Conversations
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Hamish Vaccari at Nonna’s House
In November last year, Hamish Vaccari started selling family recipe Italian subs out the backof an unassuming house on Nicholson Street. It went viral. Nonna's House was the obvious choice of name for the venture, given it is, in fact, his Nonna's house. Having lost his job at the start of Covid, Hamish was thinking…
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Nabil Ansari at Firebird
Nabil Ansari is the loveliest man. I have been following him for a while on Instagram and of course I had heard about him when he did Ansari at Home, a pop up over lockdown where he cooked Indian food for his neighbours and then it went gangbusters. As always, it was such a pleasure…
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Lucas Parkinson at Ode
In 2017, chef and owner Lucas Parkinson established Ode Conscious Dining in Wanaka, Aotearoa, after spending over a decade developing his skill and passion for food in Aotearoa and overseas. Lucas quickly gained recognition after Ode was named one of New Zealand's Top 100 restaurants at both the 2018 and 2019 Cuisine Good Food Awards,…
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Alex McIntosh at Alex McIntosh
I cannot think of a better way to start the Conversation with a chef year than to chat to Bocuse d'Or finalist, Alex McIntosh. Originally from Canada, long-time fan of Bocuse d'Or, Alex was a finalist in the Bocuse dOr Australia 2015, a judge for the fish dish in the Bocuse d'Or Australia 2017, and…
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Morgan Williams at Chikim’s Kimchi
My friend Morgan is an absolute star. He does a lot. So much. An absolute ideas man and entrepreneur, and if you follow him on the socials, which you absolutely should, it is one great idea after the next. Morgan was the co-producer for many years on the wildly successful New Zealand childrens program, What…
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Diego Cossio at The Dining Room Lance More Lindenderry Red Hill
Inspired by his father's cooking and baking and by the food his grandmother made, Diego Cossio started his journey to become a chef in South Africa where his family had moved and he made sure he did his internship at the top restaurant in Johannesburg. Throughout his career, ambition, and a drive to be better…
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Srishti Godbole at Maximilian’s Restaurant
Srishti Godbole is the third contestant I have spoken to from the recent Pacific Region San Pellegrino Young Chef Competition, and I was excited to hear about her dish and to hear more about her journey as a chef. Srishti grew up in Mumbai and credits her great grandmother and her mother for her love,…
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Salvatore Giorgio at Marnong Estate
What an absolute delight to have my 300th Conversation with a chef with Salvatore Giorgio at La Vetta at Marnong Estate. I have been wanting to chat to Salvatore for a while now, ever since I met him at Bar Bambi in the city and this conversation was even better than I had hoped. Salvatore…
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Robin Wagner at Pacific Region S.Pellegrino Young Chef Winner
Josh Niland described the dish Robin Wagner presented at the Pacific Region S. Pellegrino Young Chef competition as, "the best dish" he had tasted this year. Another judge wanted to lick the plate clean. The dish was simply called "Smoked Celeriac with Granny Smith Apple and Crispy Taro," and it won him the Regional Finalist…
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Jackson Mehlhopt at Tussock Hill Cellar Door and Winery
Jackson Mehlhopt is head chef at Christchurch's Tussock Hill Cellar Door and Winery and this year he was a regional finalist in the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy Competition. The Competition is a global annual event to support young chefs and their personal vision for the world of food, demonstrating how food can have a positive…