Hey, everyone, welcome back to the Mason Cox Show. Now today we've got a special guest, a really really good friend of mine who I'm extremely excited to have on the podcast. But before we start, as always fall us on the seven platforms, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Absolutely smashing that now we're getting used to it, but I will get into this.
This man is an absolute legend.
He actually lives in New York City and he's visiting Australia and he's been there for six and a half years. Owns a cafe over there. He works for Center, which is the Hymnsworth app. He does plenty of charity work with City Harvest and plenty of other things from The Drew Barrymore Show and many many others.
He's an absolute legend. Seriously follow him on socials.
He's the funniest fellow you ever mate, and he's got the biggest charismatic smile you'll ever see too.
His name, without further ado, is Dan Churchill.
Welcome to the podcast, Mace, What an intro Rodan and seven social Zelle up to right now?
Seven? Now, I know I feel like that other one where it's like, you know, what is it called? Whenever you like take a photo there and then like takes a photo back and it's like, hey, this is exactly what I'm doing now.
It's so funny. I was with my mates who's actually in so she was pretty heavily involved in there, and he said, oh no, not another one, Yeah, not another.
One Snapchat when I have a Snapchat? Mean we want to get on snapchat.
He's interesting.
Everything else. Nah, I've given up on If.
You're like at the age of twenty two, I don't know.
I don't know.
It was in college, was a pickup, yeah, anyway, but you're an absolutely man. I want to go into so much with you because it's there's a lot to cover here. Now you're on You're you're known for a chef. It's kind of and obviously you know the marathon runner that you are. He's a fit fellow. He's probably a lot fitter than I am at the moment.
But this is your season, so you must be your peak peak.
But it's about to go downhill real quickly. Mate, Can you give us a little bit of background about yourself? Can you maybe just give you a sales pitch yourself and what you're doing at the moment.
Was a lot of sales. That is tough.
I'm American. I do it all the time.
Yeahs being American, which is actually something I've definitely learned since living in New York, had to be a bit
more direct. Yeah, this is a point. But mate moved to US six and a half years ago after publishing some books in Australia doing some media in Australia it was on Master Chef au uh you know, years ago, and then moved to the States and as an Aussie just got really entrenched in the carnary scene and the content scheme over there, got involved Food Network, other TV shows, and really started to fly the Australian flag as a chef on the East Coast as best I could. I
think it's one of the coolest things. But leaving in America, I sayed all the time, is that you generally get to represent your country.
You would get man actually a lot anytime there's something that's American, they're like, hey, who's the typical American guy?
Actually, though, it's cool, proud moment though.
Right, you didn't meet these people like travel here from like your country that you probably wouldn't meet in your country, like like Joe Biden, Like, do I have anything to do with politics?
No? Have I met him because I played footy? Yeah, Joe Biden, sep, Joe, I've had a good far waiting for the White House intro a few years after. But yeah, man, so like I was just been consistent with content and being exposed to some pretty amazing networks and people, and I just yeah, obviously launched a restaurant, built my own
studio kitchen Blow. The restaurant was able to service more content, build a podcast, and you know, years later, after just being really dedicated and consistent having a pretty awesome team, we are Yeah, we continue to grow. It's pretty awesome.
Now the podcast, the socials shout them out what are they okay?
So podcast called the Epic Table, which is actually the same name for my production team, but the socials main ones Instagram, down Underscore Churchill where you get you know, rest of ideas and tips around all forms of training. And then you've got all the rest of them which you can just go to down church you dot com on the website all link to all of them for you.
Yeah, and it's I think it's so cool.
Like I've obviously lifted my life up from one place and put it to another place.
And I think like.
Whenever you moved to New York, like I've been there and I've met you, and I've gone for a run through Wall Street and across the bridges on George and Brooklyn or something like that, and you've absolutely embarrassed me on that run. But that was my offason training, never going back to training with these guys who runs.
But I think the.
Cool thing about it is you get there and like, I'm not sure how it was where you got to New York. It was probably pretty like kind of daunting whenever you get there and you don't really know anyone, and then you kind of come to this realization that there's so many people are willing to reach their handout to help you.
And now I'm looking at stuff like.
You're on the Drew Barrymore Show, You've inter reviewed Blake Lively, like all this kind of food network and all these things. It's like, I can only imagine you probably got there and you're like, oh man, like what what am we going to do? Then you're like, all right, let's get boots on the ground. Let's figure out from like you know, baar balance, how we're going to build this thing up. And now you got to a place where you're like successful and kind of doing your own things, started your
own cafe and everything else. Like what were those early days like in New York? We will get into different things because we had Matt pressing on here and Matt pressing like he killed it, Like I think we got like a million views on TikTok and you go, We'll go into your top five restaurants in New York and all that stuff later. But really, yeah, what was the one of the hard parts of like going over there, Because I talked about the first six months being the hardest.
Then you get your group, you get your core like kind of friends, and then you kind of build from there.
Mate, it was you just nailed it because you do get over there and you're in a complete separate world and everyone thing you know, you know, I guess an Australian cool action. You know, everyone's gonna love him straight away, and it's like this world where you're still gotta make friends, like you've still got to be a part of this whole environment network and so you're starting from scratch. You moved over there, and so thank God for you know,
there's certain things that Australians and Americans still like. It's you know, even at cafe level or sport. But I slowly began to build a pretty awesome network of people, and I liken to the fact of my brothers and my close knit friends in Australia. At the time. It's like you want people who will call you out, keep you, you know, steady, and just know people you can trust to to lean on. So the first six months, I agree, man was probably like I didn't realize it until reflecting it,
but it was probably the toughest for sure. I was sleeping on a couch early days. So or hey, it was so funny. I say this story, it's my favorite story. It's like, get this. I'd go to Good Morning America, Like I'd get up.
You really want holding the sign no no, like that guy. I'd love to be that guy. No.
I get up and get into the limo and they take me to the studio and I do I get, you know, really well looked after as like I guess
talent when you're there. One of the most watched, if not the most watched morning shows in the world, and I'd get back in my car, like the security guards to walk me through, making sure like paparatzes and stuff don't get in the way and all that is really crazy to then jem back in my car, take me back to the apartment, and I'll be back on the couch, so which I kind of laugh, man, Like I really did. I love that contrast. It's one of the most humbling
experiences in my life. And I just I really, I really felt it was never a case of me saying like, oh, when's this going to happen? I just it was more like an if. And so I just really believed in the message that I guess Australians doing food and whatnot to bring to the rest of the world, but in
a like and way that Americans would also relate to. So, you know, after you know, hanging out at cafes quite regularly and building a cool network of friends there, it started to grow and become more of a home.
Yeah, It's it's kind of cool like that contrasting idea of like I feel like some times people go, who do you live with I'm like, I live on my own, yeah, and they're like, wait, so you go from like one hundred thousand mtgy go on screaming crazy and then you go home just watch Netflix by yourself. And I was like, yeah, I was like I need to detox from like crazy like adrenaline. I just had to like have something that's
like super chill now. And I think like New York obviously, like everyone in Australia has this obsession obsession with New York, and it is a beauty, it's awesome place, and there's like if there's no better place to make connections, no better place to kind of grow your business and everything else. What was your I guess like whenever you started out, what was kind of like your big break you reckon over there?
