Deep in the Weeds - A Food Podcast with Anthony Huckstep

Sean Dwyer began his career as a commercial crab fisherman whilst still a 13 year old school boy, at 23 he became the youngest Captain to command a boat fishing the incredibly dangerous and remote Bering Sea. Now, as a 30 year old he’s somewhat a veteran and star of TV series Deadliest Catch - hear part 1 of this truly incredible story now. https://www.instagram.com/captseandwyer/?hl=en Follow Fis...

Nadja Wallington was born into a family of wine, you could say its in her bloodline. Today she represents the next generation of talented young winemakers. Alongside her husband Steve, they run Chalou Wines in the region of Orange, New South Wales. https://www.chalouwines.com.au Follow Over a Glass https://www.instagram.com/overtheglasspod Host Shanteh Wale https://www.instagram.com/shantehwale/?h...

After learning his craft at Michelin star restaurants in Paris and Madrid, Thomas Cauquil (Frenchies Bistro & Brewery) dreamed up a concept of a French bistro and craft Brewery with his best friend, and brewer Vincent De Soyres. The pair had plans to open the concept in France, but Vincent’s yearning to immerse himself in the booming craft beer scene in Australia saw the pair head downunder. Now,...

After leaving his job as head chef of Cirrus just before the pandemic, Anthony Schifilliti (Six Penny) took the time to consider the sort of restaurant he wanted to open himself. With time on his hands he started experimenting with Koji-based fermentation which has led to his own brand Cura, and a dream role at one of the most influential restaurants of the modern era. https://www.instagram.com/to...

Other than water, tea is the most popular beverage in the world. We drink our share of tea in Australia but we are far from a major grower. Given that, it’s a surprise to learn that Nerada Tea in Queensland grows enough tea to make 750 million cuppas every year. Managing director Tony Poyner fell into the industry but working at Nerada soon swept him up and he became happily steeped in tea culture...

After a successful career as a civil litigation lawyer, and then working for the Victorian government for 10 years as a senior policy adviser on red tape reduction in small businesses like restaurants Julia Picone (Pentolina Fresh Pasta and bar) felt like a career change. Completely in love with Italian food, culture and way of life she acted on the urge to jump into the hospitality sector with an...

Tuna are a prize fish. A top grade tuna, with bright red, nicely marbled meat, is worth thousands on the sashimi market. In Australia, tuna fishers have garnered a reputation of being the rockstars of the fishing community. It has long had a reputation of being a boom or bust fishery but there are several operators who, by applying contemporary business strategies have found themselves at the lead...

Simon Black is chief winemaker at Montalto Estate in the stunning Mornington Peninsula. He heads up an award-winning winemaking team at the 5 star winery and joins us today to talk about life at the edge of Victoria. https://montalto.com.au Follow Over a Glass https://www.instagram.com/overtheglasspod Host Shanteh Wale https://www.instagram.com/shantehwale/?hl=en Executive Producer Rob Locke https...

Growing up on Lord Howe Island James Green (Manta, Molo Wine bar) had access to the most extraordinary seafood. After years of plying his trade he now finds himself running the ship of one of the country’s busiest seafood restaurants on Sydney Harbour. https://mantarestaurant.com.au Follow Deep In The Weeds on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Huck https://www...

We’ve spoken a few times about families that have influenced the culinary landscape over generations. But few families have the incredible impact that the Toppi family have had. With more than 40 years in the industry and many more for her family with her mother Giovanna, Paola Toppi (Bar M and Toppi Bar and Restaurant) takes us through an epic journey of her family, the restaurants such as La Str...

Having grown up on a farm, Tom Bjorksten (Misty Creek Agroforestry) witnessed the challenges of working the land and set his sites on a career in Sydney. But, after studying and landing a government job he had a yearning to be back on the land. Together with his wife Nicole, they headed to Northern New south Wales where they now run a Syntropic agroforestry farm. https://www.mistycreekagroforestry...

After receiving a call from two close friends to look at an empty restaurant site, AK Ramakrishna (XO, Ily) flew to Canberra to explore the opportunity. With a mission to plumb the depths of his parents pantry and shine a light on his heritage, he helped create a venue that not only sheds a new light on the staples of south east Asia but has become one of the most unique dining experiences downund...

