We started today's show trying to identify a mystery ingredient, that turned out to be fresh wasabi - yum! Why not try it as we did, grated into soy and served with raw tuna. Awesome. From Japan to Japanese Hawaiian fusion, we spoke to Charlie Rothery from Windsor's Tokyo Tina about the fact that Poke fish is the new cool kid on the block. We sampled his tropical-style don dish featuring Poke, and spoke about the evolution of Japanese cuisine in different countries. Next up we had a market repor...
Jul 31, 2016•52 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Today we spoke to Sophie Lamond about a meal she prepared called Gastronomica Apocalyptica, which was part of a broader exhibition from the Carlton Connect Initiative on the future of food. What will the 22nd century food marketplace look like? We've all moved on from meat and three veg, and the exhibition explores what will be on our plates in a (potential) world without bees and cool oceans. Next up we spoke to John at the Queen Vic Market, green beans are $20 per kilo right now... avoid! Vane...
Jul 24, 2016•52 min•Season 1Ep. 44
On today's show we caught up with Cam who is off the leash this weekend, and he's ended up in Bendigo for the 2016 Bendigo Festival of Lamb. Next up we had an extended chat to Leo Donati, who has been the owner of Donati's Fine Meats in Carlton since the early 1970s. We spoke about his arrival in Australia way back in 1956, and the changes he's seen in Melbourne's food (and general) culture in the decades since then. To finish off, we may have cheated slightly and grabbed a reheated meal out of ...
Jul 17, 2016•50 min•Season 1Ep. 43
On today's show we spoke to Daylesford farmer Danny Kinnear about the perception (and reality) of farmers, as in Australia the average age of all farmers is 55 year's old. Who is going to grow our food in 20 years? We also chatted about getting into farming, and his WOF-work on farms around the world, and how to balance farming ethics with profitability. Check out his work at Danny's Farm. The Age Good Food Guide's editor Roslyn Grundy joined us next and spoke about some recent bad luck she's ha...
Jul 10, 2016•53 min•Season 1Ep. 42
We started out today's show mentioning some upcoming Dine with Heart dinners for Sacred Heart Mission, Cam is hosting an event at Luxembourg tomorrow night and then Craft & Co in a couple of week's time. We were joined in the studio by the chef behind Red Spice Road, John McLeay. We spoke about all the different foods you can use to suck up flavour... think daikon radish, carrot, okra, and even the humble potato. We also spoke about some of the awesome places to shop around Richmond for Asia...
Jun 19, 2016•51 min•Season 1Ep. 41
On today's show CAM SOLVED PORRIDGE! That's right folks, prepare the night beforehand and enjoy porridgey perfection! Our first guest was Sharon Flynn who has spent much of her life developing a love of fermented food. Her business The Fermentary is creating heaps of fresh fermented products, and we spoke about sourdough bread, kraut, kimchee, and natto (which is fermented soybeans) Next up we had a market report from Damien Pike at the Prahran Market. We finished today's show with Alex and Cam ...
Jun 12, 2016•51 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Wintertime in Melbourne, and on today's show we spoke to Nigel Wood about his work harvesting truffles on the Mornington Peninsula, we had a drizzly market report with John, and we chatted to Josh from South Melbourne's Chef's Hat about the useful - and not so useful - gadgets for your kitchen.
Jun 05, 2016•55 min•Season 1Ep. 39
On today's show we spoke to food columnist Richard Cornish about the recent crisis in Australia's dairy industry. It's a very complex issue that's been triggered by a drop in global milk solid prices, and seen many farmers - who were already in debt after borrowing to increase their herd sizes - retrospectively owe money to the bodies that purchase their milk. We also chatted to professional food forager Elijah Holland whilst he was in town collecting ingredients for a special dinner at Oakridge...
May 29, 2016•51 min•Season 1Ep. 38
It's a windy Sunday and some of Melbourne's plants seem to think it's Spring already... SETTLE DOWN PLANTS you're a few months early. It's also a windy day in the Yarra Valley, and we had a quick chat to Oakridge chef Matt Stone about an upcoming dinner at the winery featuring ingredients he'll be foraging with Elijah Holland. We discussed the increasing regionality of Australian food, and how Oakridge and their neighbours are focusing on creating a specific Yarra Valley cuisine. We also had an ...
