Conversation with a chef

Alessandro Tintori grew up on a farm in Tuscany and so when he talks about cooking with the seasons, it’s not just a cliche, it’s a way of life. Having started his chef life in Italy, with a two-year stint in London, and some time in Sydney, luckily for us, Alex now calls Melbourne home. After a wonderful six years working at Il Bacaro with David Dellai, the opportunity arose for Alex with friend...

I had dinner at Officina Gastronomica Italiana a couple of weeks ago and loved everything about it, from the exposed brick walls to the art deco lighting to the wall of wine. The food and wine were delicious too, but the thing I loved most about Officina Gastronomica Italiana was owner Claudio Casoni and the obvious love he has for hospitality and sharing the food and wine of his region, Emilia-Ro...

Nada Thomas is the new head chef at Her. It turns out I actually know her sister-in-law and when I mentioned I had chatted to Nada, Belinda described her as a “pocket rocket, and we love her.” Nada exudes love for cooking and hospitality. She loves what she does, loves her team and it feels as though she has an endless supply of ideas for menus in the future. This current menu is an expression of...

Mariana Chedid is an exquisite pâtissiere. She also wants to change the world for the better, starting with the people she meets on her life journey as well as those she works with and who come into Brulee Patisserie in Port Melbourne. Mariana discovered a love for cooking by accident when she was working in hospitality while studying architectural technology. Around the time she decided to pursue...

I spoke to Martin Goffin about 4 ½ years ago and it was a pleasure driving out to Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula again to see how he is going and what’s happening now for Red Gum BBQ. Originally from the east coast of England, Martin discovered a love for barbecue through his American-born wife, Melissa, and left a job in local government to pursue the pit master life. He spent some time in...

Today I’m talking to Adam Mumford from Soult, salt with soul, a premium flavoured salt that gives back to the community. 100% of their profits go to Mental Health Charities or Foundations that focus on post suicide support and suicide prevention. In Australia, this is Standby and Mental Wheels and Healthy Heads in Trucks and Sheds. We do talk about suicide in this episode, which can be distressing...

James Gibson is the loveliest man. He exudes warmth, friendliness and absolute passion for food and chef life. Originally from Leeds, James got into the kitchen as a way to get out of school and hasn’t looked back. After six years working for the Arbory crew and working his way up through the ranks, he is now Executive chef of Arbory and Afloat, the seasonal venue on the Yarra. This year Afloat is...

Anthony Femia is a cheesemonger. Not just any cheesemonger, but an internationally recognised cheesemonger who regularly sets off on wandering cheesemonger trips around the world and in 2018 was the first Australian cheesemonger to be invited to the caves of Marcel Petite in the Jura mountains in France to select his very own flavour profile of Comté. Luckily for us, Anthony calls Melbourne home a...

I feel very lucky to get to talk to incredible chefs, most of them with many year’s experience in the industry. I often ask chefs what their advice would be to people at the start of their career and I have heard so many gems. It seems apt then, every now and then to chat to one of those chefs who might appreciate that advice, someone who is just starting out and to hear how things are going as th...

What a divine experience to talk to David Zhou at Oriental Teahouse in South Yarra on the eve of their 20th birthday celebrations. David is softly spoken with a wealth of wisdom and knowledge about his teas, hospitality and people. While we spoke, I was treated to a glorious pot of David’s calm concentrate tea, made with goji berries, lychees and other ingredients and which became more and more ca...

Dale Kemp began his cooking career back home in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Although he had always been aware of and interested in the fact his grandmother was a great cook - she had a huge garden and grew fruit and vegetables throughout the year – he didn’t think about becoming a chef until he got an after-school job at 16 as a dishwasher at the Boat Shed Café in Nelson. He loved the sounds, the aroma...

I went in to chat to Adrian Richardson at La Luna Bistro on a rainy Saturday afternoon when a wedding lunch was winding up in the downstairs dining room and the staff were prepping for evening service. Longstanding restaurant manager, Linda thrust a glass of wine into my hand and Adrian and I went for a tour of the cool room where they dry age ALL the meat. I don’t think I have seen so much meat i...

