Conversations
-
Jenna North at Lucy Liu
Jenna North has worked her way up through the ranks to most recently becoming head chef at Lucy Liu. Makes sense when you think about it; a restaurant called Lucy Liu deserves a strong female presence in the kitchen. This was Jenna’s first chat with the media and I appreciated her openness and honesty. Hi…
-
Nick Mahlook at The Atlantic
The sun streams in through the huge windows where I’m seated at The Atlantic on Southbank. Queen of all I survey, and despite fantastic views of the Yarra and Melbourne city, I’m distracted by the array of fish and seafood dishes coming out of Nick Mahlook’s kitchen. Tasmanian oysters with red wine vinaigrette, raw and…
-
Blayne Bertoncello at O.MY Restaurant
When I arrive at the farm in Cardinia, Blayne is out on the rotary hoe. Blayne is the head chef at O.MY, the restaurant he owns and runs with his brother, Chase, in Beaconsfield, and he is absolutely the poster guy for living life like it’s golden. He exudes joy, satisfaction and vision and I…
-
Daniel Salcedo at Citrico
As soon as I walked into Citrico Daniel started talking and enthusiastically showing me around the restaurant. This beautiful two storied space in Fitzroy North is absolutely worth the tour. Daniel generously gave me an hour of his time as he talked about his love of cooking, his desire to share the Peruvian food of…
-
John Paul Twomey at The Carlton Wine Room
John Paul showed me round the beautifully revamped Carlton Wine Room after our chat and I can see I will have to come back multiple times just to dine in all the different spaces. Either that or do some kind of progressive dinner and just move around between dishes. John Paul is one of those…
-
Khanh Nguyen at Sunda
Khanh Nguyen is a thoughtful and driven chef who has worked to a plan and done a great deal of research to get to where he is now, at , quietly but extraordinarily powerfully making a sweeping mark on the Melbourne hospitality scene. Taking inspiration from his mentors in some of the best kitchens in…
-
Richard Pavlov at Bekka
Stalwarts of the hospitality industry, Richard and Suzanne Pavlov have realised a long-held dream to open a Lebanese restaurant and they have done it with great success at Bekka in Moonee Ponds. Inspired by a recent trip to the Beqqa Valley, a fertile valley known for its wineries and good food, and by their own…
-
Julian Hills at Navi
Julian Hills thinks about food 24/7. That might seem like a prerequisite for a chef, but Julian takes it to a whole new level. Having dreamed for years of opening his own limited seating degustation venue, his newly opened in Yarraville is allowing him to really stretch his imagination and his skill to explore and…
-
Mark Ebbels at TarraWarra Estate
I drove out to to talk to Mark Ebbels on one of those intermittently stormy/sunny days where the sky was sort of darkly menacing but at the same time beautiful and cloud cascaded down the valleys of the foothills forming the backdrop to the Yarra Valley. Mark grew up amongst all this beauty before venturing…
-
Reuben Davis at The Press Club
Reuben Davis is a magician and a wonderful thinker. I loved hearing him reflect on the way he works at . Eating his food was a whole other dimension. I don’t often get to eat the food. Sometimes I talk to chefs because I have eaten the food. But often I go in and talk…