Conversation with a chef

Trevor Perkins is a passionate advocate for eating locally and sustainably. Local for Trevor is West Gippsland where he cooks overlooking the vines at Hogget Kitchen. On the day I visited, the countryside was shrouded in a smoky haze from nearby bush fires, a reminder of our footprint on this land that was so well managed and appreciated for thousands of years. It is good in times like these to ta...

When I spoke to Will, it was 7 o’clock in the morning in London. He was eating a peanut butter sandwich and drinking Lapsang tea and I could hear his children running around in the background. Will Meyrick has a lot going on. He has seven restaurants under his belt in Indonesia, produces a riveting travel vlog on YouTube where he delves into the history and culture of the country he’s in and tells...

I drove to Sorrento on a hot summer’s day and sat out on the terrace at Morgan’s, rosé in hand and with a beautiful view of the beach and bobbing boats in the bay. I ate grilled snapper with a snow pea tendril salad. It was delicious. I have been wanting to talk to Paul Wilson for a while now. Other chefs I have spoken to refer to him in glowing terms and he enjoys an immense reputation on Melbour...

Mo Zhou didn’t start out wanting to be a chef, but a gap half year at Uni opened his eyes to Europe and food other than the Chinese food he had been brought up with. A stage at Attica and then roles at Vue de Monde and The Press Club further inspired him and he started doing a series of pop-ups here and in his native China, always challenging himself to use local ingredients, even if he had never...

Drumplings is one of those places where you walk in and the dining space is cool, kinda edgy, you already know that the food is going to be delicious because, well, cheeseburger dumplings, how could it not be? Then you walk out the back and it’s all artificial grass and street art and basically an oasis of courtyard chic in the middle of the city. I sat down with Jeremy Raven, the magician behind...

C.S. Lewis was definitely onto something when he had children entering other worlds through a wardrobe. But Galah goes one step further with creating a bottle shop as an entrance to a super cool loft bar. Native Australian floral ingredients, feature bark hangings and retro Scandi-ish furniture is already a great start. Then there’s the food by Rory Greenwood-McNeair. Rory is humble and not willin...

When I walk into Hotel Argentina, Dan greets me with a kiss on the cheek, “That’s how we say hello in Argentina,” he says. I love it. After our chat, I am treated to a delicious array of dishes from the new menu, inspired by the food he grew up with in Argentina. He tells the table that what he is bringing out…his mother-in-law Rosa’s pickled eggplant, grilled meats and octopus with house-made chi...

Sascha and I sat up at the long table at the Alps in Prahran, surrounded by walls of wine and talked all things food and culture and philosophy and goodness. I really only scratched the surface of Sascha’s wealth of knowledge, experience and his passion for the food industry. We could have talked for hours, but that would have been a really long podcast to listen to and transcript to read and this...

Congress has been around for just over a year, gracing the corner of Peel and Wellington Streets in Collingwood. Jack Stuart stepped in as head chef from the start and has been plating up delicious food ever since. Jack is a stickler for quality and has chosen suppliers who favour one thing and do it well. If it’s not in season, Jack’s not using it and he gets huge amounts of joy from seasonal pro...

I sat down in the opulent Silks restaurant at Crown Melbourne with Chef Jack Aw Yong, renowned as the global godfather of Chinese cuisine. This month he is sharing with the lucky Melbourne dining public, his passion and talent garnered from years of hard work, determination and creativity. Chef Jack is a storyteller and I was treated to incredible tales from his culinary journey, interwoven with s...

When I was doing some reading about Elliott before going to chat to him, I discovered that, not only is he from Christchurch, but he went to school in the same part of town as me, albeit years after me…! I mention age, only because Elliott might be young in years, but he has had quite the trajectory, starting off his career cooking in one of New Zealand’s best restaurants, Pescatore, in the George...

When I walked through the door of The Hardware Club, Nicola greeted me like an old friend and revealed that he’s a big fan of my podcast and knew that he was the 202nd conversation I’d had. That made me happy and I felt happier still, perched up at the bar and hearing all Nicola’s stories of growing up in Verona, doing a stint in a hotel restaurant in Mykonos and coming to Melbourne. A year ago, h...

