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Mark Tagnipez at Marmont
I sat down with Mark Tagnipez at Marmont to talk truffles, but the conversation very quickly became about much more than that. Mark is warm, funny and wonderfully unguarded, and his story moves from Los Angeles to Hawaii to Melbourne, from Filipino food at home to Chicano neighbourhood cooking, deep fryers, hay fever, fried chicken,…
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Shannon Martinez at Smith & Deli
I first spoke to Shannon Martinez almost a decade ago, when Smith & Daughters was already changing the way Melbourne thought about vegan food. A lot has happened since. Smith & Deli has grown, Degraves Street has opened, Made by Smith is beginning to supply chefs with high-quality plant-based products, and deliveries are heading interstate.…
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Jeremy Spradbery at Supercheese
I knew when I went to the launch of High Cheese at The Westin that Jeremy Spradbery from Supercheese would be a great person to talk to, and visiting his Richmond shop proved it. We stood together beside his impressive hero fridge: a glorious line-up of cheeses that each show off their style, while he…
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Raph Rashid at The Greatest of the Mall
Raph Rashid and I last spoke in 2020 when he was making Mean Cuisine and finding clever ways to keep people entertained at home. This time, he’s in the middle of something just as playful, but much more public: The Greatest of the Mall, a winter school holiday project with Melbourne Food & Wine Festival that…
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Mike Jacques at Tarra, Queenscliff and Onda, Sorrento
When I arrived at Tarra, Mike Jacques was in the thick of service. Mike is executive chef for Searoad Hospitality, overseeing Tarra in Queenscliff, Onda in Sorrento, the ferry offerings and now Wilsons Prom too. We spoke about Tarra as a “postcard for the Bellarine Peninsula”, and Onda as its Mediterranean-leaning counterpart across the bay:…
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Josh Smith, Tammy & Rob Charter at The Queenscliff Hotel
I’ve always had a soft spot for Queenscliff. Every year, we make our pilgrimage down for the Queenscliff Music Festival, pitch our tent on the footy oval, and live very happily for a few days on music, festival food and that particular seaside feeling the town does so well. So to arrive this time and…
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Kevin Peiris at Killik Handcrafted Rum
Tucked into the trees along Monbulk Road in Belgrave, Killik Handcrafted Rum is more than just a place to drink; it’s a destination where small-batch spirits, ambitious food, and a warm, intimate atmosphere come together. When we visited, we were seated in a gorgeous private room with a crackling log burner and views out to…
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Laura Boulton at Heide Kitchen
I drove out to Heide Museum of Modern Art on one of those moody Melbourne days where the sky feels low and the landscape seems to have been arranged by a painter. Which, at Heide, it sort of has. Sitting out the back in the museum office, looking out the window, the view felt like…
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Shane Reeves at The Gilroy
I sat down with Shane Reeves at The Gilroy on Bay Street in Port Melbourne, a place I could easily walk to, given I live just down the road, but one that’s absolutely worth the drive or the ride on the 109 tram. Tucked into a quieter stretch of the street, The Gilroy is a…
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Jithin Pattiyal at Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen
Seated outside at Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen, beside the warmth of the fire pit and surrounded by the hills of Warburton, I first spoke with owner Billy Crombie. As the conversation continued, chef Jithin Pattiyal joined me, sharing his journey from Kerala to Australia and offering insight into the authentic, carefully crafted approach to cooking that…