I learned so much from chatting to Kirra. Actually, my mind was completely blown about 12 minutes into the conversation as Kirra patiently tried to explain Le Petit Chef interactive dining. But Kirra, herself, even without the fancy eating adventure that goes on upstairs from the wine cellar, is a super impressive chef, who soaked up everything she could in the kitchens of The Royal Mail and is now singlehandedly wrangling the kitchen at Cardigan Place Cellars. She is definitely a chef to watch.
Jan 24, 2019•20 min
Martin and his wife, Melissa, are living the dream. They own and run Red Gum BBQ in Red Hill, a burgeoning foodie destination on the Mornington Peninsula. Martin wasn’t always the pit master he is today. He worked for local government, but a visit to a barbecue joint just out of Miami sealed his fate. From the first bite, he was hooked. He is now completely obsessed, constantly seeking more information, tips, and tricks. He told me that he had switched from dreaming about meat to dreaming about ...
Jan 18, 2019•32 min
Sushil is the kind of person you talk to and come away feeling better for it. He has an infectious happiness and enjoyment of life and his chosen path that is soul filling. Having worked in an impressive line-up of restaurants with excellent chefs, Sushil has recently taken over the wheel at Tokyo Tina and he is having a really great time.
Dec 06, 2018•17 min
Talking to James Wilkinson made me hungry. He talks about food, dining and cooking with such relish. I was completely enchanted by his tales of lunches in Paris, learning to cook with his grandmother on a farm in Kaikoura, and the griddle scones his grandfather would make when his grandmother went to Bridge.
Nov 28, 2018•28 min
I could have happily sat and talked to Ryan Dolan all day. I’m not entirely convinced that Ryan felt the same way. He had prep to do and a booked-out restaurant to cater for, but I was absolutely on the edge of my seat in a kind of over the top, slightly nerdy way getting to talk about my two great loves; French culture and cooking. This man is a thinker and a doer. He has a larger vision of hospitality and his role as a chef within it all and where he wants to take it, as well as a respectful a...
Nov 09, 2018•26 min
Chacho’s is a new place in Windsor touting Mexican pizzas. Intriguing. We all love a bit of fusion, right? One Dan [Xerri] came up with the idea and brought another Dan in to execute it. Described by other writers as a pizza guru, Dan Pegg himself is much more self-effacing and certainly acknowledges the input he has had to get him where he is, which I have to say, is a pretty awesome place.
Nov 07, 2018•15 min
Elichi is a beautiful Indian restaurant in Black Rock. Through the window I can see the sea. Punit jokes that he will be able to go over there in summer on his breaks. Punit’s eyes light up talking about his journey as a chef and all the things he has learned and continues to learn. He is the epitome of the life-long learner, embracing every new opportunity and always pushing himself to do better.
Oct 27, 2018•31 min
Eitan Doron is in at Half Acre 24/7 at the moment. Even when its closed. Such is his desire to get everything right and create the kind of hospitality we all dream of where food, service and ambiance blend together to create harmony. Eitan gave me a lot to think about. I love it when that happens.
Oct 23, 2018•23 min
The sun streams in through the huge windows where I’m seated at The Atlantic on Southbank. Queen of all I survey, and despite fantastic views of the Yarra and Melbourne city, I’m distracted by the array of fish and seafood dishes coming out of Nick Mahlook’s kitchen. Tasmanian oysters with red wine vinaigrette, raw and cured fish of various types and various preparations, split grilled leader prawns, grilled octopus, roasted hiramasa Kingfish with smoked mussels and little pops of saltbush on th...
Oct 03, 2018•23 min
When I arrive at the farm in Cardinia, Blayne is out on the rotary hoe. Blayne is the head chef at O.MY, the restaurant he runs with his brother, Chase, in Beaconsfield, and he is absolutely the poster guy for living life like it’s golden. He exudes joy, satisfaction and vision and I hang off his every word. O.MY has two hats but flies relatively under the radar in terms of publicity. For six years, these brothers have been putting in the hard yards, growing the food they plate up in their resta...
Sep 28, 2018•32 min
As soon as I walked into Citrico Daniel started talking and enthusiastically showing me around the restaurant. This beautiful two storied space in Fitzroy North is absolutely worth the tour. Daniel generously gave me an hour of his time as he talked about his love of cooking, his desire to share the Peruvian food of his youth, depression amongst chefs and the beautiful cycle he feels part of where the sun encourages growth, the product is harvested and he then gets to cook it and feed people. I ...