Yeah, dude, I think it would be. It's a combination of a couple of things that happened. While I had some shows that were growing from Australian market and distributed to Asia and that was doing quite well. On the other side of it, my American side, I had an opportunity where I'd been building my content very consistently to be known through Google searches and even Instagram by like as the healthy Chef. And so when brands and things will start to look for this performance bas chef which
has become very parent right now. I was the first person and like across all pages that kept coming up, so Anderma approached me to look after one of their athletes. At the same time, I just got a new role with a Food Network show. So between those two things, like on one side, I had the more of the everyday chef position coverage because the show. On the other side, I was really diving into the performance chef space by being able to go to the Winter Olympics in trans
Youth and Ashley Lindsay Vaughn. Yes, yeah, so I was.
I had no idea anyone that doesn't know Lindsay Vonn. She's like one of the most well known skiers in the world. Like she's an amazing, incredible athlete. So you went to the Winter Olympics.
I went to the Winter Olympics.
Did you get like the rings on you?
Like I would do that, mate, like chef like circles and pans. Actually it'd be pretty funny. But yeah. So there was there for like a week and a half and I got to work with and in an environment which is pretty awesome. Like it's like you know, in your world you have a group of people who have you know, you've got nutritions and on nutrition as noise.
People helped direct your food direction. For me, I was the person who was working looking after one person and I was the best at the best of the best, like the Tiger Woods of downhill skiing, and she had a team and I was a part of that. So that was an incredible experience. But through that it really launched me into being known as this person who can
deliver on that stage. Subsequently, I was every go other the World Championships with her, which is her final event, and that led me into this space of helping people eat like a legend and you know eating you know, vegetables and all these good stuff that Drew Drew likes to see with me as well.
Yeah it's okay.
Winter Olympics with Lindsay Vann would have been an epic experience, crazy d.
Olympic village.
So we did so. She had she got the US ski team. It's a bit different to like the Summer Olympics. You've got the US ski team which is put up
in a region. She had her own facility, like her own place, because she had a bigger team specifically, Yeah, just because she's incredible, and so I would like go to the US Ski team and check out and speak to like the universal chef there, he's a legend, and then we would chat about you know, produce that's coming in access to what we have, and then I would then work out the recipes and things like that and then go back to my own personal one. So it
was it was pretty funny. Like when I think about it, like I'm walking, I'd go to the mountain, I'd be watching some of the amazing athletes just coming down the mountain, and then I go back and make a wicked dinner and make sure she's dialed in for the next day. It's pretty awesome.
Hey, man, the chef, I feel like, is the most important person that I'm telling you, chef at our place, all my best friends at the club. I'm telling you, it's like one person you haven't in with, Like it's the chef, the chefs where it's at man, like, man that anytime you will take away a meal.
Yea, you have a little pricy. Do you have any special requests that you get?
Yeah? So I do know.
Girl like no onion, which is like in everything, which is like I'm a pen they asked to cook for.
Zach is a breath or is that because probably a bit of that.
Yeah, it's called low fun mat Yeah, so it's kind of annoying for everyone.
Yeah, it's not ideal, but.
Shout out to my point, we love you andreas a chef.
He just go back from France and he's a little friend.
We'll go into a bit more of I guess like, so now you're doing this and for that, can you tell us a bit about that? Obviously a lot of people know that as the hymn'sworth app that's here in Australia, Like how did you get into that and what are you doing with it at the moment.
Yeah, So Chris and I met at a tourism Australia ran quite a few years ago now and we're just talking about the lifestyle of Australian's where you know, he likes to train and specific like eat like you know, we're talking about that and he was like it's really interesting, like hearing his perspective on he never really had a resource, so he doesn't know anyone have resource that wasn't like specific to lifestyle is more built around like eat these foods,
do this workout and that's it. It was very much Jim Jim like junkie kind of thing, which respectfully have done an amazing for a lot of people, but he wanted to create something a bit more inspirational about the lifestyle he likes to lead. And so you know, after that, he was like, hey, man, maybe Megan much on a bit. And when I say he'll get in touch, his team was going to get in touch.
Yeah.
Yeah, it's a great mate. Awesome, like that is it? That is like Hemsworth World is crazy, but no, yeah, man. Then like years later, it's like two years later, I got I got an email and sure enough the app was being built and they wanted to be the chef of it, and so building out contents and working with them to really make sure this you know, easily achievable meals. That's probably one of the best things. Is like, yes, they're good for you, and they're you know, they're to
serve a purpose. But Santa's all about making sure we build this community of encouragement around each other, knowing that what they're doing is amazing for them. So the food that they're doing is easily recreatable and tasty. That's that's where're weaning. So it's an amazing app And we just had an amazing announcement where High Post Capital came in and ejected some money, but part of it was brought out and then they merged again with another company called
Inspire in the US. So we've just got some bigger things happening in US. Now.
That's massive.
I think, like you talk about people getting in shape and diet and all that, and that's it's very hard to do on your own own. But it's like whenever you get a community to do it with you like and to drag people on with you. It's the same thing in like sport man, like you you want to be working out with the best guy because you know
he's going to lift you up to his level. And it's like it's always like that, and whether it be doing you know, a diet and whether it be working out, like oh, that's obviously mixed in to try to get into a better shape. But whenever you do it with a community, you have that like probably ten times is more success rate.
Whenever it comes to that.
Absolutely, it's like one of the most rewarding things is seeing the Facebook community engage each other and like support each other when the like the I guess this center experts aren't And same with you man, Like you imagine being in tennis versus being a team sport that you are. Like you look at a curios or like a federer or an adult they have to get up and guess they have a team around them. It's better to support them a majority of the time. It's like to keep
them going. In an individual team sport, you guys got a whole cohort of people you can rely on to, like, you know, just lift you up, get you going. You're in the gym together, having good time. There's good banter. So it'd be really tough to be like. That's why I think being an individual sport at the top of the game forever is amazing.
I can understand whenever Curios just loses his ship bag, I'm like, you know what, I'd be worse than that.
Everyone judges it and everything else. It's like, can you imagine this thing though, Like you think about this for second? How are you as a person off the field?
Go terrible? Dude?
I got injured like in the prelam, and I was just like I lost it in the change room, like just walked away from the docks. I was like, I just need five minutes to absolutely lose my shit and then I'll be outside and I'll be already and I'll be able to support everyone.
Now, that's the thing, like being perfectly is competitive, and so people see you in media, see you on TV, you see you doing all these things. But then you take away with your family and your friends, you're like the person that is just general, so like you curious. It's really frustrating when people judge someone like that and all athletes in general on their attitude on the court, because it's like, it's not fair because if you're if I'm an absolute shit person when I was playing rugby,
like I did not want to play against me. I'm a menace. My job is getting but exactly, but like you know, I'm a decent bloke off the field.
It's a typical evenfl It's like start of the sign I never understood on my camping, or like sir and goes game starts everyone's an asshole, people talking shit and everything else, Like sir and goes into the game. They're like, how's the fan been? Man had great story, big fan of it. Man, I hope you've been well, hope everything. I was like, dude, you just literally punched me in the back of the head two minutes ago. I was like,
what the hell's going on? Like this is bullshit. But then it's like it is that typical, like you know, within the within the lines, like kind of anything goes. But now I've got to this point in society where we now have cameras in it and now we're kind of like bringing stuff into we dissect what's going on between the lines, and it's just yeah, I mean, like competitive juices.
Get flowing and maybe you talk a bit of shit.
You know, you have to do that sport. It's all part of it, exactly, It's all part of it.
We'll go back. So you got a book coming out. What's the book called?
