Conversations

I first met Nicolas Tollé when I was a regular at Three Bags Full a few years ago. He and another French chef friend were working there and did a series of evening French dinners which I absolutely loved and wrote about at the time. Nicolas is now living and working in Eltham and his…

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I’d been trying to talk to Matti Fallon for a while and it just didn’t happen. Timing is everything and when I sat down with Matti, it all becomes clear, as you’ll read further down in the chat. When I was trying to catch up with him in January, he was working on his Broadsheet…

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When I announced to Daniele that I would be recording our conversation so that I could type it up later AND that I would need a photo of him, he looked like someone who had been told I would be stealing his soul. I like to think that Daniele’s enjoyment of the conversation steadily improved…

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My chat started somewhat unconventionally with Almay asking me some questions. Turns out we have a lot in common. We both love French, history and academia, we both knit in what spare time we have, and we both arrived in Melbourne eight years ago. From there our paths diverge. Almay co-owns and runs highly successful…

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I am treated like a queen at Flovie. Despite the long queue of people desperate to get inside the newly opened florist café, I have a lovely little table in the corner to enjoy my rose tea latte and Little Mermaid perfume mocktail. Lush. When there is a lull in service, Hiroshi, or Hiro, comes…

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I took my 11 year old nephew, Raffi, in to Om Nom for High Tea. It was a thing of absolute ceremony and beauty and I couldn’t wait to talk to Executive chef, Jo Ward, to get the low down on the intricate desserts she plates up. We had planned to chat last Friday but…

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In a very six degrees of separation moment, as I wait to talk to John Rivera at Lûmé, his sous chef, Michael comes out to say hello. Michael is Jodie Odrowaz’s (last conversation) boyfriend and when I talk to John about that, he tells me Valentin (conversation before Jodie) is coming in for dinner that…

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Jodie has just finished up her 14 months at Iki-jime in absolute boss style with a pop up takeover of the kitchen and a six course menu showcasing her favourite flavours and things she wanted to try. Winning Young Chef of the Year 2019 is allowing Jodie to spread her wings further and do an…

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I always love chatting to chefs and they always make me think and they come out with such absolute gems that I feel as though I am just glowing with the thrill of hearing these well-expressed ideas. Valentin was no exception. He came out with such astoundingly beautiful imagery to describe his journey as a…

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I do a monthly Saturday morning shift at FareShare, chopping vegies, making little quiches or cryo-vaccing soups and stews. I am one of 900 volunteers contributing to more than 5,500 free meals a day for charities such as soup vans, homeless shelters, women’s refuges and community food banks. FareShare rescues food that would otherwise go to waste…

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