Penguin Books Australia

Maria Benardis was born in Australia but spent her early years on the Greek island of Psara. It was here that her great love affair with organic, seasonal produce was born, and she willingly learned how to make traditional Greek dishes from the women in her family. After returning to Australia, Maria forged a successful career in accounting but after 15 years, decided a change in direction was required. She followed her heart and in February 2007 she launched Greekalicious, Sydney's first exclusively Greek cooking school. This successful business has expanded to include catering and culinary tours to Greece, and Maria regularly appears on radio and television to share the Greek heritage that means so much to her.