Sep 23, 2018•24 min
17. John Paul Twomey | The Carlton Wine Room by Jo Rittey
Sep 19, 2018•18 min
16. Khanh Nguyen | Sunda by Jo Rittey
Sep 06, 2018•19 min
Richard and Suzanne Pavlov have realised a long-held dream to open a Lebanese restaurant and they have done it with great success with 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 heritage, they want to transport their guests to a Middle Eastern paradise.
Sep 05, 2018•9 min
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 Navi in Yarraville is allowing him to really stretch his imagination and his skill to explore and discover and surprise his diners and is an absolute delight for all concerned.
Aug 29, 2018•17 min
I drove out to TarraWarra Estate 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 overseas to work in some of the world’s top restaurants including The Fat Duck and Bacchanalia. Now he’s back championing seasonal and local produce and has introduced an in...
Aug 22, 2018•21 min
Reuben Davis is a magician. Seriously. I loved sitting down to talk to Reuben about the food he’s putting up at The Press Club but 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 to chefs and really want to go back and eat the food but life gets in the way. To have been able to talk to Reuben and then experience what he was talking about in the same night was incredible. It was the...
Aug 16, 2018•17 min
Tim Young is the epitome of the creative and passionate chef who loves what he does but is very aware of having to do the hard yards and push yourself to succeed. His journey has taken him from Hamilton to Melbourne to Holland and now back to South Yarra where he’s running the beautiful Matilda alongside an excellent team.
Aug 16, 2018•17 min
Alicia started working at Fancy Hanks before she went off travelling round the world checking out barbecue joints around America and doing a bit of couch-surfing. She eventually ended up working for a year in the kitchen at Restaurant Andre (No 14 on the Worlds Best Restaurants). The Fancy Hank’s team are glad they’ve got her back to head Heroes Melbourne and I feel lucky to chat to her. Alicia exudes a calm excitement and a great deal of gratitude for the path she has been able to take in her r...
Aug 09, 2018•22 min
Simon Moss is an open-hearted chef who tells it like it is. Maybe it's because he's a kiwi. That might be my bias. Regardless, he is all about hard work, learning more and appreciating the run he's had so far. That goes a long way in my book.
Aug 01, 2018•14 min
Tong Li 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 in Port Melbourne and boy does he have a story to tell.
Jul 26, 2018•22 min
Peter Jo, or Kimchi Pete as many people know him, has done the hard yards, earning his stripes in all facets of the hospitality industry, while at the same time distilling what it is he really wants to offer. He's close now that he has opened his own place, Shik, in the city. Chatting to Peter was a wonderful chase down the proverbial rabbit hole as we followed his thoughts and dreams and quest for the truth of what he does. Wonderful!
Jun 27, 2018•18 min
Another Kiwi making his mark on the Melbourne food scene, Daniel Wilson earned his stripes in the States and then reached for the stars in Melbourne. He was rewarded early on, jointly winning The Age 2003 Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year and then continued his trajectory gaining hats at now closed Huxtable, the restaurant he co-owned and cooked for, and being at the forefront of the Melbourne gourmet burger wave with Huxtaburger.
Jun 27, 2018•15 min
Peter Roddy is one of those incredible chefs who has been working in restaurants since he was 14 years old and still exudes passion and delight at cooking. Having spent his formative years working with the likes of the Roux brothers, Gordon Ramsay and Terence Conran, Peter has earned success in every restaurant he has worked in and now has his own hatted restaurant in Richmond.
Jun 27, 2018•14 min
Sitting down with Sophie Storen is a soul filling experience. Her energy and excitement for creating food is palpable and her story had me on the edge of my seat, wanting to hear more and maybe secretly even wanting to be her.
Jun 27, 2018•21 min
The salmon I had for lunch at Ryne was the best thing I've ever eaten. No joke. Every mouthful was eye-closingly good. You know when you see a really good film and it ends and you just want to hold that feeling in your heart for a little bit longer? That's the feeling I had eating Donovan Cooke's food. Not bad for a lad from Hull who wanted to be a bricklayer.
Jun 27, 2018•48 min
Dave Verheul has a way with food that makes you at once raise your eyes in delight at the cleverness, as well as sink down into the cosy deliciousness of it. This is a chat from a couple of years ago and its one of my favourites.
Jun 27, 2018•19 min
When I arrive at Tipico, Domenico is busy making pasta. Owner Andrea Da Como pours me a beautiful glass of Barbera and before I know it, I’ve embarked on a glorious ride of a conversation with Domenico, including a tour of the kitchen and some of the most wonderful descriptions of team work in the kitchen I have ever heard.
Jun 27, 2018•23 min
