Her Story

Stephanie Alexander’s professional success stemmed from a combination of her love for the tall shelved hallways of libraries and the warmth and aroma of her kitchen. The eldest of four, Stephanie first drew inspiration from her father’s love of books to become a librarian for a decade,  then drew on the hours she spent with her mother in their kitchen to create what became a sprawling culinary empire.

After successfully running ‘Stephanie’s Restaurant’ for 21 years, she established the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation in 2004. The endeavour picked up pace rapidly, and has grown to include 830 schools across the nation. The organisation offers online training for teachers that teaches them to incorporate food education into their programs.

Stephanie believes that a successful business requires an understanding of profit and loss.

“Even if your main interest or skill is in being creative, it is still important to understand the realities of the balance sheet and the profit and loss. Employ assistance if necessary.”

There is little doubt that Stephanie has been a game changer and pioneer in food education. Her determination to educate children about growing, eating and caring about fresh food has been widely acknowledged. Stephanie became a Member of the Order of Australia in 1994 for her services to the hospitality industry and dedication to mentoring youth. In 2014, she was awarded the prestigious honour being an Officer of the Order of Australia in relation to her work at the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation. In addition to achieving tremendous success in the hospitality industry, Stephanie is the proud author of 14 books.

Stephanie has travelled, lived and worked in France and the UK, and has now set up camp in Melbourne, the Australian food capital,.  Having already spoilt Australians with her delicious meals and wise words for many years, you can rely on her to keep cooking up a storm.

Join the Cook’s Companion Club to receive a thought- provoking monthly newsletter from Stephanie, with news, recipes and opinion here.

Stephanie’s books are available here.

More information on the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is available here. 

Strategies for Success

• Have a clear vision of what you want to achieve and share this vision with your team. Stay true to your vision and resist those who want you to compromise it. Be able to describe your vision to the world clearly.
• Do as you would be done by. Your behaviour will set the tone for your business. Kindness and understanding are important. Be friends with your team, but retain enough distance so that you feel comfortable challenging them if necessary.
• Keep on learning and be open to new ideas.
• Only do business with suppliers or service providers that you like as people. Protect yourself and your team from those who are always negative. Such individuals can undermine and destroy confidence easily.
• Become a good delegator and have a well-organised office– it’s an excellent way of reducing stress.