Dirty Linen - A Food Podcast with Dani Valent

What do you get from a milk bar? Cheezels, ice cream, emergency Tim Tams...What about jollof rice, fried plantain and fufu? That's what's on offer at La Gout Afrique, a classic Aussie corner store that’s also a surprising West African restaurant. We talk to owner Evette Quoibia, who is showcasing food from Liberia, Cote D'Ivoire and Ghana in the Melbourne suburb of Reservoir. Evette imagined Austr...

Katrina Myers and her husband Tim own Barham Avocados, on the Murray River in New South Wales. It’s Katrina’s family farm but she wasn’t always sure she’d return to it. As it turns out, she loves the beautiful green haven they’ve created in a mostly arid area, and she’s also a huge fan of the avocados they grow for themselves and lucky consumers. https://www.barhamavocados.com.au/ Follow The Produ...

Shaun Quade ditched fine dining to manufacture vegan cheese in the US. It was...challenging. He's back in Australia after four years in Silicon Valley with a renewed appetite for restaurants and will soon launch Ballyhoo at The Lawns of the Lobby in Canberra. We talk about Lume - was it a vanity project? where is the interection of art and food? - and the dangers of burn out. Shaun has also learnt...

We hate thinking about the pandemic but it seems a lot of Covid-induced impacts are only now coming to the surface: the emotional fallout and economic crunches are very real. Today's guest is Jay Clough, a hospo veteran who recently closed a cafe and foodstore in inner Melbourne. The demise of his dream business hit super hard but Jay has regrouped with Bureau of Eating and Drinking, an industry n...

It’s been a couple of years since we caught up with Sydney chef and author Danielle Alvarez. A lot has happened. She experienced burnout, left her job at Fred’s and regrouped with a lot of home cooking. She now has a role as Culinary Director at the Sydney Opera House. Her new book, Recipes for a Lifetime of Beautiful Cooking, is a great companion for the home kitchen. In it, Danielle ponders the...

We love celebrating young talent at Dirty Linen. Seventeen-year-old Liam Scotchmer is a return guest on the pod. We catch up with the Single O barista on the occasion of his one year anniversary in the role. How is Liam balancing work and study, what has he learnt about coffee and himself, and does he have a vision for his future? https://www.instagram.com/liam.scotchmer/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen...

We chat to leading West Australian chef Guy Jeffreys on the occasion of him stepping back from his executive chef role at Millbrook Winery after 13 years. It's been a long stint, during which Guy has developed a strong gardening program which drives the restaurant's menu. We talk about his farm-to-table approach, the famous No Waste Monday menu and the interesting issue of longevity as a chef. How...

You might know Giaan Rooney as an Olympic swimmer - she won a gold medal for Australia in the 2004 Athens Olympics as part of the 4 x 100m medley relay team. And you might have seen her on TV, presenting everything from the weather to Postcards. But did you know this one time athlete is now also a macadamia farmer? Along with her fifth-generation farmer husband Sam and their kids, Giaan now lives...

Melissa Goffin runs Red Gum BBQ on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria with her pitmaster husband Martin. This is a super juicy chat. We cover brisket and all things American barbecue, the values that drive a business, the place of women in hospitality and the thorny issue of pricing. How do you bring customers along on your journey? Melissa is passionate and articulate; she's also a founding mem...

When it opened in the summer of 2022, Humbug quickly became one of Newcastle’s must-visit restaurants. Stephanie Wells is restaurant manager and wine list curator, running Humbug alongside her chef husband Michael Portley. Steph is a Newcastle native who moved away before being drawn back home to raise a family and launch a business. It's an exciting time for this coastal regional city - the size...

We love celebrating milestones at Dirty Linen! Today we chat to Frank Camorra on the 20th birthday of MoVida Original on Hosier Lane. When Frank launched the Spanish restaurant, people in Melbourne weren't used to eating at a bar or the casual, engaging style of dining that tapas is all about. We talk about what's changed and what hasn't and Frank shares some secrets to longevity. https://www.movi...

We wrap our week in Mudgee with Marek Delacre, the French artisan baker who oversees Althea by Zin sourdough bakery. Marek's life philosophy feeds into his approach to baking. We talk about the differences in bread between France and country Australia, and the way it feels to be part of the family of businesses based around Tinja Farm.  Listen to the whole series on Dirty Linen. We immerse ourselv...

