Sydney-based Charmaine Solomon started her career in food as a journalist and feature writer for an English-language newspaper in Sri Lanka, where she wrote a cookery column dispensing recipes and food ideas with flair. Descended from generations of talented cooks Charmaine is recognised as one of the world's most knowledgeable and practical writers on Asian cooking. She has taught Southeast Asian, Chinese and international cooking, and continues to be inspired by the food traditions across Asia. In putting together The Complete Asian Cookbook, Charmaine travelled widely through many parts of Asia, revisiting familiar places and discovering new ones to ensure that, as always, her recipe development was completely authentic. In recognition of her contribution to food media, Charmaine was made a member of the Order of Australia in 2007.