Conversations
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Paolo Masciopinto at Bar Carolina
My chat with Paolo was full of smiles and laughter. He clearly loves what he does and this comes through in his delicious take on Italian flavours. has only been open for a month and yet people familiar with his food from are already coming in their droves. I ate there on a Monday night…
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Zac Cribbes at Lucy Liu
Freshly back from five weeks in Italy, Zac Cribbes’ enthusiasm and joie de vivre is infectious. But I get the feeling it’s not just because he has been away, Zac embraces life and is full of excitement about , cooking and the general hospitality scene in Melbourne. Again, as always in my chats to the…
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David Raziel at Green Man’s Arms
David Raziel arrived in Melbourne four months ago having worked for one of Israel's most well-loved chefs, in Tel Aviv, run his own tapas bar, Shatira, completed an eye and soul opening stage in Myanmar and worked on a project in New York. We are lucky enough to have him making the most glorious vegan…
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Russell Hall at Park St. Dining
Russel Hall grew up in a small town where going down to the local pub was where his family went out for dinner. Now with a string of different experiences under his belt, Russell is making breakfast at Park St. Dining, one of the restaurants in the , , group. Russell has a matter of…
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Romuald Oudeyer at Romu
It was a sweltering day in Melbourne when I caught up with personal French chef, . We had a beer in the Yarra Lounge overlooking the Sun Theatre in Romu’s adopted village of Yarraville. In a cinematic flourish, Romu came to Melbourne five years ago for the sake of love, and not only is that…
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James McLennan at Bomba
When I turned up at to chat with Jimmy McLennan, he was just practising his Italian with one of the staff. Jimmy is one of those people who exude a calm enthusiasm, which might sound like a strange combination, but when you meet him, you’ll know what I mean. He has a focussed interest in…
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Murat Ovaz at Yagiz
Murat Ovaz is to the kitchen what a maestro is to music. He is passionate about bringing his interpretation of Turkish dishes to the South Yarra dining public, and equally passionate about bringing people together for a night of wonderful food, wine and atmosphere at Yagiz. If the beetroot and ginger ice cream I sampled…
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Maria Kabal at Añada
I walked into in the middle of a photo shoot of some of the dishes on head chef, Maria Kabal's new menu. The dishes looked incredible. Having worked in the Gertrude Street Kitchen over the past three years, she recently stepped into the head chef role and now leads an all female kitchen creating delicious…
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Tesha Borin at Buku Cakery
Tesha Borin is championing the cause for vegans, vegetarians, and those with food intolerances. Having trained as a chef and worked for the likes of Ian Curley, she has now teamed up with her mum to create Buku, the cakery providing delicious clean treats for those who previously would have had to go without. Hi…
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Yannick Beaucaine at A Girl Called Jayne
Sitting chatting to Yannick Beaucaine in the window of , it was hard for me not to have flashbacks to my stint as a waitress there when it was Elwood icon, The Turtle Cafe. But as hilarious as some of those memories are, they were quickly eclipsed by Yannick's enthusiasm for hospitality and this new…