Oprah Winfrey has chosen an Irish celebrity chef who cooked for Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as her new website chef.

Aine McAteer (54), from Cavan, has also cooked for Hollywood stars such as Robert Redford and Simpsons creator Matt Groening during her career.

McAteer told the Evening Herald newspaper she was hired after bringing her own cookies to the interview and speaking about the famous names she has already cooked for.

"I knew Oprah was starting a new tv network and that they were creating a new website for it. I was put in touch with a guy who was working on her website, and I brought cookies and a pack for Oprah," she said

McAteer focuses on a macrobiotic diet cooking with whole grains and vegetables.

She most recently worked for actor John Cusack on the set of his new film, '2012.'

She first came to notice when working in Hawaii. "I was living on a small island called Kuwai and it's easy to get to know everyone there. So everyone knew me as the healthy chef.

"Robert Redford came to the island one time and wanted a healthy chef, so I cooked for him while he was there, and I also cooked for Matt Groening, who created the Simpsons."

She says Nicole Kidman loved her salmon salad.

"I heard that Tom and Nicole were looking for a chef because their present chef was taking time off. They were in London doing Eyes Wide Shut, so I sold my car and I flew over -- I ended up working for them for three and a half years."

"I love travel, so that aspect was great -- and you get very well looked after when you're working on films."