July 1 is opening day of the Spencer Gulf Blue Swimmer Crab Season 4th generation crab fisherman Jarrad Barnes tells us his story as he drops the first pots of the year! https://www.instagram.com/barnesseafood/?hl=en Follow Fishtales, a Seafood Podcast on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/fishtalesseafoodpodcast/ Follow John Susman https://www.instagram.com/fisheads/?hl=en Follow Rob Locke (Exec...

Ed Nolle brews sour beer at Dollar Bill Brewing in the Australian beer capital of Ballarat. In 1870, as Australia’s gold rush tailed off, Ballarat had more than 500 pubs - panning for gold is clearly extremely thirsty work! The gold is mostly gone but Ballarat is still a beer centre, with a culture of brewing nurtured by local Federation University which offers courses in malting and brewing. Ed a...

Frankland Estate is a family affair. Located in the remote Great Southern of Western Australia, their little slice of grape growing heaven is called the Frankland River region. Here the self-sufficient, pioneering family have established themselves as ONE of Australia’s most exciting wine Estates. https://www.franklandestate.com.au Follow Over a Glass https://www.instagram.com/overtheglasspod Host...

Last time we caught up with Jarrod Walsh he was taking Hartsyard into a new era with his partner Dorothy Lee after taking over the reins from Naomi Hart and Gregory Llewellyn. Now, the young couple are set for a new chapter again. https://hartsyard.com.au Follow Deep In The Weeds on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Huck https://www.instagram.com/huckstergram/...

With a solid foundation of French technique under his belt, Scott Lord (New Quarter) was given the chance to learn new techniques and ingredient pairings at a Japanese restaurant. Soon enough he found himself cooking all manner of Cuisines from south east Asia and realised the potential of mixing French technique with the lighter side of Vietnamese cuisine. https://www.instagram.com/scott__lord/?h...

Although he’s had a few head chef gigs at very different influential restaurants Toby Stansfield (Old Fitz Hotel) was always limited on how he could express his own ethos on a plate. But when the chance to to take on the roll as head chef for one of the country’s most dynamic young hospitality groups emerged, he realized it came with a license to take the food in which ever direction he saw fit. h...

After landing the job as pastry chef at Hartsyard, Andy Bowden (Saga, Andy Bowdy Pastry) was given a license to do whatever he wanted on the dessert menu. It triggered an exploration with soft serve ice cream and impossible cakes that soon saw him garnering as much attention as the restaurant. He ventured out on his own and eventually led to opening his first ever cafe where he’s striking a balanc...

Longevity in the hospitality game is no mean feat. A career in the industry is one thing, but owning a venue for a decade or two, well that’s pretty rare. What does it take to not only run one of Australia’s best restaurants for two decades, but continually add more colour and nuance to the industry with new offerings too? As Icebergs undergoes a major renovation and nears 20 years in business, Ma...

Mike Brown is chief winemaker and managing director of Gemtree Wines in McLaren Vale, alongside his wonderful wife Melissa they are custodians of their land and farm biodynamically in harmony with nature and the unique environment in which they live. https://gemtreewines.com Follow Over a Glass https://www.instagram.com/overtheglasspod Host Shanteh Wale https://www.instagram.com/shantehwale/?hl=en...

Although she built an amazing career over two decades as an academic, Sue Barclay (Piccolo Deli) always had a love of food and a yearning to open her own café one day. Satisfied she had taken her career as far as she could, she took a leap of faith into the hospitality sector, buying a small café in her village. She got the keys two weeks before the pandemic locked everything down, making her firs...

After leading the team at the Agrarian Kitchen restaurant, Ali Currey-Voumard (Public Wine Shop) went to Europe to learn more about her craft. Arriving home not long before the pandemic landed, finding regular work was hard in her home state of Tasmania. She took a chance and ventured to Melbourne where she’s now dishing up food in a small wine bar that’s become a hub of the community. https://www...

After years of having a few lamb on the vineyard to eat the weeds amongst the vines on their property, Brent Old (Coole Acres Organic Lamb) realised an opportunity. He set about finding the right breed of lamb, and the means needed to farm organic Dorper lamb that now not only services the local food-loving community but has caught the attention of chefs and butchers in Sydney too. https://instagr...

After working on some of Australia’s best restaurants Patrick Agostinelli (Bar Milano) get ready to open his own venue and pay homage to the food and culture of the region of Italy that he grew up in. He settled on the beachside suburb of Maroubra where he and his wife and taken cues from local Australian ingredients and combined it with traditional dishes and hospitality to create one of the most...