Conversation with a chef

As soon as I walked into Citrico Daniel started talking and enthusiastically showing me around the restaurant. This beautiful two storied space in Fitzroy North is absolutely worth the tour. Daniel generously gave me an hour of his time as he talked about his love of cooking, his desire to share the Peruvian food of his youth, depression amongst chefs and the beautiful cycle he feels part of where...

17. John Paul Twomey | The Carlton Wine Room by Jo Rittey

16. Khanh Nguyen | Sunda by Jo Rittey

Richard and Suzanne Pavlov have realised a long-held dream to open a Lebanese restaurant and they have done it with great success with Bekka in Moonee Ponds. Inspired by a recent trip to the Beqqa Valley, a fertile valley known for its wineries and good food, and by their own heritage, they want to transport their guests to a Middle Eastern paradise.

Julian Hills thinks about food 24/7. That might seem like a prerequisite for a chef, but Julian takes it to a whole new level. Having dreamed for years of opening his own limited seating degustation venue, his newly opened Navi in Yarraville is allowing him to really stretch his imagination and his skill to explore and discover and surprise his diners and is an absolute delight for all concerned.

I drove out to TarraWarra Estate to talk to Mark Ebbels on one of those intermittently stormy/sunny days where the sky was sort of darkly menacing but at the same time beautiful and cloud cascaded down the valleys of the foothills forming the backdrop to the Yarra Valley. Mark grew up amongst all this beauty before venturing overseas to work in some of the world’s top restaurants including The Fat...

Reuben Davis is a magician. Seriously. I loved sitting down to talk to Reuben about the food he’s putting up at The Press Club but eating his food was a whole other dimension. I don’t often get to eat the food. Sometimes I talk to chefs because I have eaten the food. But often I go in and talk to chefs and really want to go back and eat the food but life gets in the way. To have been able to talk...

Tim Young is the epitome of the creative and passionate chef who loves what he does but is very aware of having to do the hard yards and push yourself to succeed. His journey has taken him from Hamilton to Melbourne to Holland and now back to South Yarra where he’s running the beautiful Matilda alongside an excellent team.

Alicia started working at Fancy Hanks before she went off travelling round the world checking out barbecue joints around America and doing a bit of couch-surfing. She eventually ended up working for a year in the kitchen at Restaurant Andre (No 14 on the Worlds Best Restaurants). The Fancy Hank’s team are glad they’ve got her back to head Heroes Melbourne and I feel lucky to chat to her. Alicia ex...

Simon Moss is an open-hearted chef who tells it like it is. Maybe it's because he's a kiwi. That might be my bias. Regardless, he is all about hard work, learning more and appreciating the run he's had so far. That goes a long way in my book.

Tong Li wanted to learn how to cook Mexican food, so he packed his bags, bought a one-way ticket to Mexico, learned Spanish and cooking pretty much at the same time and has been cooking up a storm every since. Now he's in Port Melbourne and boy does he have a story to tell.

Peter Jo, or Kimchi Pete as many people know him, has done the hard yards, earning his stripes in all facets of the hospitality industry, while at the same time distilling what it is he really wants to offer. He's close now that he has opened his own place, Shik, in the city. Chatting to Peter was a wonderful chase down the proverbial rabbit hole as we followed his thoughts and dreams and quest fo...

Another Kiwi making his mark on the Melbourne food scene, Daniel Wilson earned his stripes in the States and then reached for the stars in Melbourne. He was rewarded early on, jointly winning The Age 2003 Good Food Guide Young Chef of the Year and then continued his trajectory gaining hats at now closed Huxtable, the restaurant he co-owned and cooked for, and being at the forefront of the Melbourn...

Peter Roddy is one of those incredible chefs who has been working in restaurants since he was 14 years old and still exudes passion and delight at cooking. Having spent his formative years working with the likes of the Roux brothers, Gordon Ramsay and Terence Conran, Peter has earned success in every restaurant he has worked in and now has his own hatted restaurant in Richmond.

Sitting down with Sophie Storen is a soul filling experience. Her energy and excitement for creating food is palpable and her story had me on the edge of my seat, wanting to hear more and maybe secretly even wanting to be her.

The salmon I had for lunch at Ryne was the best thing I've ever eaten. No joke. Every mouthful was eye-closingly good. You know when you see a really good film and it ends and you just want to hold that feeling in your heart for a little bit longer? That's the feeling I had eating Donovan Cooke's food. Not bad for a lad from Hull who wanted to be a bricklayer.

Dave Verheul has a way with food that makes you at once raise your eyes in delight at the cleverness, as well as sink down into the cosy deliciousness of it. This is a chat from a couple of years ago and its one of my favourites.

When I arrive at Tipico, Domenico is busy making pasta. Owner Andrea Da Como pours me a beautiful glass of Barbera and before I know it, I’ve embarked on a glorious ride of a conversation with Domenico, including a tour of the kitchen and some of the most wonderful descriptions of team work in the kitchen I have ever heard.