This is going to be called Eat Like a Legend, Eat Like a Legend. Yeah, it's an editorial piece at the start talking about like the principles around how to eat to help you sleep, eat to help you perform. And it's not just about performance as an athlete. Every day we perform, whether it be you know, delivering a presentation,
looking after your kids. It's built around that with them bethought of recipes that you know you can QR scan, so watch the videos themselves and there's a scale on them to up and up and down regulate if you need to specifically for your needs. So that's pretty cool. So it's all very specific. Yeah, I love that part of it, Like so good by individuality. It's like there's only one Mason Cox.
Yeah, I know, like seven foot America around exactly and special man, you like think I am.
Said you are, and we've got to make sure you treat you that way. That's why we are the individual books.
So yeah, I love man. We'll go back to what you're doing in New York. You know the Drew Barrymore show. Everyone kind of knows Drew Barrymore is one of the Charlie's Angels, legend, absolute legends. She's absolute, beautiful human. Now you've gone on to her show, you kind of like the celebrity chef for her. How's that experience been, mate?
She's just a ball of energy and what you see is what you get. Like I said this the other day, it's like having people like her or Chris who are at the level they are and just being just human beings and all is incredible. She she loves she loves Australians, Like I'm trying to get it to come down here is death will make it happen. But yeah, she's an
awesome person. It's actually one of the best cooking setups like this a second because like a lot of time you have these morning shows or daytime cooking shows, you've got one stove top and then you've got like one stove to.
Feel like I'm a big gumma cooker, like I like to cook too, Like I go to apartment to rent it and I'm like, nah, kitchenself's gonna be a leak shower.
Everything else can be terrible. Kitchen iss gonna be brand.
New, like like you guys have done here for this show. It's like it's set up for a purpose. So what we do is we actually have me set up on one side and Drew on the other exactly same setup, exactly the same ingredients, exactly the same equipment, and so we're just cooking for like twenty minutes. I mean, it's a talk and Danc's it's It's awesome, man.
When there's like a proper like stove type not just like one.
Oh yeah, it's legit. It's so good makes my food stylists absolutely jealous. She usually has to deal with something less than other shows. It's really really cool.
And you, so, what's your favorite thing you've made on Drew? Very much like if you had to go to meal that you wanted to like show the rest of the world that's you, what would it be?
I made what we say, it was a we did this like stir fried green rice situation with a fry egg on top, and it just, like I think why I loved it was incorporated all the things that you know, typically people see in you know, nutritious meals. But it
was just so easy. And from that we had about I think we counted the DRU team count they had like twenty was it, no, so one hundred and twenty one people had recreated the dish and posted to social So it was if you ask me, like, what's the one that's like one of my favorite's favorite because it had so much impact on people, because for people to take a photo and repost it is one thing for people just like and that that's a lot. For people
not to even post after making is another thing. So for everyone who's posted it, it's probably like you know ten to twenty people who've done who haven't, and it's just like it's really really cool, man.
Someone like recreate exactly like follow step by staff and you're like, oh, I'm actually reaching out to people making a difference.
Yeah, is she ever she could cook?
True? Mate? She is? She really? She actually really enjoys. Like I'm a chef, right, so I'm next to her, She's like making fun of the fact that I can chop quite quickly.
That's my biggest problem. I'm like, shink, shink, Like.
I need to lose.
Is there a class for that? For Like, have you ever slipped off and cut off a bill of your finger?
It's like it's like you with anything to do with your fingers because like whether you play basketball a f l your fingers are constantly involved in things, right, so probably fractured, broken nails, all that kind of stuff. For me, I've got plenty of cuts right to get to them today, So.
Any any tips for I feel like there's a lot of people part of this now, Like you know, I do cook it this right now?
Giving me like just some audio clips, you know, is.
This camera right fantastic? So I always use this It's like everyone's seen liar, liar, right, and when Jim Carrey is like the claw, right, so he's what we gonna do. This is how to make sure that you can chop an onion super quick. All right, So get yourself the claw where you're going to have your thumb hanging behind your fingers, all right, Your fingers and your knuckle are going to be the most outer point where your knife
is simply going to be touching. So all it's going to happen is your knife is going to be up against the knuckle, the outermost point of your fingers. That way, nothing gets chopped off, and you actually do not remove the blade from your knuckle in doing so. When you wrapid chopping, all you're doing is simply using that knuckle as a guide, and your thumb is never being chopped off as there's always trailing behind your fingers. So that's why we always say, Jim carries the claw is the
way to go. How's that?
Mate?
That was just like one on why that's got straight to social media? That's just a tiktoggle in itself, just bang, no cutting, just straight into it.
Everyone wants to learn so much from this pod. That's great.
Let me ask you another question, how do you get how do you not cry from an onion.
Free through your mouth?
Wow? Do you work like I feel? I can maybe wear my goggle.
You can wear your goggles, man, I was giving this up. No, the true case. You don't understand me the science right, So you actually breathe through your nose all the I guess the oils exactly go up into your your tear ducks, which are no ke inside here. And so when you
do that, they will actually then cause crying. So if you breathe through your mouth, which is harder for them to actually get through to your nose, you will not, in fact less likely to touch your tear ducks, so you will not cry the.
Clothes pins of the nose. And then breathe through your mouth.
And if you want to go all out, you can wear Maso's goggles. And then also put the put the underwater, you know, I guess the squeeze.
Yeah, And then just to really top it off, just put the little thing on top of your head, you know, and then you just you know, if you're gonna.
Do it, you might as well go fall out, you know.
What if you just mussle me Michael phelps with a nose and you'll be good.
You're so sortid any other any other tips of cooking that we can help. I feel like I wanted people to learn on this podcast, and I feel like you're a man who's like cooked this whole life.
Is there any just like life hacks for us that we can use?
I've got so many, Jesus. Well, I will say one trick to cooking fish, and I think this is even any protein, and this will come out in the cookbook, but we'll say it now, is like to know when to cut into your protein to know when it's cooked. So's a couples can do this. If you are really nervous about it, just cut in, all right, I'll say that. But if you want to keep your protein whole and make it look like elivated exactly, all you need to do is take your knife or your fork and insert
it into the thickest part of the protein from the side. Yep, from the side, So insert from the side, and what you do is hold it there for a few seconds. Pull it out. From there. You're into the French technique where you touch it to your bottom lip and if it's piercing hot, it is overcooked, if it's cold, needs a bit more. If it's nice and warm but can bear to touch, it's perfect. But he's the kicker. Do remember that after you pull it out of the oven or it's taken off the pan, and it is still
cooking because of residual heat. So in the chef world, when we're cooking, like we got, you know, all our dockets in a line, and we've got fish. If you order a fish mace, I'm gonna undercook it because by the time it gets to the plate to then be served to you for you to take a photo on Instagram and then finally talking, we actually have to add an extra ten to fifteen seconds of under cookedness because
of Instagram. Now it's gonna be perfectly cooked by the time, I guess you because it continues to cook by the time against the table.
A bit worried because I've overcooked a lot of things.
If I'll just maybe put that in there, put on my lip, and we got a big bone spot for about three.
Weeks come next season. If you've got burnt spots. You signed a wave.
Podcast exactly any others.
Mate, geez, I can I'm gonna list keep going.
My biggest thing is like you know, people do like cooking rice. I might just buy a rice cooker like I do rice all the time for like food for like you know, before games and everything else.
And a rice crooker has been the most used thing in my kitchen.