David Lowe or Lowie is about as legendary as your get in the Australian wine world. Winemakers idolise him; wine drinkers covet his bottles, and he has had a hand in the progress and development of the greater industry for years. Proprietor and winemaker at Lowe Family Wine Co in Mudgee, he joins us today to set me on the straight and narrow. https://lowefamilywineco.com.au Follow Over a Glass htt...

Do you hear the land speak to you? Kesh Mudaly sees Tinja Farm as an organism, an entity that can feed and nurture itself and others. The organic and biodynamic specialist uses moon cycles, cow horns, ferments and compost to foster a closed loop that nourishes and connects at every step. This is the third episode in our special series in Mudgee, New South Wales. We're spending a week at the interw...

The gardener is the first chef. That's the principle that drives the food direction at Zin House, with head gardener Lydia Blocksidge tending large plots within sight of the restaurant. Being integral to such a short, direct supply chain means this passionate grower has her dream job. This is the second episode in our special series in Mudgee, New South Wales. We're spending a week at the interwov...

Dirty Linen is spending a week in Mudgee, New South Wales, at the interwoven food and drink enterprises based at Tinja Farm. Lowe Family Wines, Zin House and Althea Bakery form a farming and feeding ecosystem that's been crafted over decades, and incorporates ever-developing ideas about sustainability, community and hospitality. Our first guest is co-owner and chef Kim Currie, a powerhouse creativ...

It's time for another Dirty Glass collab podcast between Dirty Linen's Dani Valent and Shanteh Wale from Over A Glass. We dive into MoVida's wines by the glass, Shanteh gives the inside word from the world of wine shows and Dani compares wine judging to restaurant critiquing. Is there a good drink for Halloween? Shanteh isn't spooked by the question and comes up with a great idea!! SIGN UP TO OUR...

How do you know which voices to listen to? Where does direction come from? Pastry chef Paul Di Benedetto knew he loved cooking from a young age but he didn't have an easy path. He tells of his journey from shy boy to driven man and shares lessons learned along the way. https://menozero.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www...

Maurie Cafra owns Cafresco Organics in Koo Wee Rup in Victoria, a South Gippsland region remarkable for its black soil and suitability for growing food. Maurie grew up on the farm and still lives here so in some ways, things have stayed remarkably consistent. In other ways, a lot has changed. Maurie went against the grain and transitioned to organic farming, becoming certified in 1997. As he tells...

Anyone who’s been to Reine, the new Melbourne restaurant from the NOMAD group, has a lot to say about it. They usually start with the incredible space - the restaurant is in a cathedral-like old stock exchange building that dates to the 1890s. They talk about the cocktails, the seafood, the steak - and I’m still thinking about the cheese offering! But they often also talk about the acoustics. How...

It's a demoralising and exhausting time for a lot of First Nations people. Some leaders and thinkers - like Gamilaraay man Jacob Birch - have been advocating for self-determination and nation-building for a long time, having been burnt by enmeshment with colonial institutions. Jacob is one of the first recipients of the John Reid Fellowship which funds meaningful projects in the world of grain. We...

When did fruit become so fraught? Our guest today is Thanh Truong, a second generation fruiterer and author of a new book Don’t Buy Fruit and Veg Without Me. Thanh is the self-confessed Fruit Nerd - that’s him on Instagram - and he knows fruit inside and out, or we should probably say sprout to pip, skin to core? He knows how to choose a good avocado and whether or not my kids can eat apples out o...

Combining her background in applied chemistry with gelato and ice cream training in Australia, Italy and Canada, Roz Kaldor-Aroni from Elato finessed her own formula and developed a patented technique to reduce sugars, remove chemicals and achieve important health star ratings in her ice cream – and it's a flavour bomb too. https://elato.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram https://www.instagr...

Turkish-born Nada Thomas has just taken on her first head chef role and it's a big one! She's stepped into the top job at HER BAR, the flagship ground floor restaurant at a four-level Melbourne destination. We talk about the chef who inspired her to step up and the mentors who are giving her the confidence to shine. https://www.instagram.com/nadagafayri80/?hl=en https://www.instagram.com/her_melbo...

On the occasion of Enoteca Sileno’s 70th birthday, we spend a special double episode at the Melbourne institution in an old pub in Carlton North. We talk with Rosemary and John Portelli, the custodians of an import, wholesale and retail business founded by Rosemary’s father Gino Di Santo in 1953.  This is episode 2. From the beginning - whether it’s pasta or extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinega...