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Annabel Langbein

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Annabel Langbein
At 2012 Frankfurt Book Fair
Born1958 (age 65–66)
Mangakino, New Zealand
Occupations
  • Celebrity cook
  • food writer
  • television host
  • publisher
Spouse
Ted Hewetson
​
(m. 1991)​
Children2

Annabel Rose Langbein ONZM (born 1958) is a New Zealand celebrity cook, food writer and publisher. She has published over 30 cookbooks, and co-produced three seasons of her award-winning television series, Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook, which launched on the TV One network in New Zealand and has since screened in more than 90 countries.

Early life, family and education

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Langbein was born in Mangakino and grew up in Wellington.[1] She was the youngest of two daughters of Fred and Anne Langbein. Her father worked as an engineer but was a keen vegetable gardener and beekeeper, while her mother was a cook and home science university graduate. She credits her mother as the inspiration for her love of cooking.[2]

Langbein has described herself as being a hippie as a teenager. She left home at age 16 to live for several years with her then-boyfriend and their friends in a run-down house by the Whanganui River, without electricity or running water. They were self-reliant and lived off their hunting, fishing and a half-hectare vegetable garden, and her cooking skills were honed by experimentation.[3] She subsequently moved to Gisborne where she worked as a possum trapper and met her future husband, Ted Hewetson.[4] At age 22, she moved overseas and went backpacking in South America, running her own bar in Brazil for a while, before returning to New Zealand when she was 25.[5] Langbein and Hewetson married in 1991.[6] They have two children, Sean and Rose, and have homes in Auckland and Wānaka.[2][7]

She has never formally trained as a chef, but obtained a Diploma of Horticulture with Distinction from Lincoln University in 1981,[8] and attended residential cooking courses at the Culinary Institute of America in upstate New York.[4][1]

Career

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Since 1984, Langbein has worked as a food writer, writing for several magazines including The New Zealand Herald's Canvas magazine,[9] NZ Life & Leisure, NZ Listener and Cuisine,[10] as well as writing and publishing her own cookbooks. She has appeared on The Today Show in the US, Saturday Kitchen in the UK, 24Kitchen in The Netherlands and numerous other media outlets.

Books

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Langbein self-published her first book of recipes in 1988, and has since built one of New Zealand's most successful publishing houses, Annabel Langbein Media.[1] She has authored and self-published 25 cookbooks, which have been published in numerous languages and sold more than two million copies all around the world. The Best of Annabel Langbein: Great Food for Busy Lives, was published in 1997, has been reprinted numerous times since and is known as "the kitchen bible" in many New Zealand households. Her 2010 book The Free Range Cook was available in more than 70 countries and sold more than 110,000 copies.[10][11][12]

In 1991 she established the Culinary Institute of New Zealand, a specialist food marketing consultancy, and was responsible for marketing and media campaigns for New Zealand food manufacturers, retailers and exporters, as well as promoting New Zealand food offshore for Trade New Zealand. For seven years she was a director of the New Zealand gourmet cheese company Kapiti[10] and for three years she was a judge for the International Association of Culinary Professionals' Julia Child Award for the best first cookbook.[13]

Her philanthropic work has included raising substantial sums for the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand,[14] the Life Education Trust,[15] and other charity groups.[16][17][18]

Television

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UK-based global content company FremantleMedia first noticed Langbein's presenting skills in 2008, when she posted on YouTube a series of how-to cooking features that she had made to promote her book Eat Fresh.[4] They approached her and offered to back her to produce a fully-fledged TV series.

In August 2010, New Zealand's TV One debuted her show, Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook, a 13-part cooking and lifestyle series filmed at Langbein's cabin on the shores of Lake Wānaka and showcasing New Zealand's scenery and artisanal produce. She co-produced the series and worked with a seven-person TVNZ crew over a six-month filming schedule. It was the first time she had fronted her own cooking show and series on television,[19] but she has since co-produced two further seasons of the show.

The series has been distributed worldwide by FremantleMedia, and has appeared on the ABC and SBS networks in Australia and other networks in France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, Israel, the UK, Canada, Asia, Brazil and Japan.[19] In Brazil the show airs on the GNT cable channel under the translated title A Cozinha Caseira de Annabel (Annabel's Homemade Cooking).[20]

Year Programme Episodes Duration
2010 Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook 13 episodes 30 minutes
2012 Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook: Simple Pleasures 13 episodes 30 minutes
2014 Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook: Through the Seasons 13 episodes 30 minutes

Honours

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Langbein's books and TV series have won numerous national and international awards. In February 2016 she won the People's Choice Award for Best Home Chef in a TV Series at the US-based Taste Awards.[21]

Her books have won Gourmand World Cookbook Awards for Best Entertaining Cookbook, Best Easy Recipes Cookbook and Best Celebrity Cookbook. In 2013 she won NZ Guild of Food Writers Culinary Quills for best website, best TV series and best book, and in 2014 she won Best Culinary Series and Best Presenter at the Best on the Box People's Choice Awards. The Best of Annabel Langbein: Great Food for Busy Lives won the 1999 New Zealand Guild of Food writers Recipe Book of the Year award, while Savour the Pacific: A Discovery of Taste won the Best Photography in the World award at the World Cookbook Awards in Périgueux, France, as well as a Ladle at the 2001 World Food Media Awards.[22]

In 2008, Langbein was inducted into the Wellington Girls' College Business Hall of Fame, and in 2013 she received New Zealand's most prestigious individual achievement award, a World Class New Zealand Award. Langbein was awarded an honorary Doctor of Commerce degree by Lincoln University in 2017.[23]

