Michael Olivier grew up on a wine farm in the hills of Durbanville. He trained at The London Cordon Bleu Cookery School and is a well known Cape food and wine fundi. Michael has worked in and managed such well-known places as Lanzerac Hotel in Stellenbosch and was Public Relations Manager for the top marque wine estate Boschendal.

Having run three restaurants, Paddagang in Tulbagh, The Burgundy in Hermanus and Parks in Constantia, and being featured in the national top ten restaurants, he is now a food and wine writer, published author and broadcaster. Michael has three children, Sarah, Amy and Peter and is married to Madeleine. They live in Cape Town, South Africa.