There are so many ways to be inclusive when it comes to dining. Kurt Lovell runs Project Salubrious, a three-year-old cafe north of Brisbane. Following his own health issues, he eliminated dairy, gluten and grains from his own diet, and has reflected that style of cuisine at the cafe. What’s the response been? How does he deal with sceptics? And how hard is it to run an independent business which is more expensive than those around him? https://www.projectsalubrious.com.au Chapters 00:00 Introdu...
Jul 08, 2025•29 min
How do restaurants ensure customers fall in love with them and decide to return? Studio Round strategy director Robert Nudds has worked with some of Australia and New Zealand’s most engaging restaurants to create and communicate identity, purpose and brand touchpoints. We talk about ‘experience philosophy’ and how it can help restaurants thrive. https://round.com.au Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Hospitality Design 02:32 The Role of Strategy in Restaurant Experience 04:14 Design Elements that En...
Jul 01, 2025•37 min
As Dirty Linen celebrates 5 years, we return to the airwaves with chef, restaurateur and author Annie Smithers, owner of Du Fermier in Trentham, Victoria. Last time we spoke to Annie, we lamented the loss of her water rights. Suddenly, her small farm was imperilled. Now she’s once again able to water her carrots but the overall picture for local food is still a patchy one. Previous podcast with Annie: https://deepintheweeds.com.au/podcast/annie-smithers-du-fermier-babbington-park-kitchen-sentime...
Jun 30, 2025•39 min
Illuminating Lumen episode 5: We’re keeping an eye on Lumen cafe & wine bar in North Melbourne in our Illuminating Lumen series. Today we have a quick catch up with co-owner Emma Sheahan on the eve of the Victorian government raising the payroll tax threshold. It means Emma might be able to pay herself. LISTEN TO THE ILLUMINATING LUMEN SERIES https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2z0EVQvpqPohmYrUGcbLf7 News item: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-06-22/victoria-payroll-tax-budget-business/1054466...
Jun 26, 2025•16 min
How does a bar group find its way when people are drinking less and all eyes are on workplace culture and keeping staff and patrons safe? We chat to Anthony Drew, GM of Good Company Bar Group, which has 11 Melbourne venues and more in the wings. https://www.gcbg.com.au SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS AND BEHIND THE SCENES https://deepintheweeds.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=d33e307cf7100cf947e2e6973&id=d17d8213f5 Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://w...
Jun 22, 2025•31 min
Friday on my mind, an occasional series where I share what I’ve been eating, drinking, doing and thinking. Dirty Linen is five years old! I talk about Bendigo Taco Trail, cafes opening nights, a French gastronomy festival and the modern pub. Then I read out my story about wheat, published recently in Good Weekend magazine. Hope you enjoy! Bendigo Taco Trail https://www.bendigoregion.com.au/explore-bendigo/the-taco-trail Cafes & more https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/by/dani-valent-hven6 So ...
Jun 19, 2025•28 min
What’s it like breaking down a beast in front of 6000 whooping butchery fans? Troy Wheeler from Meatsmith knows, because he was recently part of the Australian team that went to Paris to compete in the World Butchers’ Challenge, coming home with an impressive podium finish. We talk about the art of butchery, why it’s still motivating and engaging, and the unfortunate lack of rabbit in home kitchens and on restaurant menus. https://www.instagram.com/troythebutcher/?hl=en https://meatsmith.com.au ...
Jun 17, 2025•31 min
Simon Schulz is a third generation dairy farmer and processor in Timboon, in south-western Victoria. It’s been the driest two years on record and recent rain, though welcome, isn’t a total fix for the pasture or the business. Simon talks about the pressures on farmers, the lack of assistance and understanding from government and the importance of sharing tough realities with the public and customers of Schulz Organic Dairy. Why isn’t access to nourishing food a priority at all levels of governme...
Jun 15, 2025•31 min
There’s your everyday morning porridge and there’s The Golden Spurtle, the world porridge-making championships held each year in Scotland. Australian film maker Constantine Conti had a mate in the running and was so intrigued he made a documentary about the competitive combination of oats, water and salt, and the way food brings people together, even as it pits them against one another. The Golden Spurtle: https://www.sff.org.au/program/event/the-golden-spurtle/ SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR E...
Jun 10, 2025•19 min
What drives a chef to open (and keep opening) small businesses in a challenging market? Sutinee ‘Tinee’ Suntivatana owns Humble Rays, Tori’s matcha cafe and Regale Asian-Australian fusion restaurant in Melbourne. We talk about being a female chef and a women in business, the balance of competition and collaboration, and the excitement of serving eye fillet with Massaman curry red wine jus. https://www.instagram.com/thisistinee/ SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS ...
Jun 08, 2025•35 min
Are we worried about winter? We continue our occasional series chatting to the people of Lumen, an independent cafe and wine bar in North Melbourne. Today’s guest is co-owner Marichi Clarke. We talk about the state of the food world, the ups and downs of the seasons, and why he’s still energised about his business despite the challenges. https://www.lumenpeople.com SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS AND BEHIND THE SCENES https://deepintheweeds.us6.list-manage.com...
Jun 03, 2025•34 min
Keen to escape the city life, Astrid Birt (Fresh Tracks Farm) took over the family property in rural Western Australia where she is now raising a young family, cattle, sheep and chickens on a small-scale regenerative farm. https://freshtracksfarm.com.au SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS AND BEHIND THE SCENES https://deepintheweeds.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=d33e307cf7100cf947e2e6973&id=d17d8213f5 Follow The Producers on Instagram https://www.i...
Jun 03, 2025•25 min
Dirty Linen travelled to South Australia to meet the people, eat the food and sip the drinks. The Fleurieu Peninsula is a diverse region where working farmland and wine regions meet the ocean. Ryan Sherry is the third generation of the family to farm here. Harvest the Fleurieu is a regional produce store, cafe and pick your own patch, connecting urban adventurers with the source of their food. This episode is part of a Taste of South Australia, a special series celebrating the produce and people...
Jun 01, 2025•16 min
Dirty Linen travelled to South Australia to meet the people, eat the food and sip the drinks. In McLaren Vale, we catch up with Sean Baxter, co-founder of Never Never Distilling Co, producer of award-winning gin. Sean shows us around the distillery and introduces us to Wendy (the still), we do a tasting in the cellar door and talk about his joyful pathway to becoming a juniper freak. This episode is part of a Taste of South Australia, a special series celebrating the produce and people of this d...
May 29, 2025•28 min
Dirty Linen travelled to South Australia to meet the people, eat the food and sip the drinks. In the buzz of Adelaide’s Town Square, we catch up with Clare Falzon, straight off the back of a Tasting Australia lunch. We talk about Clare’s new restaurant Staguni, a restaurant in a schoolhouse in the Adelaide Hills, inspired by the seasons and Clare’s Maltese background. How does a chef craft a restaurant that feels more like a home? This episode is part of a Taste of South Australia, a special ser...
May 27, 2025•25 min
Bruce Maynard isn’t farming like those around him. His fields at Willydah, west of Dubbo in NSW, look different, greener, wilder, a little more chaotic. He’s a wheat and sheep farmer like many in the region, but he’s just as interested in lizards, migratory birds and native legumes as grain yield. Where the system pushes for simplicity, he’s valuing diversity and soil health, and looking for ways that agriculture can be both profitable and sustainable. Read my story about Bruce Maynard and anoth...
May 26, 2025•23 min
Dirty Linen travelled to South Australia to meet the people, eat the food and sip the drinks. In the Adelaide Hills, cheesemaker Kris Lloyd runs Woodside Cheese Wrights. She shares the joys of artisan produce, the flow-on from happy cows, sheep and goats, and the pleasures of being a food lover in South Australia. Oh, and we eat her cheese! This episode is part of a Taste of South Australia, a special series celebrating the produce and people of this delicious part of the country. https://www.wo...
May 25, 2025•33 min
Friday On My Mind…Where I’ve been eating and drinking, and what I’ve been thinking, writing and talking about this week. Today’s rave takes us to Dimboola, McLaren Vale, Koreatown, a couple of wheat farms, a fine dining restaurant that’s shaken itself up, a matcha-focused cafe and more. If it’s about food, people and connection, I am there. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS AND BEHIND THE SCENES https://deepintheweeds.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=d33e307cf710...
May 23, 2025•20 min
After wishing someone would open a wine bar in their neighbourhood, Tresna Lee and Shane Farrell finally decided they better do it themselves. Gemini in Melbourne’s northern suburb of Coburg has now been open 18 months but it’s been far from an easy ride. Tresna shares the origin tale, the slow path to breaking even, and the investment they are making in community every step of the way. https://geminimelbourne.com SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS AND BEHIND THE...
May 20, 2025•31 min
Adelaide cook and restaurateur Laura Sharrad is competing on MasterChef Australia’s Back To Win series. After coming second twice, is a fairytale finish in her future? We talk about the different versions of Laura that have competed in the popular reality show, how she’s coping with the loss of her one-time boss and MasterChef judge Jock Zonfrillo, and the challenges of balancing motherhood and a career in food. https://www.instagram.com/laurasharrad/?hl=en SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUS...
