Conversations

My food is an expression of myself, my character and what I believe in. Thats what I tried to put on my plate for the competition. Every lesson I learned and connected with, I integrated into my dish. Thats why I called it Analogy, because having all these overwhelming elements and practices and traditions, flavours…

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Telina Menzies came to my attention through her Instagram stories and posts. She posts photos and stories about food and the great people who surround her and her two French bulldogs. You can tell from her posts that she loves what she does and has a heart for the hospitality industry and the mental health…

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Ultimately, I love serving food. I think it is one of the most intimate acts you can do; to cook a meal and present it to someone, whether you know them or you don’t know them. I think it is a very intimate gesture. You are giving another person something that you have spent God…

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I must admit to being slightly starstruck when talking to Diana Chan today. And when I say slightly, please read, enormously. Diana is the 2017 MasterChef Australia winner and beams a sunny and positive presence out through her social platforms. So, you can imagine my excitement when PR company, Harvey Taylor got in touch to…

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Nabila and I have been trying to catch up for months. Lockdowns and life threw everything in our path. So, by the time we had coffee on Domain Road, South Yarra, I did feel as though I was catching up with an old friend. But Nabila is like that, a breath of fresh air and…

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Babylonia Fitzroy, on their website and at their entrance on Smith Street, invites you to "enter into enchantment". Owners Prawin John Peter and Geoffrey Sage have created their own little oasis down in Fitzroy, complete with a lush outdoor garden courtyard and waterfall wall feature and a cosy front dining room with green leather banquettes,…

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I was so excited to be able to talk to Guillaume Brahimi in the month his Melbourne restaurant, Bistro Guillaume celebrates its 10 year anniversary. I knew all about Guillaume having watched with delight, his five minute Plat du Tour episodes which aired on SBS during the Tour de France and featured famous dishes from…

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I spent a very happy 40 minutes hanging off Adam Woodfield's every word when we sat down to chat at Salted Egg in newly opened Quincy Hotel in the CBD. Then I spent another very lovely 40 minutes eating some of his food, as he sent out Coffin Bay oyster with red nahm jim, smoked…

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I often have to pinch myself that all these incredible chefs are happy to sit down and chat to me. I'm very lucky. Sometimes I contact a chef I'd like to talk to and then on the way to the chat, I have that whole imposter syndrome thing where I think, hang on a minute,…

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When I walked into Swadist Indian Craft Kitchen, Narender Godala was preparing a tea of fresh ginger, turmeric, lemon and honey. It smelled delicious and when he gave me a glass of it afterwards, I could absolutely feel the goodness coursing through my veins. Narender started his working life in India in IT but when…

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