Conversation with a chef

Tucked into the trees along Monbulk Road in Belgrave, Killik Handcrafted Rum Distillery is more than just a place to drink; it’s a destination where small-batch spirits, ambitious food, and a warm, intimate atmosphere come together. When we visited, we were seated in a gorgeous private room with a crackling log burner and views out to the forest, and enjoyed a generous, flavour-packed feast that p...

#364 Laura Boulton | Heide Kitchen by Jo Rittey

I sat down with Shane Reeves at The Gilroy on Bay Street in Port Melbourne, a place I could easily walk to, given I live just down the road, but one that’s absolutely worth the drive or the ride on the 109 tram. Tucked into a quieter stretch of the street, The Gilroy is a narrow, atmospheric space defined by its arched ceiling and the kind of cocooning warmth that makes you want to settle in and s...

Seated outside at Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen, beside the warmth of the fire pit and surrounded by the hills of Warburton, I first spoke with owner Billy Crombie. As the conversation continued, chef Jithin Pattiyal joined me, sharing his journey from Kerala to Australia and offering insight into the authentic, carefully crafted approach to cooking that underpins everything at Babaji’s.

Billy Crombie and husband Max (Mohammed) Kamil Hassan don’t run a typical regional restaurant. At Babaji’s Kerala Kitchen, set in a restored 1936 cabaret hall on the edge of Warburton in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, they have built something closer to a cultural bridge, and, for many Southern Indians, a portal back home. In this conversation, Billy talks through everything from the ritual of pouring a...

There’s a particular kind of welcome you only find in places built slowly and with intent, and that’s exactly what I walked into at The Independent in Gembrook. Mauro Callegari has shaped this former mechanics’ garage into something unmistakably his; part restaurant, part gathering place, part expression of a life spent cooking and travelling across continents before landing in the Dandenong Range...

I sat down with Franck Sammut, the quietly charismatic force behind Upper Middle in South Melbourne, a new baguette and pizza spot that already feels like a neighbourhood favourite. Franck has spent his whole life in hospitality, from working in his dad’s restaurant as a teenager to decades on the floor in some of Melbourne’s most iconic venues. Now he’s finally opened a place of his own, built on...

There’s a lovely kind of magic when an old neighbourhood pub finds its heartbeat again, and that’s exactly what’s happened at the Angel of Malvern. After three quiet years, the doors are open, the locals are back, and the buzz is real. Downstairs it’s all about elevated pub classics done properly: brined schnitties, light calamari, housemade sausage rolls, steaks on the grill, while upstairs, a Me...

On a wet, gloomy Melbourne day, Ronin Omakase was unexpectedly warm. Despite its concrete walls, brutalist lines and high ceilings, the room is inviting with shelves lined with house made ferments; persimmon for desserts, wombok and white kimchi, citrus cheong and fruit vinegars quietly developing behind the counter. Liam Lee cooks directly in front of ten diners, tasting, adjusting and guiding th...

This week I got the train to Mitcham to visit Dutch Rules Distilling Co., a retro styled bar, working distillery and sat down with rising star chef Viveik Vinohoran, this year’s Young Chef of the Year. Surrounded by vinyl records, warm timber, and the quiet hum of a still out back, Viveik talked about shaping a menu that blends his Sri Lankan heritage with the classical French, Italian, and Japane...

When I sat down with Michael Conlon at O’Connell’s in South Melbourne, the paint was still fresh. There’s been a substantial refresh. New carpet, new upholstery, commissioned artworks, and a dining room that feels intentionally set apart. More like a restaurant you arrive at, even though you’ve come through the pub. But the bigger shift is in how he talks about the role of a pub like this: it’s no...

I visited Matt Forbes at Cobb Lane’s Yarraville headquarters, where he reflected on the long path from his early years in some of the UK’s most exacting kitchens to building a Melbourne bakery that’s grown from a single 25 kilo bag of flour to seven or eight tonnes a week. He talked about stepping away from restaurant life to create something of his own, and how that hands on, flavour first approa...