May 18, 2025•24 min
Ice cream is the path to happiness but what about when the path takes you to ice cream? Jinal Desai bought Carousel Ice Cream Cakes in 2019, not realising that the decades-old Melbourne brand had fans from the 1980s and onwards. Tapping into nostalgia and current trends, she has never regretted the leap from corporate to food and has words of advice for others considering a career change. https://www.carouselicecream.com.au SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS AND ...
May 14, 2025•29 min
England’s three-Michelin star L’Enclume is coming back to Sydney in July for another five-week residence at Bather’s Pavilion. We chat to Bather’s executive chef Aaron Ward to find out what to expect. Will Australian ingredients and UK fine dining meld to create a hospitality experience of distinction? Listen to my 2023 chat with L’Enclume’s Simon Rogan, on the eve of his first Bather’s Pavilion pop-up. https://deepintheweeds.com.au/podcast/simon-rogan-lenclume/ https://www.batherspavilion.com.a...
May 11, 2025•25 min
The Age’s chief restaurant critic - and my colleague at Good Food - Besha Rodell has removed her cloak of anonymity. Why now? It’s to promote her excellent memoir, Hunger Like A Thirst. We chat food criticism, the benefits or otherwise of sneaking around, and the state of food media. https://www.instagram.com/besharodell/?hl=en SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS AND BEHIND THE SCENES https://deepintheweeds.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=d33e307cf7100cf947e2e6973...
May 05, 2025•44 min
When you start talking cheese in Australia, the name Will Studd is bound to come up. Cheesemonger, cheese activist, cheese storyteller and definitely a cheese lover, Will has just released a new TV show about artisan cheesemakers around the world. “Cheese: Searching For A Taste of Place” is a six-part series that celebrates what’s great about indie cheese and outlines the challenges small producers face in a world of increasing industrialisation and homogenisation. https://willstudd.com https://...
May 04, 2025•31 min
How do you spin a demoralising disaster into an opportunity for community and positive energy? Laura Goldberg owns Hurricane’s Grill, a Sydney (and China, Indonesia and Dubai!) chain with a secret rib baste recipe. She’s also recently launched Women in Cafes and Restaurants, a platform to elevate, nurture and inspire. https://hurricanesgrillrestaurants.com.au SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS AND BEHIND THE SCENES https://deepintheweeds.us6.list-manage.com/subsc...
May 01, 2025•31 min
When he launched Timbre in Tasmania in 2016, Matt Adams told nearby backyard growers that he’d exchange their excess produce for dining vouchers. Without any kind of strategy or a plan, that’s turned into a restaurant that is fed by and feeds community, upending its owner’s notions about what a food business actually is. How does it work? How does it feel? And how can you have a slice of it? https://www.timbrekitchen.com SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS AND BEH...
Apr 27, 2025•29 min
Central Victorian farmer Rob Lockhart grows wheat, oats, lambs and beef but potatoes are his main deal. We talk about the ups and downs of farming, small town life and SpudFest, a festival that takes over Trentham on the first weekend in May. https://www.trenthamspudfest.org.au/ SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER FOR EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES, NEWS, GIVEAWAYS AND BEHIND THE SCENES https://deepintheweeds.us6.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=d33e307cf7100cf947e2e6973&id=d17d8213f5 Follow The Producers on Instagr...
Apr 23, 2025•15 min
Claire Morgan is a farmer, maker and regional advocate, helping people understand where their food comes from and how important it is to have thriving rural towns. She’s growing chickpeas and making chickpea brownies and along the way she’s showing locals and visitors that Rupanyup really is a ‘town with pulse’. This episode is part of a special Dirty Linen and Producers series about the Grampians, Wimmera and Mallee regions in western Victoria. We drove the roads, saw the sights, said hello to ...
Apr 22, 2025•28 min
Founder and director of The Wimmera Grain Store, Jenny Moore has a grain farming background and now wholesales locally grown chickpeas, lentils, faba beans (pulses) and value-added products into the Australian domestic market. She takes us strain into the sorting shed where lentils are being graded, then we head back to the showroom to nibble healthy chickpea snacks. This episode is part of a special Dirty Linen series about the Grampians, Wimmera and Mallee regions in western Victoria. We drove...
Apr 20, 2025•24 min
What does a caterer do when she gets too big for her home kitchen? Maybe she moves into the under-used local golf club kitchen and semi-accidentally turns it into a restaurant. That’s more or less the story with Cat Clarke, chef, teacher, Dimboola gamechanger. We enjoy a delicious chef’s table country lunch with plenty of native ingredients then sit down with Cat to talk hospo culture, country food and meaningful life. This episode is part of a special Dirty Linen series about the Grampians, Wim...
Apr 20, 2025•38 min