May 22, 2016•52 min•Season 1Ep. 37
On today's show we started with a recipe for a quick and simple meal, potato rosti. Don't hold back with the butter! The first ever Melbourne Tea Festival is coming up on May 29, and we spoke to organiser Corinne Smith about how tea is becoming sexy again. The whole point of the festival is to get people out of the teabag, and to learn about the various single origin teas and the best way to prepare them. Plus you get a free teacup, what's not to like? One of our favourite Melbourne events is th...
May 08, 2016•51 min•Season 1Ep. 36
On today's show we spoke to Adrian from TheHidden Souk about lilly pillies and cloves, we had a marketreport from John, and we chatted to BarryPorter from Kolophon Capers about his decade-oldbusiness.
May 01, 2016•51 min•Season 1Ep. 35
We started today's show with a quick soapbox rant about the ongoing death of the Great Barrier Reef... why do we not seem to care more about this? ANYWAY back to the food, or in this case the booze! The sixth annual Good Beer Week is coming up very soon, and Miro Bellini about the evolution of the festival, food matching with beer, and some of the awesome events to look out for. Next we spoke to author, TV host, and top-shelf tweeter Adam Liaw about one of our favourite cookbooks, Adam's Big Pot...
Apr 24, 2016•50 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Today we caught up with Bendigo's Sonia Anthony from the excellent Mason's of Bendigo to talk about her ongoing Paddock to Plate series held around the area. We spoke about some of her favourite local food sources, and the importance of diners understanding the provenance of the food on their plates. Next we had a chat to John at the Queen Victoria Market. To finish the show, fresh off a bus from Wonthaggi, chef Philippa Sibley joined us to talk about Autumn. We chatted about what ingredients to...
Apr 17, 2016•56 min•Season 1Ep. 33
On today's show we spoke to Victorian food guru Alla Wolf-Tasker from Dayleford's Lakehouse. We chatted about the restaurant's "rhythm of the day", the importance of small-scale farming, and the upcoming 14th annual Regional Producers' Day. The Victorian government has recently introduced a controversial ban on commercial fishing in Port Phillip Bay, and we spoke to food writer Richard Cornish about the new laws. We covered some alternate sources of seafood, whether the old regime was sustainabl...
Apr 03, 2016•52 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Happy Easter Peeps! On today's show we spoke to the Gourmet Farmer Matthew Evans, owner of Fat Pig Farm in Tasmania. He's just released a new book called Not Just Jam that covers all kind of preserves, and we discussed the origins of preserved goods and why they are still relevant despite modern food technologies. We then were joined by Melbourne-based French Chef Florent Gerardin, who chatted about his time working in kitchens alongside Joel Robuchon, Alain Ducasse, Shannon Bennett, and Mark Be...
Mar 27, 2016•48 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Happy birthday to the Queen Victoria Market! It opened this day in 1878. There's been a lot about sugar in the news recently, so we decided to ring Dr Rosemary Stanton and see what was actually happening. Recently the UK have joined a few other countries by introducing a tax on sugary soft drinks, which in places like Mexico has achieved a reduction in overall consumption. Other than the (subjective) benefit of flavour, there really is nothing good at all in softies like Coke or Pepsi, and even ...
Mar 20, 2016•51 min•Season 1Ep. 30
On a gloomy Melbourne Autumn day we started the show with the final piece of our extended chat with Attica'sBen Shewry, speaking about home cooking, staff meals, and his appearance on the Netflix documentary series Chef's Table. Next up we heard from our favourite correspondent from the Vic Market, John at Tomato City. We finished today's show with Alan and Lizette Snaithe from Warialda Beef. We spoke about their purebred Belted Galloway stock, how Pope Joan's Matt Wilkinson has been joining the...
Mar 13, 2016•55 min•Season 1Ep. 29
On today's show we had an extended interview with Attica's Ben Shewry. After ten years, Attica is at the forefront of Australian cuisine (and the highest rated Australian restaurant if you believe the San Pelligrino judges). We spoke about the first decade, Ben's new kitchen, and how he keeps a fresh approach to cooking. We also had a market report with John at the Queen Victoria Market.
Mar 06, 2016•53 min•Season 1Ep. 28
We were joined today by Spade and Barrow's Katy Barfield, who spoke about her career in "food rescue" - getting food that would normally be wasted and ensuring it will be used. The most recent phase of this is the Yume app, allowing the public to purchase cheap produce. Download it onto your gizmo and have a look! Joost Bakker braved the crosstown traffic to make it from Monbulk to East Brunswick. We talked about Melbourne's seasons, grinding oats and flour, raw milk, and nutrition vs politics. ...
