Conversations
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Nick Korceba at Prior Thornbury
Prior is a huge pastel cathedral ceilinged wonder of a caf on High Street. It has a log burner in the middle for cosy winter days, a courtyard out the back for the warmer weather and a delicious menu every day of the week. Head chef, Nick Korceba has been in the game for 20…
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Sam Green at Cru
Cru means raw in French and I'm always going to be drawn to anything French. I'm also drawn to the fact that Cru is very close to where I live and is just one of those lovely neighbourhood wine bar treasures that serve excellent food and wine in a lovely setting. Whether you're sitting out…
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Florian Ribul at Vex
I wrote about Vex for Broadsheet a few weeks ago and was keen to catch up with Florian Ribul again to hear more. He made me a coffee and we sat outside in the courtyard beneath the huge lemon tree. The way Flo talks about cooking and his life as a chef is captivating, and…
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Ryan Berry at Naughton’s Hotel
I love all my chats with chefs, and it is a gift to be able to sit down with them and hear their story. Talking to Ryan Berry, head chef at Naughtons Hotel in Parkville was a real highlight. Ryan is thoughtful and extremely articulate in the way he talks about cooking, teaching younger staff…
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Michael Bacash at Bacash
I always wanted Conversation with a chef to be about real conversations; talking to people who love what they do and allowing the conversation to go where it will. I spoke to Michael Bacash a few weeks ago on the eve of re-opening his long-running and highly acclaimed restaurant, Bacash after lockdown, and I absolutely…
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Julian Summer at Pier St.
I am very happy to share with you this lovely chat with Julian Summer at Pier St. over in Portarlington. Pier St is owned by Peter Roddy and Ebony Vagg and a couple of years ago, I had the absolute pleasure of speaking to Peter at their other venue, Noir in Richmond. Julian did part…
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Kyle Nicol at Rascal
Some people dream of rooms lined with books, and I do love that idea too, but for me being surrounded by bottles of wine just feels right. So, sitting amongst the glowing bottles and talking to Kyle Nicol about his time in a Michelin star restaurant in London and his love of native ingredients, was…
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Sando Mateos at La Concheria
When I first arrived in Melbourne nine years ago, I was introduced to a beautiful group of Mexican Irish friends, or more specifically, Mexican girls with Irish partners. My initial fascination with this particular combo quickly disappeared into the absolute joy I had spending time with them. Many in that group have moved on or…
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Luigi Esposito at The Amalfi Way
Luigi Esposito grew up in Naples and from a very early age, learned the art of Neapolitan pizza when he worked with his nonna selling pizza fritta to locals. He went on to work in pizzerias around Naples and then the world before deciding to come to Sydney. In the 11 years he has been…
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Bree Gaudette & Matthew Ronalds at Hello Friend Foods
I recently had the absolute pleasure of zooming with Bree Gaudette and Matthew Ronalds from Hello Friend Foods. Well, Bree and Matthew actually ARE Hello Friend Foods; a Melbourne company making delicious vegan cheese. Quite cinematically, the pair met when Bree took an Uber Matthew was driving, they got talking about the cheeses Bree had…