Ross Dobson grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney. His neighbours were mostly immigrants from around the globe who shared their recipes and introduced him to a world of flavours. At 14 he enrolled in a Chinese cooking course at his local college which ignited a life-time passion for cooking. He later went on to establish a number of acclaimed cafés and restaurants in the western suburbs of Sydney, including one in the heritage gardens of an art gallery and a tapas restaurant in an old Victorian terrace house, which also operated as a pop-up yum cha restaurant every Sunday. Dobson has authored many best-selling cookbooks including Chinatown, Fired Up, More Fired Up and King of the Grill. He currently operates a café in Penrith, at the foot of the Blue Mountains, where he cooks classic and contemporary Australian food.