I always enjoy catching up with chefs to hear how they’re going, what they’re learning, and how their craft is evolving. And every couple of years, that brings me back to the Westin Melbourne to sit down with Executive Chef Apoorva Kunte. In the five years he’s been leading the hotel’s kitchens, he’s become known for his curiosity, his generosity with his team, and the thoughtful way he brings cre...

When you talk to Matt McConnell about food, hospitality and Bar Lourinhã, there is a quiet certainty and warmth that comes through immediately. Twenty years is a long time to do anything well, and Bar Lourinhã has done it with quiet confidence. Matt approaches this milestone with equal parts pride, humility and curiosity. A long, wandering journey through Spain and Portugal in the nineties inspire...

I sat down with James Gallagher at Enbarr on a lovely autumn afternoon. We talked about mythology, Irish foodways, and the arc of his life in this building; a pub he worked in for years and has now come full circle to own. Once we’d finished talking, I was lucky enough to eat the food we’d been discussing. I haven’t stopped thinking about the soda bread since, or the boxty, dishes that felt like a...

Reaching 350 episodes feels a little surreal, and I couldn’t think of a better guest to mark the moment than someone I’ve spoken to before and genuinely admire. Sitting down again with Ian Ho at Yum Sing House reminded me why I love these conversations so much. Ian is one of those chefs who gives generously with his time, his stories, and his honesty and this time around, we went deeper than ever...

I visited Spaghetti Club just as everything was arriving. There were boxes everywhere, glasses and pots still wrapped, that slightly frantic but very exciting feeling of something about to begin. It already felt warm and full of personality, even mid unpacking. I sat down with head chef Michael Flemming to talk about what’s taking shape here: cooking over fire, handmade pasta, Italian family ritua...

When I first came across Raffaele Pelligra on Instagram, what struck me was his honesty. He was travelling, cooking, thinking deeply, asking questions, and sharing what he was learning and I really wanted to hear more. Now, I love a pull quote, those gems where people reveal their passion in such a perfect way. Honestly, every second sentence felt like gold in this chat, the kind you screenshot an...

From growing up in Port Melbourne, cooking alongside his Greek mother, to working across kitchens in Athens, France and Australia, Alex Meimetis’s story has been shaped by movement, patience and an unwavering love of food. It’s a story about learning by watching, earning trust over time, and understanding that leadership, especially in a kitchen, isn’t something you announce, it’s something you sh...

People often ask me what my favourite conversation with a chef has been, and I usually say that I don’t have one. I love them all. Everyone has a story to tell, and I feel genuinely privileged to be able to hear and share those stories, which makes it hard to single one out. But sometimes a conversation lingers. Sitting inside Greasy Zoes in Hurstbridge, after that gentle shift from city to rollin...

I went in for lunch at Little Black Pig and Sons before talking with David Lakhi, head chef and co-owner. After lunch we sat down in the inky and acoustically excellent dining room out the back, its walls hung with my favourite Klimt paintings. David has been cooking in Heidelberg for nine years now, quietly building a restaurant founded on seasonality, restraint, and a deep respect for cooking fr...

I finally caught up with Chef Morris Danzen Catanghal at a Boodle Brunch during the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, after circling this conversation for months. A boodle brunch is based on a traditional Filipino way of eating: food laid out generously on banana leaves, eaten together, by hand. It’s casual, communal, and built around connection rather than ceremony, and for Morris, it’s a reflectio...

#343 Abi Marquez | Lumpia Queen by Jo Rittey

After a few years working across Australia, Asia and London, Maltese chef Jonathan Brincat went back home to Malta to cook his own food, his own way. He opened Noni in Valletta, a restaurant built on the flavours he grew up with and refined through years in other kitchens. Six years on, it holds a Michelin star. Noni is about Maltese food, but not as you might expect. Dishes that start with memory...

Elias Salomonsson is firmly at the helm of Circl, continuing to shape a kitchen that leans Nordic in philosophy but grounded in Australian produce. I’ve spoken to Elias before here and this time, he’s joined by Derek Kim, former head chef of Tetsuya’s and now leading the kitchen at Garaku, part of Prefecture 48 in Sydney. Derek’s cooking carries the precision and discipline of Japanese technique,...