Conversations
-
Jason Staudt on Truffles at Stokehouse
This is the fourth instalment of my truffle series. In this episode, I talk to Jason Staudt at Stokehouse. I spoke to Jason quite recently and so when I turned up again on a Friday afternoon, I felt like I was catching up with an old friend. We drank wine and talked truffles and laughed…
-
Jordan Clay on Truffles at Pipi’s Kiosk
This is the third instalment of my truffle series. In this episode, I talk to Jordan Clay from Pipi's Kiosk. Pipi's is one of my absolute favourite restaurants and it is always a pleasure to talk to Jordan. I am fairly certain I have secured some kind of homage to Jo Rittey vanilla and truffle…
-
Annie Smithers on Truffles at Du Fermier
This is the second instalment of my truffle series. In the first instalment, I talked to Dion Range from Stonebarn Truffles in WA to hear all about truffle cultivation. In this episode, I talk to Annie Smithers from Du Fermier in Trentham. It is always an absolute delight to talk to Annie and as usual,…
-
Dion Range at Stonebarn Truffles
I recently saw an Instagram post from Robert at GGs Gourmet Food where he was heralding truffle season. It got me thinking. I don't know much about truffles but they do seem to cause a stir in certain circles. Some refer to them as black gold, others as a culinary treasure. I wanted to find…
-
Isaac Castellano at Dingo Ate My Taco
Dingo Ate My Taco are the team responsible for bringing birria tacos to Melbourne back in 2020 lock-down. And thank goodness they did. Since then, the Dingo kitchen has been pumping out authentic, and an entirely made-from-scratch menu of traditional Mexican and Texan dishes including their iconic birria, breakfast tacos (set to be the next…
-
Paawan Engineer at Mill Place Merchants
When you enter Mill Place Merchants, you enter another world. For a start, it's one of those delicious hidden bars we can't get enough of in Melbourne. Entering through a red door at the end of a laneway you find yourself in a sewing room complete with machine, mannequin and rolls of fabric and once…
-
Tom Jones-Davies at DOC St. Kilda
What a delight to sit down with Tom Jones-Davies at DOC St. Kilda. Tom grew up in Wales hunting rabbits with his dad and tweaking his mother's cooking when she left the room. He is a curious chef who never wants to stop learning and whenever he has time on his hands, he will be…
-
Anna Kelly McLeod at The Kitchen of Somewhere
The Kitchen of Somewhere isadeeply personal story of how food shapes our connection to place, the environment and most importantly our understanding of who we are.Itweaves a narrative inspired by a plum-velvet, covered notebook found by Anna shortly after hermother's passing by suicide.The notebook was bursting with stories of hermother'stravels, and the recipes shecollected along…
-
Winston Zhang at Akaiito
Owners of Akaiito, Winston Zhang and Christine Chen are the loveliest people. I first spoke to them when Akaiito opened in 2019 and the basement bar, now known as Otoro is my go to when Im in the city and want a great cocktail, made with a bit of theatre and a great atmosphere. The…
-
Patrick Kwong & Cindy Pan at Ronin Omakase
Partners in life and love, Patrick Kwong and Cindy Pan opened Ronin Omakase almost two years ago in the space that was previously occupied by Massi and for a millisecond, Cucina Povera. The high-ceilinged industrial slab feel of the room serves as the perfect backdrop for Patrick to shine and shine he does. Patrick learned…