That's great, man, if it works. Why do you not use a sauceman?
Though, I just like.
Sticks to the barn and there's literally set forget. I can go cook the chicken like it just like makes my life so much easier and it comes out perfect every time.
It what all the other like you know, you quit kitchen equip what a Mason Cox is huge amazing kitchen equipment hacks.
Big scene.
You gotta have a good knife. Knife is the biggest scene.
Just invest in a good knife and then you can move on from there and it makes life so much easier.
Nice.
Yeah, I don't do grow like nine year, but I like I do like two things three things really well. I do tortilla soup, huge on tortiller soup.
Wow.
And you can like am pumpkin soup and you can freeze it eat it later, you know, and it's a bit of a harsh parts and all the vegetables left over and you're like, fridge, you can just make an amazing like helping meal and you can just freeze it forever for a date. I've got it literally in my fridge right now. Come over after this soup. It's good. You're just trying to be a spice and everything else. A little suicide of.
Everything recipe in the link for this for the show notes today if.
You want it in the book, I a little credits with Marx underneath, you know.
But yeah, good, my challenge for you actually, but you'd have to get a kitchen bench top at the time.
Came my back is so I have to be I don't do long meals. Don't do long meals quick.
You just get on your knees. Though you probably be at the right heart then, right, I could we get it to this dad?
He clips up audios and stuff. You might to say something here and there you get clips with something else. You know, you never know where it goes. All right, we'll go back to New York. I want to get an idea best place is for cafes. Give me that a top five cafes. And you've been there for six and a half years. I know you know this, Yeah, seeing quite a bit.
There's a really there's an awesome spot I probably visly like five times a week. It's called Charlie Street.
Yeah, it's an.
Amazing This guy, know, Dan Churchill owns it. He's actually on the pot. You're listening to his idea right now.
Yeah, check it out mate, that's a good one. I would say, you know, I think straight off the bat, we have a Kohala mafia, like all Aussies as you came to to recognize, just all sit together.
I love that.
It's a bit of like a you know, a unique or community with an out of Australians in New York and Yaga run like two hundred miles every single day and hang out and go to the cafes.
Man, I would say, our favorites that we all like collectively agree with for coffee and breakfast and stuff in the morning. And b CS Banter two Hands does an incredible job too. There's one on the Lower East Side called Good Thanks as well. And then you've got like, you know, Bluestone has done an incredible job of really
pushing a certain Australian style of branding and image. And you know started out small numbers and what you know Nick Stone and the team done there, So I'd say that's another one if you're looking for, like, you know, they've done a really good job of not trying to
be just one spot. They've done a scalable operation so very American it is man which is like one thing we have to give credit for in the sense that if you come to America and just try to be Australian and not learn, like I love amer Can sport, you know, like I've spoken.
We'll get into the Jets game soon.
Yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly. We'll talk about the second. But do like i've you know how much Nam and I am in sport in general, like I love AFL Rugby League, rugby Union, NFL baseball. I loved learning about that and we can't be accustomed to that. And so I think what you know Blueston has done is an amazing job, even like other cafes now who are American have incorporated Australian things. We all know flat White It's been around many years now, but that started with us. All the keywa's.
You can take your pick, but it's good to see cafe culture, which is I think a big part of the Australian brand is really really pushing through parts of America, not just you know in New York. Now, I've got austin Nashville.
Since got two hands down there.
Yeah, I know, I've met those guys with a legends came to the USAFL Madam, a couple of last year, two people. It is interesting though, because America culture wise, there very go go go like very just take away, see you later, like quickly quick. We're all showing cultures kind of opposite. So like sit down, have a chat, have a coffee. Like there's one thing I love. Whenever I came here, I was like, people are very more
a lot more like interpersonal. I think, like obviously the people they work with and everything else where, it's like it's not as ruthless as the US. It's more of like, oh, let's sit down, let's have a chat about this, or maybe like go to a coffee, and it's like more yeah, just more personal in a sense. And I love seeing that being pushed over to New York and be able like people get to experience that through Charlie Street and
all these others, and it's kind of interesting. I guess you like you're friends with all these people that kind of own these cafes. Because like to give an idea to the people out there, like there's a mini Australian community within New York and I'm fair to say absolutely, and it's like you go, do there's a marathons together.
It's like this kind of community over there, and it is beautiful the fact that you do have like kind of somewhat of home away from home and you've got these people that own these cafes.
So obviously you run Charlie Street. Everyone gonn check it out.
Is epic, epic, epic, epic cafe. And you run these things. It's like, you know, doing the marathon out of there and like going to train and like everyone meets at Charlie Street and it's like this whole kind of community. And I was lucky enough to be able to kind of jump in there for a couple of days, you know, go for a few runs to meet the amazing people and everyone was so welcoming and I've loved that about It's like an Australian culture that's kind of moved over
to the US. And like I hope we mentioned in the beginning of the podcast, it's tough when we first get there, and then to have those people that kind of bring you through those hard times and bring you in this family away from family, it's awesome, man.
Yeah, dude, it was, Like I think what was interesting for us is particularly through COVID. Right in COVID, most people in New York who are American just went home to their suburban families, Like they fly home in the state to go up to Westchester, long whilee wherever it be. We couldn't do that. We couldn't travel home, and so we became a little bit tighter even more so and looked after eachil like we've always had friends givings you know where Yeah, yeah, friends giving right, So like you
really really understand the concept and importance of family. But also we have people come to America and you know, as you said earlier, like being there for years now and knowing back then that how hard it was to get going. When you have friends come over who are Australian or and not even just as anybody, but like you can relate to, you pull them in and you say, hey, come here, come here to coffee. I'm hanging out with us.
Let me let let's learn about how we can we help you because there's a certain type of atmosphere and energy that New York and being an Aussie living in a foreign country does because you want to help people and want them to succeed. And so you know, we have friends come over and just holiday and like New York's not for me, but I love visiting it. That's awesome. And then we have people like I really want to have a crack here, and that's the people You're like, Okay,
well you let's know how we can help you. Is where he to support And that's why I love. That's why people say are you ready to come home? Made times like, look, I get to do some really incredible things in America. And apart from the fact offus he missed my brothers and my mum and dad, I have an amazing family in New York that are Australians. I still get like my Australian accent is still pretty solid given the fact that I hang out with OSSI's every
single day. Everyone's like, you've been in America.
They expect you to sound like me.
Yeah, honestly, honestly, like it's other than the fact that I have to like on TV roll my r's.
And say do you put an American accent?
Are you going to No? I don't. But like when I pronounce things like instead of saying that is all I have to say basil, I say tomato still in aluminum, but I say aluminum because they don't understand when I say they, I'm talking about you.
All the American public, Yes.
Lovely American public, which are very supportive, by the way, very very much string in the fact that they don't want to listen to anyone else.
Be American.
And I dropped, like my, my, my love for sports. They're like, oh, he's one of us, one of us us. But let me ask you this man, are you coming here. One of the most common questions I yet is what is Australian cuisine?
Cuisine cuisine? That's actually a good question. I think I show cuisines like because I look at my experience. I've lived in Melbourne. I haven't lived anywhere else, So like Melbourne's very multicultural, like one of the biggest multicultural places. You can go to different areas of the city and get different types of cuisines. But I think Melbourne's more of there's not really an Australian cuisine per se, like
I think too. If I'm thinking Australia cuisine, I think like indigenous and I think of like kangaroo steak or something like that, you know, Like I would think more along that line where I think if you look at kind of overall and you were to go to Melbourne, the most popular places you would go to be Asian fusion.
