You can tell a lot about a chef by how they talk about repetition. For Aaron, it’s not tedious, it’s essential. He grew up in Perth, found his culinary footing in a small seafood kitchen, and went on to cook in some of London’s most intense and celebrated restaurants. Now heading up the kitchen at O’Connell’s Hotel in South Melbourne, Aaron brings with him the calm authority of someone who’s done the hard yards. Aaron’s career spans Michelin-starred restaurants, big-name mentors like Jason Ather...
Jun 18, 2025•29 min
II.II.VI is freshly open and in soft launch mode at the time of recording, which means the team is still getting into the rhythm of service and the full menu isn’t live yet. The grills haven’t yet been installed, which is significant, because open flame cooking is central to what head chef Haitham Richani has planned. I sat down with Haitham and executive chef Kerry Lam to talk about the thinking behind the restaurant. Haitham has worked in both front and back of house, and that range of experie...
Jun 15, 2025•32 min
This week I sat down with Alberto Borghi of Del Bocia Butter, although calling it “butter” barely covers it. This is butter with soul, butter with story. I first came across Alberto’s work at DOC in St Kilda, where a seaweed butter and a very memorable Alfredo pasta got me hooked. I imagined the maker must be an old Italian man with a wooden churn…and then I found Alberto on Instagram. Not an old man. No wooden churn in sight. But every bit as traditional as you’d hope, and just as passionate. F...
Jun 14, 2025•22 min
Giorgio Linguanti arrived in Australia from Sicily with no English, no cheese-making experience, and no plans to start a dairy empire, and yet, here we are. That’s Amore Cheese, the company he founded, is now beloved across the country and beyond our shores for its fresh, authentic Italian cheeses, from silky ricotta to smoky scamorza, and of course, the show-stealing burrata. Giorgio introduced burrata to the Australian market and has built his business and his reputation on passion, perseveran...
Jun 09, 2025•51 min
Dario Di Clerico’s culinary story began at just 14, when he first stepped into a professional kitchen in his native Italy. Since then, he’s forged a path defined by talent, grit and unshakeable passion. He trained under the youngest (at the time) Michelin-starred chef in the UK, refining his skills in high-pressure kitchens and learning what it takes to lead with precision and creativity. When he moved to Australia, Dario brought that same energy and expertise with him, quickly making his mark o...
Jun 04, 2025•30 min
When Ian Ho was a kid growing up in Malaysia, he dreamed of being a firefighter, not for the danger or the drama, but because he lived next to a fire station and from what he could see, they got to play sport all day. Fast forward a few decades and, while there are fewer games and more spreadsheets, he is still putting out fires, in a metaphorical sense in day-to-day life in the kitchen. Ian's culinary journey has taken him through some impressive venues, including Lamaros, Copycat and Taxi Kitc...
May 22, 2025•32 min
Step into Bar Magnolia on Sydney Road and you're wrapped in it straight away: the low golden light, the easy murmur of good conversation, the quiet thrill of something thoughtful happening behind the bar. Co-owners chef Mia Coady-Plumb and winemaker Lawrence Scanlon have created a space where classic French technique flickers with wit, soul, and a little rebellion. Mia’s food, which she calls "irreverent" French, honours tradition but never feels bound by it, each plate carrying a beautiful, une...
May 06, 2025•53 min
Guillaume Zika began his career in some of France’s most revered Michelin-starred kitchens, honing his craft in Paris and the south of France before moving on to Per Se in New York and Hibiscus in London. Australia became the next chapter, first as head chef at the iconic Cottage Point Inn in the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park on Sydney’s northern edge, then as Executive Chef at Burleigh Pavilion, where he led a team of 60. Today, Guillaume is channelling his focus into Chef Notepad, the softwa...
May 03, 2025•54 min
Today, I’m speaking with Kate and Bryan, the team behind Ciao Cielo in Port Melbourne. We talk about how they adapted through Covid, how their vision for the restaurant has evolved, and what it takes to keep things moving in a fast-changing hospitality world. From sourcing ingredients to managing a busy service, it’s clear their passion for what they do hasn’t wavered. I first visited Ciao Cielo back in 2018, not long after they opened in their new home, the beautifully restored Port Melbourne c...
Apr 20, 2025•43 min
When I first asked Daniel Migliaccio at Studio Amaro for a chat, he politely declined: not one for the media spotlight, he said. But persistence pays off, and second time lucky, I found myself at Studio Amaro with a chef who’s been quietly steering the ship across Commune Group kitchens for nearly seven years. From teenage dishwasher in Ferntree Gully to Grossi-trained pasta guy to Hanoi Hannah’s head chef and beyond, Daniel’s journey is less about chasing fame and more about feeding people well...
