Conversations
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Matthew Bentley at Hotel Lindrum
I had planned to speak to Matt Bentley in March. Then we went into lockdown. Over the isolation period, photos of the incredible food he was making at home would pop up on Instagram and his love for cooking and exploring new food ideas jumps out of the shots. I knew this already from all…
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Rotem Papo at Golda
I first spoke to Rotem Papo three years ago when he was head chef at L’Hotel Gitan. Since then he has been head chef at Bar Lourinha and now he is at Golda which he co-owns with Adam Faigen of Gramercy Social fame. As on the previous occasion, Rotem showed his absolute love of hospitality…
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Charlie Cheng at Shinbashi Yakiniku
Charlie Cheng…great name…owns Shinbashi Yakiniku in Brisbane and in Melbourne. I went in to the Lygon Street venue back in November 2018 when the restaurant reopened and I wrote about it for Broadsheet. It had actually opened a year prior but due to damage from a fire in a neighbouring restaurant had to be closed…
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Rob Kaboord at Lekker!
I spoke to Rob Kaboord for Broadsheet when Lekker first opened as a pop-up in the Windsor Hotel at the start of January. He was generous then with his time and the stories he shared with me and he was generous again this time. When we spoke in January, we had no idea that by…
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Laurent Rospars at Little Prince Wine
This was a wonderful conversation to have and also a little tricky to write up, because this was a no holds barred all over the place conversation. Laurent Rospars has so many great stories to tell. Originally from Brittany, he has now been in Australia for just over 30 years and in fact celebrated his…
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Anthony Power at Pilgrim
The word that stands out from my chat with Anthony Power of Pilgrim in Liverpool is fun. Anthony has been involved with a lot of projects and businesses and life adventures and he describes them all as fun. And I believe him. He exudes a palpable appreciation of life and the many opportunities he has…
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Michael Harrison at Pretty Little
Michael Harrison is a modest guy. I could already tell that by talking to him. He worked in excellent venues with top chefs right from the start and you don’t get to work your way up to head chef by the age of 26 without having something pretty stellar about you. Pretty Little owner, Michael…
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Jude Mayall at Outback Chef
I have been thinking a lot about native food recently. But not as much as Jude Mayall, also known as the Outback Chef, thinks about native food. She is a passionate advocate for eating the food grown on the land we walk on and she has been supplying chefs, home cooks, distillers and manufacturers with…
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Daniele Piras at Vaporetto & Squid Inc Bali
Ideally I would have chatted to Daniele in Canggu once he is there in April and working as head chef at Squid Inc., but, you know, Richmond is fine. Really. But make a note of Squid Inc. for your next trip to Bali because you will be in excellent hands. Daniele Piras was born in…
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Will Meyrick at The Street Food Chef
When I spoke to Will, it was 7 o’clock in the morning in London. He was eating a peanut butter sandwich and drinking Lapsang Souchong tea and I could hear his children running around in the background. Will Meyrick has a lot going on. He has seven restaurants under his belt in Indonesia, produces a…