Conversation with a chef

Luke Farrell loves being a baker. I find it intoxicating to talk to people who are so passionate about what they do. Luke is the Product Development and Bakery Support Manager at Bakers Delight. My favourite bread ever (apart from a baguette bought from a boulangerie IN France) is the Cape seed loaf from Bakers Delight. It actually is. So I was thrilled to get to talk to the guy behind the new ver...

I was lucky enough to be invited to Luci a few weeks ago for a five-course degustation showcasing new head chef Jason Lear’s spring menu. Jason is all about seasonality and not mucking around too much with the produce. Highlights of the night for me were the oysters with fennel mignonette, the tortellini with roast duck and cured pork cheek and the grilled lamb fillet which I loved was served with...

I have just had the loveliest time at Cambodia's Kitchen in the CBD. I went in to have a chat to brother and sister team, Ivanra and Linna about how things have been going since they opened in May and why they saw a need for Cambodian food in the city. Ivanra told me that he reckons the noodle soup Linna makes is in the top five noodle soups in Melbourne and he says he should know, because he love...

Barry drove in to the city from his home on the Mornington Peninsula to talk to me and we sat outside in the sun at Frankie Says in Abbotsford. Talking to Barry was such a good time. He pretty much started talking as soon as he arrived and at some point I thought to push record. Barry has been a chef for a number of years and speaks highly of the chefs he has worked with along the way, especially...

Ronnie's is a casual eatery in the Intercontinental on Collins Street and it is ALL about the fun there. Owner Matthew Butcher has worked alongside the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Shannon Bennett. Matthew grew up watching his dad Ronnie cook in the family takeaway shop and because of that experience loves to bring people together over a good meal and a few beers. Apparently, Matthew also hasa pench...

Oko recently opened in Fitzroy in the heritage listed building that was Hell of the North for a few years. Headed by mother and son team, Luciana and Sebastian Pasinetti, with head chef Kim Maree Moore, Oko is a celebration of all the best things you might imagine about Mediterranean dining and the team draw on their experience, heritage and the passion they have for food and hospitality. The othe...

Originally from Delhi, Vaishali recently graduated from Le Cordon Bleu with an Advance Diploma in Hospitality Management. She has a particular interest in patisserie and when she used to work as an auditor, she would bake to relax. What started as a hobby became a dream to own and make pastries and cakes for her own café and she decided to come to Melbourne to make that happen. We met at Nikos Caf...

Dan Briggs is the loveliest guy, a gentle giant with two great passions; his family (including a brand new and super cute puppy he got for Father’s Day) and his job as Executive chef at Chin Chin. Dan has been part of the Chin Chin family for his whole career, which says a lot about the kind of environment the Lucas Group creates, and also about Dan’s loyalty. I went in to Chin Chin on Flinder’s L...

Eleven years ago, Tim McDonald and his business partner, Dave Youl, saw a gap in the market and opened Fonda, the bright, happy home of Mexican street food in Melbourne. From the flagship venue in Swan Street, the business has grown to nine venues across Melbourne and now also, Sydney, but the pair ensure that the original concept of the Mexican fonda, a welcoming home that serves food to the comm...

Apoorva Kunte is the Executive Chef at The Westin Melbourne. Apoorva loves food and knew from an early age that he wanted to be a chef. He worked in hotels in India and the Middle East before coming to Sydney and now, luckily for us, he is here in Melbourne. Wherever he goes, he likes to discover and then showcase regional local produce. So it is no surprise that he has an extensive knowledge of t...

Soon Lim is originally from Kuching, on the Borneo island of East Malaysia, but went to Christchurch, New Zealand at 15 years old to study at high school and then on to Canterbury University. After giving Civil Engineering a red hot go for two years, enter a plot twist and explanations to his parents because he had actually always wanted to be a chef. Fast forward to now and Soon is head chef at V...

I went over to Yarraville to chat to Ollie on a sunny Saturday morning. I arrived near the end of his 9.00 – 10.30am bakery pop-up and the queue did not get any smaller until just after 10.30am. I had seen a video of Ollie talking about this patisserie, Motte, at the Bastille Day French festival in July. He spoke with such passion about following in his father’s and grandfather’s baker footsteps a...

I was lucky enough to chat to Gareth and his partner Catherine for Broadsheet right before their Cremorne shop opened for dine-in customers. I probably picked the worst time to hit up Gareth for my own chef chat, given they have only just opened a second shop in Collingwood and they have a baby due any second. Gareth was just finishing up something when I arrived so he set me up with a delicious s...