Apr 16, 2025•22 min
Every now and then, you meet people who radiate such generosity, such quiet brilliance, that you walk away feeling a little bit better about the world. Chae and Yoora, the couple behind the tiny six-seat Korean restaurantChaein the hills of Cockatoo, are exactly those kinds of people.This is a restaurant where time is the main ingredient. Years go into the ferments, and the big clay jars sitting outside, quietly brewing flavour, take up more than just physical space; they represent a completely ...
Apr 15, 2025•48 min
From the bustling streets of Naples to the top of Melbourne’s pizza scene, Mariano De Giacomi is a pizzaiolo who lives and breathes his craft. Raised in a tight-knit family with five children and few resources, Mariano began working at the age of nine, lugging shopping bags from a local deli to neighbours' homes. His path into pizza began not with flour and fire, but with washing dishes and salvaging dough bound for the bin, training himself, quietly and obsessively, on scraps. In Naples, he spe...
Apr 14, 2025•33 min
There’s something grounded and quietly assured about Adam Sanderson. Maybe it’s the way he talks about kitchens as places of belonging. Or maybe it’s the way his journey, which began in the north of England, has moved through some of the most celebrated dining rooms in the world: The Fat Duck, where creativity and precision dance together, and Noma in Copenhagen, where he learned to see ingredients through a new lens. When Adam landed in Melbourne, he felt the pulse of the city straight away; it...
Apr 12, 2025•42 min
Daniel welcomed me into the ‘red room’ at Bang Bang’s newest venue in St Kilda. Although it’s only been open a few weeks, Bang Bang St Kilda already has a following. As executive chef and now a full partner in the Bang Bang group, Daniel oversees three restaurants and two additional kitchens across Melbourne’s southeast. His chef career has come full circle, as he met his wife in St Kilda and they travelled to London to work for two years before coming back to Melbourne and moving to the Morning...
Mar 26, 2025•36 min
Callum Nugent might be relatively new to Stokehouse Pasta & Bar, but he's no stranger to high-pressure kitchens. Since stepping into his first official head chef role in December, he's embraced the challenge with enthusiasm. His love of food started young; he remembers being glued to TV cooking shows at just three years old and spending time in the kitchen with his mum, nonna, and godmother. With experience at places like Chateau Yering, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal and a formative 18 month s...
Mar 21, 2025•38 min
Cameron Tay-Yap didn’t really set out to be a chef, initially cooking for his family was a way to avoid doing his homework. But in secondary school, he took a chance on hospitality, and a friendly rivalry with a classmate pushed him to take food seriously. That competitive streak led to a stage at Attica, where he found his rhythm in the high-stakes world of fine dining. Since then, he has travelled and spent time as the head chef at Amaru. But his latest venture, Pebble at La Roca, is something...
Mar 18, 2025•53 min
Johnny Ly has been the head chef at Green Man’s Arms for five and a half years, bringing creativity and passion to plant-based cooking. His journey began at University House at Melbourne Uni, where he completed his apprenticeship and worked for a decade, gaining experience across a variety of cuisines. After stints at RACV fine dining and vegan eateries like The Alley and Serotonin Eatery, he was drawn back to restaurant-style dining, ultimately landing at Green Man’s Arms. Johnny takes an innov...
Mar 06, 2025•28 min
Dan Lidgard has always known he was meant to be a chef. Growing up in Mt Maunganui, New Zealand, he was drawn to the kitchen from an early age and never looked back. His career has taken him through some of Australia’s best restaurants, including Stokehouse and Attica, where he honed his skills and developed his own bold, produce-driven style. Now, as executive chef at Patsy’s, Bau Bau, and Bistro Elba, he’s creating dishes that are fun, fresh, and packed with flavour. It is obvious from talking...
Feb 28, 2025•29 min
Simon Cassar has always been immersed in food, working in hospo from a young age and then as an editor at Urban List, where he wrote about Melbourne’s dining scene. Now he is the owner of his own pizza shop. His journey from writer to pizzaiolo wasn’t immediate. He spent time working at DOC in Mornington, running pop-ups in Sorrento, Flinders and over summer at Quealy Wines in Balnarring, and obsessively refining his dough. Inspired by a hybrid pizza style he encountered in New York and London, ...
Feb 23, 2025•31 min
Michael Lambie is a renowned chef and restaurateur who has significantly influenced Melbourne's dining scene since the late 1990s. Originally from the UK, Lambie trained under esteemed chefs, including Marco Pierre White and Alain Roux, before relocating to Australia. In Melbourne, he made his mark with establishments such as Stokehouse, Circa at The Prince, Taxi Dining Room, and Lucy Liu. After selling Lucy Liu in 2020 and a brief period in Queensland, Lambie returned to Melbourne to open Juni ...