Like I think that's kind of where it's at.
It's like not necessarily you know, just Asian food, but they kind of have this weird kind of side, you know, mix of different things that are like somewhat you know, I guess, influenced by different countries. So then there's fusion
as what they call it. So I think that's like probably the most you'll get here in Australia's aays in fusion, and I think that I don't think there's necessarily one certain culture in Melbourne that's like the food culture here, but I think there's like a mix of a lot of them and it kind of makes this unique Australian one that is almost probably impossible to describe to other people across the seas.
May one hundred percent you just nailed it, Like you you think of like Italy and you think of pizza and pasta. You think of America and you probably think of burgers and hot dogs, and you know certain types of steaks. In Australia, the culture is so influenced by other nations, along with the fact of our regional ancestry, of the indigenous culture, that that's what it is, right. So, but you really touched the point I hope you were going to make is Melbourn's got a beautiful cafe culture.
So does Sydney and even Brisbane and other parts of the major cities. So when we get asked all the time, what's Australian culture and what's their what's their cuisine? First
and foremost, Yes, indigenous. But one of the best things about living in America is I've learned that the influence specifically of the regional areas around, like for example, Central and Southern America, being access to those flavors, and even like the athletes I work with now, it's like they request certain things from where they've come from as their upbringing in like the nostalgic presence that brings to them.
So my question is do you do you ever get to a point where it's just like I need an American steak.
Oh yeah, we'll go home every year. Yeah, but like i'll go home, I'll just smash barbecue like nobody's business. Okay, I'll go back to Austin, Texas and I'll go like Franklin's. I've got a lot of barbecue.
Okay, Salt Lex, I'll just absolutely.
After the one last.
It's it's so good man, just.
Like just pig out because like, don't get me wrong, like I love barbecue. Here in my place, here is a place called Red Gum Barbecue Shadow of Red Gum. It's down to the Peninsula, used to be southro moved up to your Poon. Of all places kind of up and Queensland love them. But yeah, like red Gum's my kind of like retro going back to my roots, kind of homeplate barbecue.
American people, they just one is.
American, one's British.
So yeah, there are a couple that run that joint down there, and it's like it's cool because you go there and it's like there's like a petrol station out the front and then it's kind of like out the back there's like this big barn and it's like out of a barn I can't get sa like good feeld, like in a proper barbecue place, like the big pits are open, you know, we can go and see the big smokers and all that.
And they name the smokers as well. They've got a name like Betty or something.
Yeah, I don't know the names, but I'm sure that they have a name for him, no doubt, because they're huge.
They're massive.
Man, it's massive, and it's it's it's so good, like you talk about that, like the food culture is, you know whatever. Like in America, there's so many different places and there's so many different cultures within one country that it's like, you know, I might live in Texas and that might be this and that, and then you go up to New York and it's totally different than Chicago
and LA are totally different. And like everyone can come from different places because the US and sport and everything else, it's like all you know throughout the States, but they come with their own unique styles.
Dude.
It's so so cool because you do like to give people an idea. You interview these people and you have them create their kind of like pregame meals and stuff like that for you know, these professional athletes and you can name some of them.
I'm not really sure the whole list of them.
But yeah. So, like the idea is that as a performance chef, my job is to help people get ready for their game day. So we could actually do this right now, Mace, what's you all like? Took me through your typical day or to play like? This is great because a lot of people are going to be asking this, probably few yars like hey, Mace, what do you eat?
Like?
What do you have before games?
Like?
Took me through this?
I start two days out, awesome. I'll do two things.
I'll either do pasta ball and as ye or I'll do like a kind of a stir fried rice huge, and then the day before game very simple like I don't want anything upset my stomach or anything like that, so I'll do sorry, two days before I'll even do this keen walk el salad huge, real nice, real, nice, but beat advocate avocado in there all.
The millennial things kale avocado and Jesus, you got be real. That's what's called real. I'll do be real.
So yeah, Kale that I'll pickle some some carrots. Yeah, myself, do my own pickling. I told you I'm into food now I like it, and then making love ye like a little chick pea on top stuff like that, you know, just a little of that. And then the day before the game is like very simple. It's like a verge of carrots and then maybe some broccoli zucchini or something
like that, and then chicken and rice. It's pretty simple, real basic, just I know, like going in and nothing that's out of the norm that might upset my stomach.
And would you change that based on your your time of day? So for example, sometimes you play at nighttime, sometimes your afternoon.
So I change it, like I'll do it for dinner every then I'll have like lunch, I might have like leftovers and have a little bit of that, you know, and like cook extra. Yeah, so hide light it's day before as I'm I might kind of meticulous with I drink hard you light whenever I eat, and then drink it throughout the day, so I'm not just like one head of hard light. It's like you kind of you know,
spread out over the day. Yeah, and then just I'm like always got a cup or something in my hand man on a hydration like just fiene.
Okay, absolutely love it. So like what you just described, I feel like.
You're just about to give me my like new my new chef.
Tell me exactly what I'm missing that I would do, right, yeah, okay, people would ask me, DC, can you this.
Might be relatable to people maybe like training for a marathon, training are just getting in shape.
It may be so.
Exactly, well, bring it back to listeners and then get a little bit out of this too.
So what you've done is you described to me what your pregame you know a couple of days looks like on a plate, which is awesome, right. I wouldn't then come in and then go, okay, you need to change this, this, this, and this number one. Your microbiome is set to a certain way already and if I add things in, it's going to upset your stomach, as you said earlier, or you just what's not going to be typically used to how to digest those foods. You want something that's super
easy to understand. So first listening at home, best way to look at your breakdown is you just describe is you you've definitely broke it down into colorful goodies. So you had or your kale, your kim, which is super dense and nutritious value beats all the colors, and then you're getting substantial carbohydrates and your electrolytes along with whatever protein you're having. But the biggest thing is actually a
time of day. So if you're eating and you're essentially getting up in the morning and going straight for your run, or you've got an event early morning, the last meal you should have is two hours before your event two hours and then leading in you should have like a banana or a gel or whatever you are doing and durance wise, right, so I for you, you wouldn't need a gel specifically be made in a banana or something easily digestible that would look after yourself inside your stomach
and wouldn't be we have banana bread before you go love that Australian cafe and underbread it.
Comes with big tangs.
I don't know. I just go straight for as soon as they are in the locker room, like yeah too, lost love bit, it's.
So good, keep going yeah yeah yeah.
So like you know, whether it be if you're having a parsley the day before a meal or whatever it is, don't stray from that. Just what I would say is make sure you're getting your electrolytes in the morning of you're getting your timing right. So if you're not playing until one pm, just make sure eleven's your last main meal. You're not in a position where you're super stuffed and full,
but you feel competent. And I would always make sure that your typical ratios around game day should be like fifty percent carbs, maybe thirty percent protein, twenty percent fat, and realistically you can adjust that a calling based on you as an individual, knowing what works for you, and
then electrolytes wise. You know, our sweat loss counts for like three hundred and fifty up to seven hundred milligrams of sodium loss per hour of either training or game, so if you're playing two hours you could be losing anyway, but between you know, say seven hundred up to fourteen hundred milligrams of sodium, so it's important to replace that and even throughout during.
What's high sodium? What is high cerdium? Like, what would have high sodium?