Feb 28, 2016•51 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Our extended chat with chef Peter Gunn, part of which aired on Sunday February 21 2016.
Feb 21, 2016•40 min•Season 1Ep. 26
On today's show we had a south-side market report with Damian Pike at the Prahran Market, we spoke to the Staple Store's Catie Get, and finished with San Pellegrino's Asia-Pacific Young Chef of the Year, Peter Gunn.
Feb 21, 2016•47 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Happy St Valentine's Day everyone! We started today's show chatting with coffee guru Justin Metcalf about what is happening globally in the coffee biz. We spoke about climate change, Melbourne being at the forefront of the coffee industry, and whether or not the famous "third wave" of coffee is over. And despite all of our espresso wankery, did you know that 66% of all coffee sold is still instant? Next we had another chat to John at the market. Lastly, given it's St Valentine's Day, we thought ...
Feb 14, 2016•52 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Lordy gee we are back talking food for 2016 and we started with Melbourne's ongoing Ramen Renaissance and where's good (or not) to get it. We also listed a whole pile of cool events that are either on now or coming up, including the 17th annual Sustainable Living Festival this coming weekend. After checking in with John at the Queen Vic Market, we were joined by Melbourne culinary icon Guy Grossi. After sharing some excitement about his new kitchen oven, we spoke about the Melbourne dining scene...
Feb 07, 2016•55 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Today's show was brought to you by the letter "P" - Peru, Pisco, and uhhhhh People making beer.We started by leaving a voicemail for Two Birds Brewing's Jayne Lewis about their recent award for best beer at the Wetherspoons Real Ale Festival.Peru's Astrid y Gastn restaurant currently sits at #14 on San Pellegrino's Top 50 list, so it was an absolute pleasure to welcome chef Diego Muoz to Melbourne and Triple R. We spoke about the various influences that multiculturalism has had on Peruvian cuisi...
Nov 15, 2015•53 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Today we chatted with Tammy Jonas from Daylesford's Jonai Farms & Meatsmiths about their move to the country to breed pigs and the various smallgoods they now produce. We also spoke at length about the challenges they face as a small micro-producer in a world that's geared to large corporations. We think Victoria should be proud of its increasing number of independant boutique producers, however many are finding it very hard - or even just giving it up - due to some onerous legal requirement...
Nov 08, 2015•53 min•Season 1Ep. 21
We started today's show with a chat to Linda Catalano about last week's rather successful Melbourne Salami Festa... there was a controversial result, as the overall winner was only one point ahead of its rivals and contained - gasp! - DUCK in addition to pork. Next up Jennifer Boggiss and Pope Joan's Matt Wilkinson popped in to talk about Heilala vanilla from Tonga. We chatted about growing and harvesting vanilla, how to assess its quality, and of course what to cook with it. It's around this ti...
Oct 25, 2015•51 min•Season 1Ep. 20
On today's show we spoke to Jess Ho about her time at Melbourne's Chin Chin , as well as her excellent new wine bar Smalls . We had an extended market report with John at the Vic Market. We finished the show with a chat to winemaker Duncan Buchanan about this year's crop of grapes, and sampled the most recent release of his Fallen Giants Riesling.
Oct 18, 2015•56 min•Season 1Ep. 19
On today's show we spoke to the wonderful Linda Catalano, one of the organisers of the upcoming Melbourne Salami Festa. We went to the market and had a chat to guest market reporter Damien Pike, at the Prahran Market for a change. We finished the show with The Age Good Food Guide editor Roslyn Grundy, and talked about the new 2016 edition as well as the last 12 months of restaurant dining in Melbourne and Victoria.
Oct 04, 2015•50 min•Season 1Ep. 18
On today's show we caught up with Cobram Estate CEO Rob McGavin to talk about his award winning Hojiblanca Reserve olive oil. We then had a chat to chef Nick Stanton about all things spring, and finished off the show with Vanessa and Mat from Melbourne City Rooftop Honey.
Sep 06, 2015•52 min•Season 1Ep. 17
It's freezing in Melbourne so we thought it would be an opportune time to check in with Nick Holloway, chef at Palm Cove's NuNu restaurant. As well as reminding us what warm weather feels like, we spoke about the different seasonal ingredients in that part of the world (winter tomatoes!), his discoveries during eleven years as a northerner, and the upcoming Taste Port Douglas festival. We caught up with John at the Queen Victoria Market. We finished the show chatting to Daniel Wilson from both H...
Aug 09, 2015•54 min•Season 1Ep. 16