Feb 16, 2025•47 min
Why doesn’t almond milk ever taste like real almonds? That question sent Marialuisa Castrignano on a journey to create Al Naturale, a nut milk company dedicated to making fresh, high-quality almond milk right here in Melbourne. Frustrated by store-bought options that lacked real almond flavour, she set out to craft a pure, additive-free alternative—one where you could actually taste the richness of the almonds. Each nut milk is made with the highest quality of activated nuts. Their bottles inclu...
Feb 12, 2025•24 min
Zac Shearer is a chef with a deep-rooted love for food that started in Tasmania, where his dad was a fisherman and his mum took him on trips to Melbourne’s Food and Wine shows. He’s been cooking since he was 18, spending time in Melbourne kitchens such as The Lincoln and French Saloon. Now, he’s taking on a new challenge—training to be a food studies teacher—while also launching Tiny Bar in Brunswick East with his partner, Jamila. I had been wanting to chat to Zac for a while and now that there’...
Feb 11, 2025•27 min
Lyndey Milan is a vibrant force in Australian food, known for her warm personality and deep love of good food and wine. With decades of experience as a TV presenter, cookbook author, and food educator, she’s passionate about making cooking accessible and enjoyable. She was the food director at Australian Women’s Weekly, has hosted numerous TV shows, and also created Tasting Success, a mentoring program for women chefs. Whether she’s sharing recipes, hosting culinary tours, or championing Austral...
Feb 08, 2025•25 min
For over 30 years, Phillippa Grogan has been a beloved name in Melbourne’s food scene. Founder of Phillippa’s Bakery, she draws inspiration from her New Zealand childhood and nine formative years with Sally Clarke at her restaurant and foodstore in London. Phillippa is unyielding in her use of top-quality ingredients, traditional recipes and flavour. Phillippa is absolutely all about flavour. Because of that, her creations have been a staple for generations of Melburnians. Walking into her Armad...
Jan 19, 2025•32 min
The role of Head of Fermentation is not something you come across every day. In fact, Caitlin Koether is somewhat of a pioneer in this space and holds one of the first such positions in Australia, a role with The Mulberry Group which was uniquely crafted around her expertise. Caitlin’s work is all about preservation, finding ways to extend the life of seasonal produce, create new flavours, and reduce waste. Her approach balances creativity and science, turning sometimes imperfect ingredients int...
Jan 10, 2025•38 min
Mordialloc is a vibe and the team from La Cabra are here for it. Set just back from the beach, and only metres from the train station, the latest Mexican addition to the Mordi strip is also La Cabra’s ninth and biggest to date. Housed across three levels in a heritage building, complete with a rooftop deck and stunning views across the bay, it is perfect for watching the sunset with a spicy marg in hand. Foodwise, you’ll find all the favourites, think chargrilled corn, jalapeno poppers, nachos, ...
Dec 23, 2024•21 min
Max’s Restaurant was the first winery restaurant on the Mornington Peninsula and was started by owner and chef, Max Paganoni in 1994. The views are spectacular. From the dining room, you look out over the vines to Western Port and across to Seal Rock. Max has always been passionate about using and promoting local produce and he has now very happily brought in two equally enthusiastic chefs, Michael Demagistris and Ryan James to work with him at Max’s. Michael has worked at top-tier venues, inclu...
Dec 17, 2024•47 min
Geraldine is a lovely rural town in South Canterbury in the South Island of Aotearoa, New Zealand and it is also home to the family-owned business, Barker’s. Barker’s have been filling kiwi pantries since 1969 and their products are still made on the family farm in Geraldine. I remember Barker’s blackcurrant syrup and Barker’s jams when I was growing up, but they have so many more products than that now: chutneys, sauces, compotes and meal bases. I was pleasantly surprised when I was walking dow...
Dec 13, 2024•27 min
Kay-Lene Tan is a renowned pastry chef celebrated for her innovative desserts that combine storytelling with bold flavours. Before embarking on her culinary career, she worked as a documentary maker, with a background in mass communication from Ngee Ann Polytechnic in Singapore. A turning point came during a “quarter-life crisis,” which led her to pivot toward her passion for food, eventually enrolling at At-Sunrice GlobalChef Academy to pursue pastry and bakery arts. Her talent took her to some...
Dec 10, 2024•19 min
Chris Wong, chef and co-owner of Lilijana Eatery in Port Melbourne, brings a unique culinary story to Melbourne’s food scene. A former professional hockey player who spent nearly a decade travelling to and from Scandinavia for the winter season, Chris was inspired by the comfort and tradition of the Nordic cuisine he ate in his friends’ homes. His restaurant, named after his wife Christine’s grandmother, Lilijana, blends Scandinavian and continental European flavours with a focus on house-made s...
Dec 10, 2024•44 min