What hasped so you can get I don't actually know the brands in Australia too well, but a lot of like Gatorades and things like that at best have three hundred milligrams of sodium in them. If you get the sachets with the electrolytes in them, they're sometimes between I've got ones that's in Australia in America called LMMT you they're like five hundred milligrams. There is also another one called BPN. It can get to like, you know, five
hundred milligrams of sodium as well. And so by having one of those sachets over the course of a period after the game, you know, it can help support your sodium loss, which is undoubtedly one of the biggest issues we face with nutrition. It's like everyone's starting to get the nutrition of their food right, Like that's ultimately like
I would have to sit down with you. I'd have to do a bit of blood work, and I'd have to understand, like, you know, how your stool is all that kind of stuff to really gather how well you're absorbing the food you're putting in, how e it's actually affecting you gain day, what your moods, like, how are you sleeping? But the biggest one I would say, if people say to me, what should I do immediately, it's like drink more electrolytes without a doubt.
That's an easy fix everything. But one of the things that a lot of people look acass.
That's what I do. Like that Why I asked you. It was really interested to know, like what you would have and even so in the morning, would you eat before game?
Yeah, okay, I have I might have a little bit leftover for rice and like vegetables for breakfast cricking.
It depends when the game is. Yeah, you have coffee?
Now? I don't drink coffee. I'm a t I know, it's like an absolute sin in this country.
I say, you come you have a fight?
Why?
Yeah? And it's like obviously not no. Wow.
So I had to say whenever I went to Charlie Street, got a tea, it's mine.
You've got some great coffee, is there Charlie Street.
That's good.
That's great.
We'll go back to New York now.
Actually I'm gonna ask you this for we move on after After you have your workout, right, you run a big run whoever it is, what's your go to your meal?
What would you would you subscribe to people?
Mate? I'm really big on well first and foremost. After you run after you work out, it's actually really hard mentally for a lot of people to eat. It usually takes two hours to get to the feeling of society of like I actually need some food. It's a hormonal thing. So like you do have your left and you ground, which are two hormones I play against each other to you know, make you feel hungry. I personally, I do get pretty hungry pretty imediately after And if it's a
cold morning. Love a good oatmeal like peb and J oatmeal that we make. I've like a cheer jam. It's like raspberry.
It's one huge It's like.
This is something I actually started making before Chisto is open. And so like my oatmeal just cinnamon oatmeal, I use this cheer jam, which is like making a home is just raspberry cheer cinnepot. Let it sit and then homemade peebe with some maple syrup. Done. But I would honestly say, if I I'm so craving now, like a really good just toasted sandwich, like a beautiful sourdo. It can be like a chick pea smash, or it can be chicken with like a nice homemade mayonnaise with some salad, tomato,
like the whole I'm talking a big thing. None of this like small crap of like your rabbit stole lettuce. I'm talking like stack me up with all these like micronation and goodies. Yeah, a toast?
Do you one or two slices to thank God? Yeah, that's my biggest issue in Melbourne. Now we've become cheap.
I understand inflation. The stock market's hit a bit.
It's not the bread bro it's the other comes like a dollar fifty right now we can afford two slices of bread.
It just gets me. It gets me. I will not go back to a cafe if it gives me one slice.
Of tat on the on the support of cafes, I will say, knowing costs of goods these days and wages, it's it's it's it's squeezing us.
Just increase the price like fifty cents.
I will pay fifty cents ex That's my advice to everyone out here that owns a cafe. There was nothing about a cafe business. It's my advice. We'll go back to so New York. Now you ran the marathon or whenever. I was there a year ago, and that was an awesome experience. I had a good friend of mine ran it with you crazy. You can track people on the app and stuff, and it was awesome pretty much. I loved it so good. We're an absolutely ridiculous outfit. Will
put a photo up of my whacking floatable two man. Yeah, yeah, you got a little bit now. You did a bit of charity work for right City Harvest. Can you tell us a bit about City Harvest?
Yeah. So being in the chef world and being always around trying to help people, you know, I want to change the world through food. I've always wanted to do that. And to get to a position of time and resourceful nurse that I can eventually just do that full time is what I'm going for. And City Harvest is an amazing organization where we do two awesome things that I love. One we feed those in need. So one in five people in New York do not know where the next
meal is coming from. Crazy. And this isn't just people on the street where you see the obvious. It's people in apartment buildings that you could be looking across the hallway and then you don't realize that these people don't know where the next meal is coming from. So the part of money goes towards that The second part of the money goes towards supporting food rescue we call it, so we will then you know, rescue food from places that would either throw it out or go to waste.
So there's a second bite here exactly.
So forty percent of food goes to waste. So it's it's really as a share for him, just anyone in this space. It's pretty dramatic to hear that, to know that that one in five people don't know where x millink is coming from. So you know, Oz Harvest does an amazing job over here. I've you know, made made a choice to be really dedicated to one particular charity
so I know I can go deep with them. And so I've been the captain of the mouth On team and we've got one hundred runners this year, which would be November sixth. You run it again, I'm running it again, sport. Yeah, it comes to forward. Brother, ridiculous, cust keep joking, Kip joking. You just did almost two hours sub two hours and two hours and one minute at in Berlin. He's absolute. Have you seen but have you seen his hydration man?
This German guy go to YouTube. It is that this guy is he's a character.
And he'll do.
He's so into like like you see water boy, think think of a German water boy, just super intense on water and high rations.
Like Alaskan water.
Like he holds in a certain way. As soon as the guy picks it up, he's like claps his hands. He stoked, and he gets on his bike go to the next checkpoint. So you could be that guy for me.
Yes, I could be that. You could.
I saw a video of this person doing this recently where there was like all the people holding the cups out and like I was the first person there takes the first cup and just slaps the rest of the cups out of people's.
Hands so no one behind him can get any water.
And it was just savage, And I was like, technically, can't like penalize the guy. You just get a real like, hey, you're an absolute dickhead whenever you go across.
It was ruthless.
Next Tuesday, straight up, Chase, I got harder just to chase his as she really would tackle him. I'm risking my whole marathon time just to make sure you learn your lesson.
Just give them attle, ankle tap?
Can you give people but an idea of what it's like running the marathon. Now New York City Marathon, biggest marathon probably in the world. I would say, yeah, right, the whole city just like goes and supports these people. Like I remember sitting there, like I was going to watch. There's two people on next to me, and I'm wearing this absolutely ridiculous seven foot tour.
Yeah. I know.
I didn't even tell Like my buddy the Lake who was there, I didn't even tell him I was wearing and he just lost his ship whenever he ran past. It's like, but there's like so many people are like just all supporting people that don't know, and like there's all these amazing stories as people have worked so hard to be able to.
Have this accomplishment.
It's like kind of the mount like you know, reaching Mount Everest kind of thing you know of like running and tell us you guys, I give people an idea of like what it's like being there when the New York City Marathon happens.
Mate, it was It's I'll put this in perspective. So I've rhyn three New York's now I've got my fourth one this year. I just came down to do Sydney's Sydney Running Festival. So just a bit backster on that we've got. We had thirty five thousand runners there, which which is really good turnout, probably one of our biggest I think we've ever had. And we are looking to be the sixth major marathon in the world.
Huge, Okay, So we've.
