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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Tim Young at Matilda
It’s the end of lunch service when I go into and there’s a lot going on as I perch at the bar and watch the pastry chefs putting up beautiful desserts. Tim arrives clutching tweezers and we embark on a fascinating journey from Hamilton to Melbourne to Holland and back to Melbourne. Awesome. Hi Tim,…
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Alicia Cheong at Heroes
I turn up to chat to Alicia before service at and the music is pumping. I suggest maybe turning it down so I can record the conversation, then realise that I sound like an old lady… That was so uncool of me to ask that! I came in for lunch a couple of weeks ago…
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Simon Moss at The Grosvenor Hotel
S imon Moss is an open-hearted chef who is not afraid of hard work. He believes it gets you places and a month in to his new position at has surrounded himself with good people so he can grow. That's awesome. Hi Simon, it’s great to talk to you. I’ve been reading about you and…
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Tong Li at The Cricketers
Tong Li grew up in China and wanted to learn how to cook Mexican food. So he packed his bags, bought a one-way ticket to Mexico, learned Spanish and cooking pretty much at the same time and has been cooking up a storm every since. Now he's at in Port Melbourne and boy does he…
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Sam Pinzone at Dandelion
Sam Pinzone and his food kept popping up in my Instagram feed and piqued my interest. Reading more about him, I was even more fascinated. At 29, having worked with the likes of Neil Perry, Jacques Reymond, received two chef hats and starting up his own consulting company, you've got to hand it to him,…
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Hayden McMillan at Etta
There's something very exciting about getting to follow a chef's trajectory at somewhat a close range. I spoke to Hayden McMillan very soon after he landed in Melbourne from New Zealand. Next minute, he's got his own place, and is garnering accolades from all over. Hayden's considered approach to running his kitchen and creating his…