Deep in the Weeds - A Food Podcast with Anthony Huckstep

After some serious soul-searching and time to breathe, Julian Cincotta (Butter Sydney and Thievery) made sure all his staff were looked after and then set about running through his business with a fine tooth comb. The result is a tighter operation, smoother systems and the ability to expand with new sites, even while navigating the toughest year on record. https://buttersydney.com.au Follow Deep I...

With an award-winning restaurant on the border of NSW and Queensland Morgan Snow (Fins Restaurant and Fins at Plantation House) lost half of her entire team after a three-month closure due to the pandemic and a lack of tourists. Just when she thought the business was in jeopardy, she put together an entirely new team, reopened and with a huge influx of Australian tourists, trade is up 800% on the...

After growing up in the family restaurant, Palisa Anderson (Chat Thai, Boon Café and Jarern Chai Grocer, Boon Luck Farm) ventured overseas for a career far from hospitality. But after starting her own family, she returned to the fold and set up a farm to grow the ingredients vital to Thai cuisine. The impact has not only transformed the offering in her restaurants, but given her a greater connecti...

After five years of trying to push the boundaries of food and wine in Wollongong the pandemic landed and gave Andy Burns (Baby Face Kitchen, Wollongong) the time to not only assess everything they do, but the confidence to chance their arm with a set menu offering that allows creativity to flow through the kitchen and onto the floor with the dining staff. The impact has been swift with Sydney-side...

After building one of Australia’s best small artisan bakeries over the last decade targeting foodservice businesses, the pandemic landed and Simon Cancio (Brickfields, Chippendale) quickly pivoted his operations to a heavier retail focus. Grateful to see an uplift in business, he’s taken the opportunity to expand the business to give it the capability to grow while retaining its bespoke artisan he...

After 30 years of pouring everything into her career, Bronwyn Kabboord (Du Fermier Trentham, Victoria) found her work life balance had little to do with balance at all, and she was headed down a path of no return. But after moving to the country and taking a job with Annie Smithers, she not only found equilibrium, but has found the ‘unicorn’ hospo job that has her as excited to head to work, as it...

After spending three years planning his next restaurant taking him in a new culinary direction the pandemic landed and stopped Ben Williamson (Agnes Restaurant, Brisbane), and his team in his tracks literally a week befoe they were due to open. Without an audience, and with a concept that doesn’t suit takeaway, they put the wood-fire ovens to work baking bread and it proved so popular, it’s become...

The hospitality industry is renowned for slim profit margins, a reliance on high turnover, and for being slow adapters to modern technology. With the pandemic changing the way we think and operate, could technology save restaurants, cafes and pubs, and even make them prosper from adversity? A clever online platform developed by Kim Teo (Mr Yum) is part of the throng of start ups not only changing...

After seeing all of weddings and events cancelled or postponed Alastair McCleod (Al’FreshCo Catering) remodeled his catering business to create meals for the local community. The impact of such has created a new path for his business, where a greater connection to the growers, farmers and food lovers of the region has become an integral part of the business moving forward. https://alastairmcleod.c...

After opening a dream, ten-seater restaurant and capturing the attention of the industry and food media in the very first year, Sarah and Tim Scott (Joy, Brisbane) had no option but to close the quaint restaurant for 6 months once the pandemic hit because social distancing and restrictions meant it was impossible to seat guests. After deciding to go their separate ways, Sarah took over the busines...

After taking on a new role with a mission to raise the bar in regards to pub dining, Julian Nikiel (Alala’s, Oaks Hotel, Neutral Bay) saw all his plans scuppered when the pandemic landed. In a venue used to 1500 guests at a time and a huge kitchen crew, they not only had to let almost the entire brigade go, but devise a menu that could keep money coming in and customers happy too. Now with restric...

Although the strict Western Australian lockdown restrictions felt over the top at first and the need for tourists is evident, Peter Manifis (Kailis Fish Market Café, Fremantle, WA) believes the short term pain has enabled the state to get back on its feet faster than most. After cooking at a festival for 120 people, he’s preparing for a huge outdoor feast for a staggering 650 people. This is the ‘...

