Deep in the Weeds - A Food Podcast with Anthony Huckstep

For the last 18 years, The Paddock in Leopold has offered people with a disability the chance to learn new skills, and thanks to The Paddock’s Kim Turner the fruits of their labour are now appearing on restaurant menus across the region. https://www.givewhereyoulive.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/producerspodcast/ Host Dani Valent  https://www.instagram.com/dani...

Growing up on a sheep farm, Michael Jaques (Tulip Restaurant, Geelong) had a strong connection to the land and food from a young age. Although he loved being in the kitchen a career in food wasn’t a consideration until to took an opportunity to work on an oyster farm in Chile. The experience opened his eye to a career in food and upon his return to Australia he went head first into a career in hos...

Sustainably farmed free-range pork is something that we expect these days, but what does it take to create a lifestyle for the pigs to give them their best life, and look after the environment too? For pig farmer Ian Martin (Martin’s Ridge Farm), it’s just a normal way of life to work with the land, the animals and the natural elements to find a synergy between them all. https://www.martinsridgefa...

The Narooma Oyster Festival is an annual celebration of oysters that takes place in Narooma, New South Wales, Australia. The festival showcases the region's famous oysters and promotes the local seafood industry. It features a range of events and activities, including oyster shucking competitions, cooking demonstrations, live music, and seafood tastings. Visitors can sample fresh oysters from loca...

Ladies and gentlemen, put on your fancy hats and grab a glass of champagne because today we're talking about the Phar Lap, Makybe Diva, and Winx of oyster shucking - Jimmy Yiannaros! This shucking legend has left his competitors in the dust with his lightning-fast speed and surgical precision, making him a force to be reckoned with in the oyster world. Just like those famous racehorses, Jimmy has...

Suleyman Kirbancioglu (Safran) grew up in Mengen, by the Black Sea, a region renowned for producing the best chefs in Turkey. Coming from a long line of culinary excellence, with the majority of his family working in the hospitality sector, he was destined to do the same. After years of experience working in some of the finest dining establishments in Istanbul, he ventured downunder and to the NSW...

Martin Hudak is passionate about two art forms, coffee and cocktails. He is a world renowned bartender, spirit ambassador, author and co-owner of Maybe Sammy in Sydney. https://www.instagram.com/martin_hudak/?hl=en Follow Over a Glass https://www.instagram.com/overtheglasspod  Host Shanteh Wale https://www.instagram.com/shantehwale/?hl=en Executive Producer Rob Locke https://www.instagram.com/food...

While the two professions of music and oyster farming may seem vastly different, they both require dedication, hard work, and a passion for creating something unique and valuable.  Michael ‘Banjo’ Young is a unique character in the world of oysters & music ….. https://www.banjosoysters.com https://www.naroomaoysterfestival.com Follow Fishtales, a Seafood Podcast on Instagram  https://www.instagram...

While studying politics at university in the UK Calvin McDonald (Brewdog) landed a part time job in a bar. Soon enough, he found the comradery infectious, and soon enough he was rising the ranks of a boutique craft beer company and leaving his university days behind him. He moved to London and become an integral part of the growth of one of the biggest craft beer and hospitality brands on the plan...

John Ford and his team at Unearthed Mushrooms grow gourmet culinary mushrooms in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, supplying restaurants and a few retailers in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. John has loved mushrooms since he was a teenager and eventually turned his hobby into a business. It’s been far from easy but he’s as curious and passionate about fungi as he ever was and is very happy to wear the man...

At the age of 8 Dom Aboud (The Union Bank, Orange) took every chance he could to hang out in his uncles restaurant. Enamoured by food and cooking from a young age it lead to a start in the hospitality sector, but it wasn't until a chance meeting with Neil Perry and Corey Costello that Dom’s career took a sharp detour. Now he’s running the kitchen of one of Australia’s most-renowned regional restau...

In Thailand the pig is considered a lucky animal, and for Narin Kulasai (Porkfat) pork was at the heart of many of his family meals. Inspired by his grandmother’s ability to utilise porkfat in almost every dish, he opened his first restaurant that explores the food passed down through generations in his family, and the food he loves to cook at home. https://www.porkfat.com.au Follow The Crackling...

Since working his first service at six years old in his father’s restaurant, Nick Deligiannis (Audrey's) was destined for a career in hospitality. He embarked on a journey committed to learning and constantly taking on new challenges in some of melbourne and Longdon’s best restaurants until a yearning for a sea change saw him head for the Mornington Peninsula where he is showing maturity on the pl...

The Adelaide Hills is a reservoir of discovery and adventure in South Australia. You can lose yourself in its land of twists and turns and be back again in the city before you know it. Then again you might just want to stay. https://www.adelaidehillswine.com.au Follow Over a Glass https://www.instagram.com/overtheglasspod  Host Shanteh Wale https://www.instagram.com/shantehwale/?hl=en Executive Pr...

Levenvale Farm is a place that nourishes the soil, the plants, the animals and where farmer Georgina Baker (Bello Beef) and her husband Sam are rearing the amazing cattle to produce grass fed Bello Beef. A farm that helps build community and bring back localised food systems. https://www.levenvalefarm.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/producerspodcast/ Host Dani Va...

After running the largest foodservice operations in the country, Tony Panetta (The Woodhouse restaurant) felt the full impact of the pandemic seeing all events cancelled and having to let go of one of the biggest hospitality workforces in the country. The time out made him realise a need for change and headed back to his home state of Victoria, where things are at a much smaller scale, but he is n...

In food, people often want to know what someone’s favourite restaurant is, their favourite dish, and sometimes even favourite ingredient to cook with. For Liam Downes (Black Cat Truffles) it’s an absolute no brainer. The pig offers too many opportunities to pass up as his favourite. https://blackcattruffles.au Follow The Crackling https://www.instagram.com/thecracklingpodcast/ Follow Huck https://...

Caviar consumption is increasing world wide, with the definitive shift from wild to farmed caviar the global supply and quality is at an all time high. With the recent advances in sturgeon aquaculture and the expansion of luxury consumers, there remains vast potential in the category. Facundo Maequez, a native of Uruguay is the founder and ceo of one of the worlds most interesting caviar producers...

After growing up on the country Kim-Maree Moore (Oko Restaurant, Oko Rooftop cafe) had a great connection with food. It lead to a career on commercial kitchens and onto the big stage - literally. She landed a gig cooking for some of the biggest music acts in the world. When the tour was over she came back to earth with a thud, but she found her spark in Asian cookery and went on to be part of many...

Nick Ryan is an extremely well-spoken and authoritative voice of the Australian Wine industry. Writer, judge, presenter and communicator. Nick is a self employed and self-effacing career journalist, he also happens to have some of the best bed hair in the business. https://instagram.com/nickryanwine?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Follow Over a Glass https://www.instagram.com/overtheglasspod  Host Shanteh Wal...

Spending time in the family kitchen and learning to bake from the age of six meant Kristian Vale (China Lane) was destined for a career in food. He left his homeland New Zealand in search of experience and landed in Sydney where he become completely mesmerized by the depth and nuances of the myriad cuisines of Asia and set himself a mission to learn. Now he runs one of the busiest modern Asian res...

Cathy Palmer is just about getting used to the idea that she’s a dairy farmer. After a career in music management she followed a passion for animal welfare into ethical milk production. On her northern Victorian dairy farm, calves aren’t ripped away from their mums soon after birth. Instead, cows and calves stay together through to weaning. Cathy ensures a calm, happy life for her own cows, and sh...

After leaving Brisbane in the 1990s for a gig in Sydney’s thriving hospitality sector, Zac Sykes (Libertine) fell for the pace and excitement of a commercial kitchen. It lead to roles in some of the city’s best restaurants over two decades but the lifestyle was taking its toll. So he made a home-coming to Brisbane to make huge changes in his life where he now runs the kitchen of one of Brisbane’s...

Porchetta is a thing of beauty, the wonderfully soft, seasoned meat, the crips crackling, it’s one of the best ways to celebrate the pig. And few is any do it better than Orazio D’Elia (Da Orazio). https://www.instagram.com/da_orazio/?hl=en Follow The Crackling https://www.instagram.com/thecracklingpodcast/ Follow Huck https://www.instagram.com/huckstergram/ Follow Rob Locke (Executive Producer) h...

Maine is home to a thriving oyster farming industry, with over 100 oyster farms located along the coast. The state's cold, clean waters and unique tidal patterns provide ideal growing conditions for high-quality oysters. .As a rookie oyster farmer, one can expect to work closely with experienced growers to learn the ins and outs of the trade.  Alicia Gaiero is one such rookie, for whom her home st...