I went in to Pipi’s Kiosk halfway through May to talk to co-owner and chef, Jordan Clay. I am a long time fan of Pipi’s, because of its setting right on the beach looking out across Port Philip Bay and of course, because of the food. When I spoke to Jordan, we had just put an offer on an apartment in Port Melbourne and I thought to myself, imagine if we get this and I can just walk down the beach...

#185 Oliver Hughes | Henrietta by Jo Rittey

I went in to Stokehouse at golden hour as the glow of the late afternoon sun bathed the dining room. Winter is the best time for sunsets, they told me, and as I left after chatting to Jason, the sky was awash with deep coral. It’s a stunning dining room. Who wouldn’t want to sip wine and eat glorious food looking out over Port Philip Bay? It’s even more stunning once you know how intentional the r...

Scott Lord was born in Dunedin in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and knew from a young age that he wanted to pursue hospitality as a career. After a few years of working under various chefs, he joined the multi-award-winning restaurant Pier 24 as Chef de Partie, working alongside Michael Coughlin at the St Clair eatery. When Scott and his wife moved to Melbourne in 2015, he secured the role of chef de par...

What an absolute treat to talk to Tom Sarafian. Often described as the unofficial king of hummus, the best hummus maker in Australia, hummus expert, Tom certainly has a passion for hummus and he has put a lot of time and thought into perfecting his product. At one point in the conversation, he waxed lyrical about each of the ingredients and I loved it! At another point in the chat, we went on a Le...

Everyone calls Chanon Boriharnvanakhet Chachi, so I am just going along with that too. Chachi is head chef at Tonka, having taken over the reins three and a half months ago. It’s his first head chef role, having never really set out to climb the ranks, and so he is feeling his way carefully, talking to staff, feeling the room and making the role his own. Chachi is a thoughtful chef; thoughtful abo...

I met Hendri Budiman when I was writing an article for Broadsheet about the new direction of Coda and Tonka now that co-owner and executive chef, Adam D’Sylva has moved on. I really loved the way he talked about food as well as all the different restaurant experiences he has had and the fact that ultimately he keeps coming back to Coda. Coda will always be one of my favourite Melbourne restaurants...

Anthony Thalassinos is the head chef of George Calombaris’ new restaurant, The Hellenic House Project in Highett, a bayside suburb about 35 minutes from Melbourne’s CBD. I think you would have to have been under a rock if you didn’t know that George Calombaris had opened a new restaurant and I, like many was following the lead up and opening as well as the star-studded diners, such as Nigella Laws...

Georgios Smyrnios got in touch with me to ask whether I’d like to have a chat about what he was doing at Raph’s Deli in Abbotsford ,and I am so glad I did. I live in Abbotsford, but the opposite side and unbelievably this cute little deli and sandwich shop had escaped my notice. In April Urban List rated Raph’s Deli’s sandwiches as some of the best in Melbourne and that is saying a lot for a city...

McKay Wilday is a fascinating guy. He gives off a calm, unflappable and very assured vibe and he comes out with the most unexpected things. I knew I was going to enjoy talking more to him, having spoken briefly to him when I was writing about Alta Trattoria, the restaurant he owns with Carlo Grossi, James Tait and Luke Drum for Broadsheet. I knew he was Grossi alumnus and I knew he had worked at G...

I was excited to speak to Brad Cunningham at Waygood for a number of reasons. He is an ex-pat chef from Aotearoa New Zealand and he has worked in numerous places around the world, including my home town of Otautahi, Christchurch, as well as in Paris and London. I particularly loved that in his LinkedIn profile, Brad says he has lived and worked in some of the world’s greatest cities and he lists t...

For me, eating seafood while looking out to sea is what it’s all about and so Audrey’s at the iconic Continental in Sorrento is my dream come true. The dining room is divine. Art Deco curves, coastal pallet, sunshine streaming in and a view of the sea. Plus Audrey’s is part of Scott Pickett’s repertoire of incredible restaurants and I am a long-time fan of Scott and his restaurants. While I have n...

Japan-born Soichi Kawabata brings 26 years of traditional and hyper-focused knife-wielding skills to South Yarra's Yakikami in its Wagyu Omakase offering. Growing up in Fukuako – a coastal city known for its seafood culture, Soichi spent his younger years on fishing trips with his father. Here, the pair would catch different types of fish and bring them back to the family to share, and create some...