Got Berlin, Tokyo, London, Boston, and New York the five majors New York, so Sydney right now is to be the six which would be amazing for a strangurism, right. So they brought me down here to duel to this and when I was there, it was really good. It was amazing to see where we could go because being in New York and seeing how amazing that scene is and what people can do, it's like it does put
perspective on how big New York is. So I just want to make sure people realize that we are going to go hard at getting Sydney the six major marathon, which would be amazing. But yeah, so New York man like it was. Particularly last year, it was one of the best days of my life because you are running with seventy five thousand plus people to millions of random strangers. You're all doing it as one. And you were doing this thing where you're running one of the greatest, most
multi dimensional cities in the world. Where you start in Staten Island, you go through Brooklyn, you go like you're into Bronx. He's going to Manhattan. You know, you going to Queens, you do all the five borough and it's and along the way you have people who have just like you know, it's a mathon. I don't know anyone in it. I'm just gonna go for people, and they bring out the best signs. Dude, that mace.
There's bands, so much going on, it's so good down I come out for it.
So like I I've definitely been in America, there's one like phrase I've jumped on and it's like the less fucking Yo, Like.
The Less goes.
Exactly every March Madness or some sort of NFL game. Like all my American frat mates, like they're all fraternity dudes for sure, have built this into me. So I'm running down all parts of the you know, the marathon, and I'm just screaming, let's fucking go. It's very strangers. Why because these people have come out to cheer us. You also see some of the most of you. Here's my favorite sign. So you've got classic ones like hit this signed, power up right, really nice, right, yeah, yeah,
it's really really cool. You have really fun things like that. My favorite though, is like at mile twenty one, which about thirty four k's in. Yeah, you have one that says that is like that's pain train.
You're in the depths of Like I was around that area and I saw it.
I was like people were doing hammies.
Like calves were going, like it was just really people were in the depths of Hell.
At that point.
It's so funny though, because like I remember bankstory again. I remember like watching a video of me one year where I ran the math on. I remember like at that point, I'm like, I'm actually feeling really good. So I'm like, I'm I'm striding out, haven't hit the wall. And then I remember it was yelling to my mate going is yelling to me on the side and saying, hey man, he's got the phone out, and I'm like, hey, dude, I'm running past. Later on he tagged in the video
and I saw myself. I looked so bad, like I'm looking like Gumby or like BAMBI just wa yeh yeah. Honestly, honestly, it's just so it's like the next year. I remember same time, I was feeling better and I was like, but even in myself out a chuckle, going, I reckon, I look like shit right now. But anyway, the one of the funniest signs you have is like like K thirty four, someone says, if you need to fight, don't risk it.
And like when you're running with people and you all see it at once and just all line of you were just laughing, you chugging your die laughing because you'll going, yeah, like there's Porter losers, everything, like Porter parties, everything.
On the way, and in those events, no one know there's like you honestly like if someone goes goes to the bathroom, you don't care. It's kind of like after experiencing also my first like Ultra running Cruis. I'm doing an Ultra next year, so like seeing it for the first time, that whole bathroom etiquette thing goes out the window. I was like, you need a ship, go do it man. Yep, exactly.
I have a good sign.
Yeah, now you've got me community here, you due for the sign together. Yeah, yeah, I'll be a guy from a sign in like you know, yeah, it lives around the corner from season like become like again, just being in New York, you get everyone mate being a chef. Everyone loves you because you can cook, and then you need to clean up and then everyone bounces.
Everyone's like see you. Yeah, I think dish is not so much. Oh man, that's epic. Now, I seriously I recommend anyone for there in New York at the time, like just to do even if you're not running, like I feel like they've in itself is just like everyone's in this positive New York. It's just like kind of bad rap of like assholes who like get out of my way and honking all this kind of stuff. Like that day you see the true like genuine nature of
people is like just cool. Cool to see New York in a different part.
I'm getting chills right now. I'm ready. I'm ready to go. You're ready to go, Get ready to go. Already we see thirty four on Saturday and it's it's our longest good and even if I hey, you never know if it just goes. I just minds like fun, I'm thirty four k.
And already looked like that just come out. Yeah, as I just be a new TikTok and just an embarrassing thing that goes on. But it greens, you know, I just get to going, Yeah.
Do bury my shold just absolutely kill you after that.
Well, you also do a lot of things like you do the Run Club in New York, and I highly encourage anyone to go do that. And you organize things like the Jets game.
Yeah.
Now, I know you're a massive NFL man. You went to the Jets game and you know, Charlie Shop brings out this. That was cool because like I was kind of like didn't really know what to expect in New York. Yeah, and then you get this like bus, the bus picks everyone up. We're all just it's like six am in the morning. There's people still rolling out of the club. It's like a six am on a Sunday, and there's
people just clapping us like, yeah, man, well done. The fact that you're up at this time of day after a Saturday night, yea proper to.
There's girls walking with heels off as well.
Oh yeah, I in New York do not recommend that Condos Street. But you get these group of people and we've probably been fifty sixty, one hundred people whatever, and we get on this bus and everyone goes out to the Jets game. The Jet game is a little bit outside New York and New Jersey, and you know, and then you got like the big kind of tailgate setup
and everything else. And I've always tell people like, I want tailgating to be a thing here, and like you've kind of somewhat experienced it now, and like you've run your own tailgate, which is really awesome. You had the chili, you had the chips, you had the everything. Man, just like the whole spread. Just digging at your hands dirty, let's go. And I feel like here there's an opportunity.
I don't know how we do this, damn if we get this little kind of thing, but to start getting some tail getting going for AFL games, we need to get this. To speak to I was gonna say Gil, but I think he's not very much going to be here where the.
CEO is Mason Cox's studio at the you and then we'll have me cooking out the front. You will live stream podcast exactly, and then we just come by and we'll have an you know, epic time we get some I would see some alcohol involved, make people happy.
You two, and then I'll be inside, hopefully playing maybe postcer.
Yeah, playing the Swans in the Grand Final. No, I don't think I'll be joking for that one.
Do you want to go there?
No, fan, he's out a rough ways.
I was very I was very your.
Height coming into it. You're man alf in the world coming down to Melbourn's gonna be great.
After watching, I was at the game that you guys unfortunately lost that. By the way, I'll just say you're really tall. Yeah, it was really funny. Just stick out. I said a video to Luke. I'm like, hey, dude, say where I am. Like, let's send a video of you next to this. I think were you on? Who you on?
Hey?
At one point he was rocking. I was like, who's who's denoting rock? And they're like he wats his rais his hands like you motherfucker. We we said this, We're like, if you lose one rock to Heini, I would never hear the end of it.
I was like, I might as well just faking injury and get off the field with that one out to him, man, he's got the fact. He was like, how do he go honestly, how do you go? Like, I mean, he tried.
What small guys doing the right contest is like their only chance is just like just running as hard as he came into you and try to get in the after like your balance. And remember he just like did that and I just he like bounced off and I was like, tap, it's a mate, but not.
So much, not so much.
How good?
Now I've got a little dirt on you. There's a few things you're renowned for passing out a bit of nicclepsy.
Is that true?
Oh?
I've been told you're late to a lot of things. I'll say all the time, all the time because but it's not in a bad way. I think the reason you're late to a lot of things is because you try to fit in a light in a day.
And I respect that. I respect the shit out of that.
It's a bad trade though. Man, I don't encourage on anybody.
But yeah, yeah, but I feel like you're a guy that does a.
Lot I do. But it doesn't mean that I want people to feel second or less priority to myself, which is where it comes. It can come.
It's not like that. It's not, of course.
I think if you come in good energy and you're like, hey man, thanks so much for having me appreciate everything else.
You know you people look by.
Yeah, I think, and it's not. I don't want to make it something excuse. There's certain things that in my life are uncontrollable.
So advice to anyone that has this issue of showing up late to things, Yes, what's the best way to go about?
Look at an extra hour beforehand that you needed me to be there?
Because I've been told people tell you like this starts at nine, when it really starts at nine thirty, and then you show up on time and everyone's like, hey, Dan, finally you're on time. I was like, yeah, I told them thirty minutes earlier, because my friends do that to me.
Mate. It's really it's a really smart technique. What I will say is like all my all my professional stuff,
I'm on time for like my yeah, the same. The problem comes when I finish work or I I say I have work finishing, and then there's certain things that come up in my industry that a last minute, like finishing a press release or something like that, that I have to do that like I may have committed something beforehand and there like it's last minute, and then it's like, you know, it's like you just have to jump on it.
And that happens more often than not. And then all of a sudden, I get home and Maverick's like, need some attention, and yeah, absolutely legend. But Blake, so no excuse. I'm just saying that's the reality of life in New York. You just try to commit too much and that's what happens.
You've interviewed Blake Lively. Correct, great ye I asked this question. Did you tell Blake Lively that Australia likes Ryan more than her?
I said, my brothers, I said, this is what I said. I make it clear. So I was doing Good Morning America and I was standing there and she was promoting a movie she was having, and she said, she came over to me. We're getting ready for a photo and she looks at me and she goes, Yay, nice to meet you. I said, like, absolutely, nice to meet you. You know, everyone Australia loves you. Everyone in Australia loves you.
My brothers and I included I would be it would be rude for me not to be absolutely honest and saying how much we adore your man Ryan, like and and she looked at me and she said, so she said, more than more than me, and I said, we said. Look, we grew up watching Van Wilder. I'd never really started
watching a gossip girl until later. And she was, she laughed, she loved it well because like so many people and are just fangirling her, yeah, and so like it was so cool to be super honest and fresh in environment like she's also she's her husband is Ryan Reynolds, the most Alarican person all time, loving the racks and stuff he's doing at the moment so good in real life, actually ted last life, but yeah, man, So for her it was really funny because she felt like I got
his banter and not that I do. I thought that's my own way putting you recorded man, So she yeah, she laughed ahead off day so I landed the plane.
Yeah, you really were struggled.
For you.
You shout the better bit and you're like, how do I recover from that? Dig myself out of this?
It was so funny, so much Australian confidence and like naivity that it worked.
And then if if not, you just pleaded ignorance. Absolutely in America, sorry in Australia, we didn't have cables.
Girls never came on. It's exactly.
You didn't believe it. She's like, really spent a lot of time here. It kind of makes sense. And that's not so great over there.
Like when you're riding a city bike down the wrong way and the police pulls you over and you're like, oh good, I may my first day in New York City.
Jeez.
Sorry, you know next time, by the way you want to be, you want to be for Frothy. Yeah, it has worked a couple of times. I'm not gonna lie. All right, I'll ask you this.
We're gonna finish up soon, but I want to I want to ask your best restaurants. People love this kind of stuff restaurants in New York because a lot of people are gonna travel there. I want to know, like best places to go. We're gonna go top five best restaurants, top five.
Okay, So if you are not going down in the next six weeks, like you can plan this book for Blue hill Stone Barns.
Blue hills Stone.
It is forty five minutes outside of the city. It's where Dan Barber's restaurant is. It's on a farm, It's probably the best meal I've ever had Seaga Station. It's pricey, it's expensive, but it is one of the best meals you will ever have. So Blue Hills, Stone Barns, Stone Barns. For all my friends who are who are vegan, I definitely recommend going to see eleven to Madison. I went there when it's been plant based, incredible restaurant. Like the way they do things is awesome, Like Dan Hum, what
they've done is awesome. You've got some of the typical things that you've got to go see for sure, Like I would say Lafayette is one of the most amazing French bistro style restaurants. Really really cool. Let's get into some other things, like a slice. Where do you slice from? Now? There's different slices point there, mate.
Because I think some people have been gone vanilla slice. Didn't know that was a big thing America.
Yeah, I know exactly. There's a bit of point difference there.
Sol you've become American, very American. You're gonna say, I piet.
Well your pie. Yeah. So here's the thing. Everyone says, what's the best pizza in New York? And there's different there's actually different degrees to this. Let me explain. So you've got different types of pizza. You've got Sicilian, you've got Detroit, you've got Dish Chicago, you do have New York so and then you also got the pies where you purchase the whole pie versus a slice. So let's break this down. The best Sicilian slice, which is a thick crust more of a pan style pizza you get
here in America in Australia is from upside down in Soho. Also, you can take that and get a beer. It's Spring Lounge, so great little combination. I would also recommend if you're getting a if you're getting a slice, though, you've got to go to Joe's Famous it became Spider Man exactly, get famous for Spider Man all and all the who's who. Go there. You get a nice classic slice. There they're do program phenomenal. Saint Louis Pie. You want to go to a place called Speedy Romeo.
Right, it is St. Louis Pie.
They use this thing called provel cheese prolls. It's like combination of a couple of cheese, and it's called liquid smoke in it sat smoke liquid smoke in it. They don't do traditional like triangle slices. They do what they call party size, and they're like squares squares.
Yes.
And then the best deep dish I would say is probably Emmets, but I don't know too many in New York. Deep dishes are very deep dish. If you do go to Chicago, I would say Luminatis is probably my favorite in Chicago if you go there. Oh and Detroit, Emily's Emily Slain all over the ass? Has she?
No you have been.
There? I'm just gonna sit.
Okay, So we've got the pies.
What the restaurants Joseph Leonard Dark Horse here in the West Village, really really tiny, cute little spot, but it does amazing food and really good vibeing cocktails. So go Joseph Leonard for sure, get in early. My favorite restaurant in New York City, though, is a place called read this is Sodi Isodi. Now here's the thing. It's Italian spot, classic bar, very tusk and you see the bar. So what you need to do is you need to go put your name down around five o'clock. You put your
name five pm. Go put your name out of five pm. Go get a cocktail from a bar around the corner. Come back when they get seat you. You sit at the bar. I can already tell you canna order you of this. You're gonna order the Mezzy platter. You're gonna get a bot of barolo. I chokes to start the layer twenty one layered Lasagnon, which they are known for with their amazing chicken dish, and you are set and then finished with the turnamassou game over and of course
some espressos because you're there. But that is my favorite spot, like if I would. I don't usually go back to a spot like I do, but like this is one I'm consistently going back to and it's one of my favorites. I love the Italian viber there. I love obviously the twenty one laid Lasagno and the Can't You Pepper is twenty one layer. It's delicious.
It's what they're picturing, something as big as my head.
No, no, it's like it's it's it's a good stack. It's just dance and like Matt Preston would have a field day. Matt, if you're listening on your mate, you need to get to Isodi. My friend Sodydi Maya Space s O D.
I hate NA three of us three US.
Massive, thank you for coming on, Man, So good to have you back in Australia home, and I'm excited to hopefully you gues see in New York.
I'll see in Austin, I'll see man the Legend.
Well, maybe do a float trip or something like that.
It'd be good times, man. But thanks so much coming on.
Appreciate it as always, everyone to check us out on seven platforms TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, and Apple and and hinge.
Apparently we might so be real too.
Yeah, who knows anyway, but massive, thank you for coming on, Legend.
I hope it travels back to New York and I can't wait to catch up with you over there.
Full season, right, Cheese