Conversations
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Laurie Faget at Tapenade
Given that I love all things French and that I am particularly enamoured with the south of France, having lived there for a year, you can imagine my excitement at going to Tapenade to talk to Laurie Faget. Laurie and her fiance, Kevin Chassagne opened Tapenade in July last year having created a very provencal-feeling…
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Roger Lu at Laurus
Today I'm chatting to Roger Lu at Laurus in Carlton. I first met Roger last November when I wrote about Laurus for Broadsheet. Laurus is a sleek and sophisticated modern Chinese restaurant which was just about to open. I went down to Carlton after teaching all day at school to meet owner Boyang Fu and…
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Jo Corrigan and Matt Donnelly at Mushrooms Anonymous
Yesterday I drove north to chat to Jo Corrigan and Matt Donnelly out on the five acres they farm at Romsey. Romsey is 60 kilometres north of Melbourne and near Mt Macedon. The earth is a rich chocolate colour as a result of basaltic and volcanic lava flows and was the perfect place for Jo…
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Aidan Robinson at Chic de Partie
What an absolute pleasure to talk to Aidan Robinson from Chic de Partie. Aidan got in touch with me through Instagram and I am so happy he did. He is one of those chefs who so love what they do that it almost shines out of them. Aidan always knew he wanted to be a…
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Paula Delapenna at En Casa Cooking Space
What started as a blog and a way to connect to her family, friends and home country, Argentina, has become a thriving business for Paula Delapenna. Paula makes the famous Argentinian sweet treat, alfajores, and sells them online through her site, En Casa Cooking Space, and in markets around Melbourne. She also makes beautiful, rustic…
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Esca Khoo at Miss Mi, Mvenpick Hotel
Esca Khoo is a rising star, although he doesn't really know what to do with such accolades and the press coverage he has been receiving since he stepped into the head chef role at Miss Mi in the Movenpick Hotel. Esca is humble and self-aware and never imagined that he would be where he is…
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Ha Nguyen at Otao Kitchen
Funny story. I actually met Ha in the spa pool in my apartment building. He was talking to some other neighbours in the pool about restaurants and about his cooking school, Otao Kitchen, which obviously piqued my interest. I told him about Conversation with a Chef and very happily for me, he agreed to talk…
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Tony Twitchett at Taxi Kitchen
When I went to Taxi Kitchen to speak to Tony Twitchett, there was a lot going on in Federation Square. There were people ziplining across the Yarra, Harry Potter fans dressed as wizards, primed for the 20th anniversary free outdoor screening of Harry Potter, The Philosopher's Stone, children running towards the 16-metre-tall Christmas tree in…
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Vincent Uso at Canele Alain
Vincent Uso is the French guy behind Canele Alain, a pastry business in Richmond making the unique little cake from Bordeaux, the canele. Vincent does a great job describing what these special little treats are in the conversation, so I'll leave that to him. If you have never tried a canele, you absolutely must. They…
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Jose Lorenzo Morales at Pacific regional winner of the S. Pellegrino Young Chef 2019
My food is an expression of myself, my character and what I believe in. Thats what I tried to put on my plate for the competition. Every lesson I learned and connected with, I integrated into my dish. Thats why I called it Analogy, because having all these overwhelming elements and practices and traditions, flavours…