the future
She’s a household name who’s played out much of her life in the public eye, but food icon Maggie Beer reveals in the March issue of SALIFE magazine the events that have really shaped her, including the personal struggles, the move into the media, her latest food mission and her two all-time favourite recipes.
There was a time when South Australian food icon Maggie Beer could barely get out of bed, exhausted and depressed at the closure of her iconic Pheasant Farm Restaurant in 1993.
“We closed on November 28, 1993. I picked the date, which was the day before (daughter) Elli turned 18, because she used to say to me, ‘I want a proper mum’,” Maggie says.
Two events helped pull the celebrity cook out of the dark, including a call from her close friend, celebrity chef Stephanie Alexander.
Maggie opens up about this and other life-changing events in a far-reaching and revealing story in the latest issue of SALIFE magazine, which is out on Thursday.
Photograph credit Dragan Radocaj.
From her earliest food memories as a child making offal with her family, to her formative days with husband Colin as they launched The Pheasant Farm, to finding fame on shows such as The Cook and the Chef, and so much more, Maggie gives her insights into the milestones, memories and moments that have shaped who she is today at age 80.
The SALIFE story also includes details on the heartbreaking loss of Maggie and Colin’s daughter Saskia, a food identity in her own right, who tragically and unexpectedly passed away in her sleep in 2020 aged 46.
The couple went on to establish the Saskia Beer Churchill Fellowship in 2022, supporting others to pursue their passion for food, in honour of their beloved “Sassie”.
The in-depth profile feature story also includes Maggie’s two all-time favourite recipes from her expansive repertoire over the years.
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Maggie’s story appears on the cover of our March Women’s Issue where we honour International Women’s Day 2025, including a story where we ask South Australia’s female heads of industry how they got their career starts. There are also the regular monthly features on food, fashion, homes, weddings, social events and more.
To read the full Maggie Beer story and so much more, pick up the March issue of SALIFE magazine on sale from Thursday at newsagents, independent supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths stores.