I'm a big fan of La Madonna in the Next Hotel on Little Collins Street. I love the glorious golden chandelier hanging in the spiral stairwell. I love the dining room that manages to feel cosy and enveloping despite its size and I love the story behind the name. When Danny Natoli first walked into the space while it was being built, he was so impressed by the scale of the room and the possibilities...

Today I’m chatting to Neil Rocke at The Commons Collective in Ormond Hall, a beautiful art deco complex with various venues like the Moubray Bar, Rose Garden, Conservatory, Chapel and more. I actually felt as though I had stepped back in time in the hall which has the most beautiful wooden panelling and paintings of the hunt and an intriguing collection of old leather boxing gloves plus Christmas...

When I spoke to Michael Smith for a Broadsheet article about Hubert Estate in the Yarra Valley, I knew I needed to hear more. Michael has worked at a number of excellent places over the years, including Jacques Reymond, Tonka, Mamsita, and the way he talks about the food he is putting up at Quarters at Hubert Estate is wonderful. I haven't had a chat to a chef in a while and the thing I love about...

Khristina Mulyono didn’t always want to be a chef but when she moved to Melbourne from Indonesia, studying was a way in. She already had a degree in English Literature and a teaching career under her belt so she thought, why not try something else, and embarked on a career as a pastry chef. From talking to Khristina, I get the feeling that she would be incredible at anything she turned her hand to...

Today I’m talking to Sarah Bonoma from Dancing Sands Gin in Golden Bay, Aotearoa, New Zealand. This is the second in a series of special edition features showcasing New Zealand suppliers and producers to celebrate the launch of New Zealand Trade & Enterprise’s 2022 Made with Care campaign in Australia. A global initiative designed to raise awareness of New Zealand’s superlative produce, Made with...

Today I’m talking to Huw Kinch, Winemaker and Estate Manager at Pyramid Valley, a biodynamic winery in beautiful Waikari, North Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. I usually speak to chefs but I’m doing a series of special edition features showcasing New Zealand suppliers and producers to celebrate the launch of New Zealand Trade & Enterprise’s 2022 Made with Care campaign in Australia....

I first met Hugh Sanderson when I was writing about Bar Savarin, a very lovely wine bar which he recently opened with a gun hospo crew in Cheltenham. I loved the way Hugh talked then about the idea behind Savarin, which comes from French writer of gastronomy, Jean Brillat-Savarin who said, ‘To invite people to dine with us is to make ourselves responsible for their wellbeing for as long as they ar...

Matt Lambert is a breath of fresh air. For all his accolades, awards and success, he’s very down to earth and open. It helps that he has retained an excellent kiwi accent. At least, it helps for me. Matt is one of those chefs who always knew that’s what he wanted to do. At 11 years old, he asked a chef if he could start his apprenticeship then and there. Once he did get started, there was no holdi...

Ned’s Bake had me at their “local European” branding. I think it is the French teacher in me. So then I was flicking through their Instagram and saw a lovely photo of Ned with head chef, Remya creating the week’s dinner menu together at Middle Park. They have their arms around each other’s shoulders and they’re smiling widely. I really loved the idea of the teamwork and mutual respect the photo sh...

Given that I love all things French and that I am particularly enamoured with the south of France, having lived there for a year, you can imagine my excitement at going to Tapenade to talk to Laurie Faget. Laurie and her fiancé, Kevin Chassagne opened Tapenade in July last year having created a very provençal-feeling restaurant and French products boutique. I am always desperately wanting to be te...

Today I’m chatting to Roger Lu at Laurus in Carlton. I first met Roger last November when I wrote about Laurus for Broadsheet. Laurus is a sleek and sophisticated modern Chinese restaurant which was just about to open. I went down to Carlton after teaching all day at school to meet owner Boyang Fu and chef, Roger, and hear all about it. They brought out beautiful cocktails and a selection of delic...

Today I’m chatting to Jo Corrigan and Matt Donnelly out on the five acres they farm at Romsey. Romsey is 60 kilometres north of Melbourne and near Mt Macedon. The earth is a rich chocolate colour as a result of basaltic and volcanic lava flows and was the perfect place for Jo and Matt to come when they hung up their chef’s aprons and stepped over to the supply side of the food industry. Having wor...