What makes Maggie Beer tick

What makes you tick?

That’s the question at the heart of Neil Mitchell’s new segment.

Every Wednesday, he’ll speak to someone about the formative experiences that made them what they are.

Up this week is Australian culinary icon Maggie Beer, who has today been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the tourism and hospitality industries, and for her work in aged welfare.

The 77-year-old says she grew up in a “very different kind of household”.

When her father’s business failed, forcing her to drop out of school at 14, it set her on a path she “never would have had” otherwise.

She held many “fantastic jobs” in early adulthood — including roles at the American Embassy in Sydney and The Women’s College at Sydney University — but it wasn’t until she was 34 that Maggie Beer found her true calling.

Press PLAY below to hear Maggie Beer’s path to food + what makes her tick

Image: Don Arnold/WireImage via Getty