In the 2018 Queen's Birthday Honours, Langbein was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services as a food writer.[24]

Bibliography

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  • Annabel Langbein's Cookbook: Featuring Recipes from the New Zealand Listener (ISBN 0-908829-00-0, 1988)
  • Smart Food for Busy People: Stylish Food for New Zealanders (ISBN 978-0-473-02228-0, 1993)
  • More Taste Than Time: Fast Track Food for Busy People (ISBN 0-473-02821-2, 1994)
  • With Fork & Spoon: Easy Imaginative Food for Time-Hungry People (ISBN 0-473-03976-1, 1996)
  • The Best of Annabel Langbein: Great Food for Busy Lives (ISBN 978-0-9582029-0-9, 1999)
  • Savour the Pacific: A Discovery of Taste (ISBN 978-0-9582029-2-3, 2000)
  • Savour Italy: A Discovery of Taste (ISBN 978-0-9582029-3-0, 2001)
  • Cooking to Impress Without Stress (ISBN 978-0-9582029-5-4, 2003)
  • Assemble: Sensational Food Made Easy (ISBN 978-0-9582029-9-2, 2005)
  • Desserts: New Healthy Kitchen – Colorful Recipes for Health and Well-Being (ISBN 978-0-7432-7860-7, 2006)
  • Grilling: New Healthy Kitchen – Colorful Recipes for Health and Well-Being (ISBN 978-1-74089-611-5, 2007)
  • Eat Fresh: Cooking Through the Seasons (ISBN 978-0-9582029-7-8, 2007)
  • Celebrate: A Calendar of Cakes for Special Dates (ISBN 978-0-9582029-6-1, 2008)
  • Anyone Can Cook: Fresh Ideas for Busy Lives (ISBN 978-0-9582668-0-2, 2009)
  • Anyone Can Bake: Home Baked Treats Made Easy (ISBN 978-0-9582668-3-3, 2010)
  • Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook (ISBN 978-0-9582668-4-0, 2010)
  • Annabel Langbein Free Range in the City (ISBN 978-0-9582668-5-7, 2011)
  • Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook: Simple Pleasures (ISBN 978-0-9582668-6-4, 2012)
  • Annabel Langbein A Free Range Life (ISBN 978-1-4630771-2-9, 2013)
  • Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook: Through the Seasons (ISBN 978-0-9582668-7-1, 2014)
  • Annabel Langbein Winter Goodness (2015)
  • Annabel Langbein Endless Summer (ISBN 978-5-0060-0004-9, 2015)
  • Annabel Langbein Share the Love (ISBN 978-5-0060-0007-0, 2016)
  • Annabel Langbein Celebrate Summer! (2016)
  • Annabel Langbein Cheap Thrills (2017)
  • ESSENTIAL Volume 1: Best-Ever Meals for Busy Lives (ISBN 978-0-9582668-9-5, 2017)
  • ESSENTIAL Volume 2: Sweet Treats for Every Occasion (ISBN 978-0-473-41766-6, 2017)
  • Bella: My Life in Food (ISBN 978-1-9885-4761-9, 2020)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Jay, Janan (4 June 2018). "Annabel Langbein to be awarded an ONZM". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  2. ^ a b Harker, Caroline (February–March 2012). "A Place to Call Home" (PDF). Central Magazine: 34. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  3. ^ Pattison, Catherine (5 January 2012). "Offbeat early years an ideal grounding". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Annabel Langbein". New Zealand Women's Weekly. 11 October 2010. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  5. ^ Clifton, Emma (26 October 2019). "Annabel Langbein on the unexpected freedom she has found with getting older". Australian Women's Weekly. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  6. ^ "Celebrity cook Annabel Langbein's hubby gets a grilling". Stuff.co.nz. 15 March 2009. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  7. ^ Downes, Siobhan (29 November 2015). "My town: Celebrity chef Annabel Langbein on Lake Wanaka". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  8. ^ "Annabel Langbein on graduation award menu at Lincoln". Living Heritage. Lincoln University. 23 March 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  9. ^ Bruce, Greg (18 June 2016). "The rise and rise of Annabel Langbein". Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  10. ^ a b c Barnes, Lyn (July 2010). "The free-range cook" (PDF). NZ Life & Leisure.
  11. ^ "Annabel Langbein Media Limited". Made From New Zealand. Archived from the original on 8 March 2014. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  12. ^ "Authors write their own paycheques". APN Holdings NZ Limited. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
  13. ^ "Cookbook Awards". International Association of Culinary Professionals. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  14. ^ "High Tea with Annabel Langbein: SOLD OUT". Eventfinda. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  15. ^ "An Evening with Annabel Langbein". Eventfinda. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  16. ^ Nugent, Sean (12 June 2018). "Langbein helps to fill food charity's tins". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  17. ^ Kidson, Sally (11 December 2014). "Cancer foundation 'humbled' by donation". Nelson Mail. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  18. ^ "Early years provide food for thought". Southland Express. 5 November 2020. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  19. ^ a b Pattison, Catherine (25 August 2010). "Showing off Central Otago". Allied Press Limited. Archived from the original on 26 August 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  20. ^ (Portuguese). "a cozinha caseira de annabel". Globosat Programadora Ltda. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  21. ^ "7th Annual TASTE Awards Finalists and Honorees". The Taste Awards. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  22. ^ "Culinary Quills Awards". New Zealand Guild of Food Writers. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  23. ^ "Former honorary doctorate recipients". Lincoln University. 2018. Archived from the original on 9 January 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  24. ^ "Queen's Birthday honours list 2018". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
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