After cutting her teeth in Australian restaurants, Katherine Bont (Punk Royale, Stockholm, Sweden) left Australia for the first time at the age of 21 on a global culinary adventure that saw her work in Thailand, the Caribbean, Japan and at the world’s number one restaurant, Noma in Denmark. Now part of one of Sweden’s most Avant-garde restaurant groups she’s relishing the new challenge, but with n...

After four years dealing with construction around his popular venue Darren Purchese (Burch & Purchese) felt like he had systems at the ready when the pandemic landed to deal with another huge impact on his business. Switching to completely online and closing the walk in retail store to survive he’s realised not only the financial benefits but the personal freedoms it’s giving him too. As a result,...

Once the shock of lockdown wore off, Iain Todd (Saffire Freycinet, Tasmania) realised that he was emotionally and physically fatigued. After working his entire career, putting every ounce of energy into cheffing, the chance to get some rest sent his body into shock and he ended up in hospital with pneumonia during the peak of the pandemic. But, invaluable time with family, including attending his...

With winter fast approaching and the United Kingdom in the grips of a second lockdown, award-winning restaurateur Mitch Tonks (The Seahorse restaurant and Rockfish restaurants) knows that tough times lie ahead. But inspired by the industry’s will, determination, and innate ability to adapt and evolve he believes a new dawn of the hospitality will emerge from tragic circumstances. https://www.mitch...

On a trip to Lakes Entrance with front of house pro Andy Emerson, Jesse McTavish (Bar Elvina) lit a fire and cooked local produce under the stars while they reminisced about old school hospitality. In that moment the two hatched a plan to not only capture the heart of hospitality, but ensure a new working model that will keep it viable long into the future too. https://www.barelvina.com.au Follow...

After taking maternity leave following the birth of her first child, Trisha Greentree (10 William Street + Fratelli Paradiso) returned to lead the team just three weeks before lock down. Although the experience was tough, she found strength in being with her team to pull through its toughest period, and it’s lead to new role of executive chef across two of Sydney’s most celebrated venues. http://1...

Last time we caught up with Mark Jensen (Red Lantern) he was trying everything to keep the business alive, including hiring the help of Keith a part time restaurant manager and full time mannequin. Jensen had found what he believed to be a new, sustainable restaurant model, but things have evolved even further since and he's cutting out a new career on the side. https://www.redlantern.com.au Follo...

After spending a year building his dream restaurant in Bali, Greg Feck (Vaporetto and Squid Inc) had to fly home to help run his Melbourne restaurant in Australia when the pandemic landed, leaving a restaurant half built overseas. Although the financial strain has been heavy, the community support, including their Hawthorn Neighbour ANZ letting them use its car park for outdoor dining, has been so...

Today the South Australian Premier sent the state into lockdown, closing schools, universities and stopping restaurants, takeaway shops, cafes and food courts from trading for 6 days. It’s a heart breaking blow for the industry and we caught up with three of the most influential hospitality professionals in South Australia as news broke to get their take on the impact it will have on the industry....

With a restaurant and bar licensed for 1000 customers in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD, Tony Twitchett (Taxi Kitchen and Transit Bar) had reservations about opening the doors without the foot traffic and inner city workers. But keen to get out after extended lockdown, Melbournians have not only been queuing to get into his popular venue, but have been keen to stick to the rules to ensure Melbourne’...

Just three weeks after restaurants opened and restrictions started to ease, Gabrielle Webster (Icebergs Dining Room) was in a high-speed head-on car accident and almost died. After being airlifted to hospital and multiple surgeries, she’s undergoing intensive rehabilitation. Feeling partly lucky to be alive, and dealing with the throes of recovery, the time has given her pause to realise just how...

After taking the plunge for the very first time as restaurateurs buying a successful, award-winning establishment Dorothy Lee and Jarrod Walsh (Hartsyard, Newtown) found it hard finding their own identity. But when the pandemic landed it allowed them to stop everything and rethink their business model and for the first time the restaurant feels like a true extension of their personalities and has...

After losing her job when Brisbane’s award-winning restaurant Arc Dining closed at the start of the pandemic, Ceri Kidby-Salom (Alba Bar and Deli, Brisbane) took a moment to pause and reflect on her time in the industry, what she wanted to get out of and, importantly what she wanted to put into the industry. The time has made her realize that now, more than ever, the mental and physical health of...