Nathan Scarfo is set to open his first solo venture, Risi in Moonee Ponds in March next year. Full of personality, it's clear from the moment you meet him that Nathan loves life, hospitality, and cooking Italian food. This is one of those conversations that would definitely have been great as a video because of the animated way Nathan talks about his passion. I learned a lot about risotto, reality...

Today’s chat is with Sandy Melgalvis at Common Ground Project, a not for profit café just out of Geelong. Sandy and I sat outside surrounded by chooks, raised garden beds and children running around in the sun. I had been wanting to talk to Sandy for a while because her name kept coming up in very favourable terms when I spoke to other chefs. Note to self: do not listen to Russell Brand in convers...

When I went into Gatherings, Alex apologised for the mess, saying it had been a big night the night before. It wasn’t messy and I loved the way Alex’s eyes lit up as he described giving over his space to Mitchell Teirney and Josh Hunter for their dinner: Know the whakapapa (origin/story) of your kai (food); a celebration of traditional Maori food, storytelling and wisdom. Alex, himself, is all abo...

Flip Grater is an impressive woman. She is an incredible singer-songwriter who has toured the world several times, she has produced four albums and an EP, with one of those albums produced in Paris, she has two cookbooks under her belt and with husband, Youssef has, perhaps most importantly created a beautiful little daughter, but also vegan deli and wine bar, Grater Goods by day and Pinot Cave by...

When I arrive at Prince Dining to chat to Executive chef Dan Hawkins, the dulcet tones of a jackhammer greet me and I’m pretty sure my face said it all. Sensing my alarm at competing with construction for a conversation, the lovely Prince Hotel staff took Dan and I up to one of their beautiful hotel rooms so that we could chat in peace. Dan is a gentle giant; tall and with a really lovely approach...

Hamed Allahyari is a Persian chef with a heart for others and a soul-warming laugh. I went out to Sunshine Café in Sunshine the other day and spoke to the café’s other founder, Jen Morillac. Jen and Hamed wanted to run a place that could employ refugees and asylum seekers who have had difficult time finding employment in Australia. In addition to that loveliness, they are making everything except...

Eileen and I sit down to chat by the open sash window in Napier Quarter, the cute blue stone wine bar on the corner of Napier and Kerr Street. Afternoon sun is glowing on the buildings opposite and deliciousness wafts out from the kitchen. After the chat, owner Daniel Lewis helps style my portrait taking, brushing away any stray dust from the outside wall…and from Eileen…This feels like family and...

Maureen Andrews is one half along with Gary of the mother and son team behind Ostrich and the Egg, a South African eatery and bar in St Kilda. When you step through the door off Inkerman Street, you feel as though you are stepping into their home. Not surprising really, Maureen has always welcomed and cooked for family, friends, the community and once for 500 people at a volleyball club event. She...

Mandacaru is a little bit of a different business model to the usual restaurants I visit. Chef and owner, Carla, is making delicious Brazilian dishes from a commercial kitchen just a little bit bigger than a shipping container out the back of an industrial-feeling complex in Port Melbourne. She feeds people through Menulog, Deliveroo, festivals and larger catering events. Carla’s eyes dance when s...

I first met Dave a couple of years ago when I went into Embla for a chat. It would have been one of the first conversations I did and I loved every minute of it. Back then, Dave was running between Town Mouse and Embla and doing an excellent job at both. Now he is solely overseeing Embla. I still asked the same dumb question about his cooking style and I love that Dave has now put me in my place t...

Nicola Romano | Oster Eatery by Jo Rittey

This was such a great chat. They are ALL great chats and I can’t even tell you how lucky I feel to be able to sit down with these chefs and just ask them anything I want to about their craft and things that occur to me mid-flight. Dan was so accommodating and really went with the flow and answered all of my questions in such a delicious way. All this, while the end-of-winter sun slanted in through...

When you walk into Curly Whiskers in Brighton, it feels as though you are walking into someone’s house; someone who is an amazing cook. It smells divine and Silas and owner, Rosalin are working in the ‘kitchen’ which is very much part of the dining room. A large island bench divides the back workspace from the tables and chairs; everything is on display and they like it like that. So do the diners...