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  • Oliver Gould at Palermo

    Oliver Gould is softly spoken and fairly intense, and I mean that in a good way. He knows what he's doing and he values his team and the journey they go on every night. He is known for being at the helm of for 10 years and also for winning Young Chef of the Year…

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  • Declan Carroll at Angus & Bon

    Irishman Declan Carroll came to Australia on holiday 18 years ago, fell in love with the place and has been cooking up a storm here ever since. A passionate devotee of wood-fired cooking, Declan was last at for four years and has now taken up the wood-fired grill challenge at , Prahran’s recently opened New…

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  • Adam Robins at Riddik

    Riddik has only been open a week and when I went in mid-afternoon today to chat to head chef, Adam Robins, it was bursting at the seams. Adam took time out of the busy-ness to talk to me and I appreciated his openness and candour about the job. He exuded such a love for the…

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  • Ivan Roianov at Terindah Estate

    Terindah Estate is a beautiful winery on the Bellarine Peninsula where you can eat gloriously while looking down the vines to the ocean and across to the You Yangs. You can't ask for a better dining experience than that. New to the restaurant but bringing a great deal of experience from Europe and Dubai is…

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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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