Dirty Linen - A Food Podcast with Dani Valent

How (and why) do you transpose a 13th English blacksmith building to a Sydney beachy restaurant? We chat to leading UK chef Simon Rogan, in the glow of being awarded the third Michelin star he's been working towards for decades, and on the cusp of his Australian pop-up at Bathers' Pavilion. https://www.simonrogan.co.uk Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Fol...

Sometimes you can just tell there's going to be a great story behind a food business. Mariana Chedid's Brulee cafe and patisserie has a unique homely feeling and gorgeous croissants. She shares her story of moving from Lebanon, falling into food and finding some great mentors and hard lessons along the way. We talk about Julia Child, Louis Fleyfel AO, Le Cordon Bleu, La Tour d'Argent and chef Yoha...

Where are the co-working spaces for bakers and makers? Cake queen Alisha Henderson has just launched Co. Bake Space with Alice Bennett. We chat to Alisha about running a small business designed to deliver joy. https://www.sweetbakes.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Rob Locke (Executive...

Mark Foletta grew up on a farm near Benalla, a couple of hours from Melbourne, and ended up buying the farm next door. Yin Barun is a diverse business with everything from cherries to pumpkins, pine mushrooms, wine and livestock. Mark has a focus on regeneration, soil health and strong human connections, not just in his regional area but also with prominent city chefs who use and appreciate the fo...

Winter is always tougher trading for restaurants but 2023 is presenting particular challenges. Sean Flanagan owns Wildgrain Mornington, a regional eatery which grows a lot of its own produce and works every single angle in trying to make business viable. This is a big chat, covering government policy, owner mindset and customer interactions. https://www.wildgrain.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Insta...

We wrap up our Refugee Week series in this conversation with Shahnaz Albokhalifeh. Born in Iran and now living in Melbourne, Shahnaz works with life-changing social enterprise Free To Feed. We talk about the difficulty of arriving in Australia as a refugee and the joys of sharing food and culture on the path to belonging. https://www.freetofeed.org.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.in...

We continue our Refugee Week series, sharing stories of women who arrived in Australia as refugees. They all seek a true welcome, a pathway to opportunity and the security of a permanent home. Atena Kashani was born in Iran and now lives in Melbourne where she works with her father Vahid at 01 Kebab in Roxburgh Park. Atena isn't allowed to study so she can't pursue her dream of being a lawyer. We...

After having an average experience eating Jamaican food at a festival Brian Johnson (Jammin’ Jerk) suddenly got an urge to try and do it better. He delved into the food of his heritage and soon discovered the complexities and challenges of dishing up food of a high standard. But after trial and error, he’s become one of the best producers of Jamaican Jerk spice rubs and hot sauces downunder. https...

It's Refugee Week! All week we are sharing conversations with women who arrived in Australia as refugees. Their stories are different but some of their needs are similar: a true welcome, a pathway to opportunity, the security and safety of a permanent home. Today's guest is Sangee, whose Sydney food stall Sangee's Asian Fusion celebrates the diverse flavours of her native Penang. https://www.insta...

Is there anything better than a great slice of bread? Actually, no. We chat to Pippa James from GrAiNZ, a collection of grain enthusiasts which meets to talk farming, milling, baking and brewing. GrAiNZ has just launched the John Reid Fellowship, a stipend which commemorates the sourdough pioneer by supporting projects in local grain economies.  https://www.grainz.org.au Listen to John Reid on Dir...

Welcome back to our special series, The Long and Short of Opening a Restaurant. This is the third podcast following the journey of leading Australian chef and restaurateur Martin Boetz as he works towards opening ShortGrain, an Asian food store and eatery in Brisbane. In our first episode, Marty outlined the vision: self-funded ShortGrain will be an eatery and foodstore in a landmark heritage buil...

Fourth generation farmer Charlie Scott was always going to return to the land but it’s fair to say he didn’t dream about quail farming as a boy. A combination of luck, nous, trial, error and endless hard work led to him developing a successful business around his own breed of quail. As he comes towards the end of his farming journey, Charlie looks back on a business that’s driven him hard and brou...

When you start talking sweet treats in Australia, Darren Purchese's name is bound to come up. The new host of The Great Australian Bake Off shares tales of his transformative encounter with a Peach Melba, his surprise trip to Australia, and a Melbourne career that kicked off at Vue de monde. Darren and his wife Cath Claringbold have just called time on their dessert store and catering business Bur...

Are there barriers to being a woman in wine? Isy Szyman is wine buyer at Rathdowne Cellars in Melbourne's Carlton North. She shares why and how she got into wine and what the challenges have been as she's made her way in the industry. We talk poetry, passion, pleasure and the aroma of a fresh can of tennis balls. https://www.rathdownecellars.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.insta...

After arriving in Australia in 2004 Giorgio Linguanti (That’s Amore) wanted to create something different that not only fulfilled his creative side, but added to the evolving culinary landscape. He became a cheese maker for the love of creating almost an unlimited number of cheese products from just one simple ingredient, milk. https://thatsamorecheese.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram http...

How does an ex-Ottolenghi chef approach winter in Melbourne? Brad Cunningham has brings the full breadth of his experience - catering, events, exec chef of a group, fine dining and cafe - to Waygood, a neighbourhood wine bar in Melbourne's Richmond. We talk food costs, customer spend, the place of cheese, stepping back to step up, and the Ottolenghi effect. https://www.waygood.com.au Follow Dirty...

Is Byron Bay really the paradise it's cracked up to be? Well, yes, according to Juan Hernandez, chef at Loft. It's the weather, the produce, the tight knit community of chefs and diners that keeps him happy and engaged. Juan also loves the ongoing opportunities for learning and growing as his career progresses. https://loftbyronbay.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/d...

The original brewers were women so why does the fermented beverage have such a blokey reputation and why is the craft beer scene rife with bro bullshit? Nemesia Dale-Cully - beer expert, activist and cellar door manager at Sydney's Wildflower - has views. There is so much joy and culture in beer but it's beyond time to make it an inclusive and welcoming arena for everyone. https://wildflowerbeer.c...

Growing up in the Victorian produce hub of Mildura, Ben Circosta’s family pantry was always well-stocked with ‘bippi’. The Calabrian word for chilli is now the name of his brand of Italian chilli pastes, based on the recipe that his Nonna Emilia brought with her from Calabria. Ben’s pandemic project has turned into a thriving young business infused with pride, not just in Italian culinary traditio...

We spend a lot of time engaging with chefs but there's less talk about the essential tools of their trade. Leigh Shenken is an artisan knife sharpener: what are whys and wherefores of whetstones? https://sharpenedbyleigh.com Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Rob Locke (Executive Producer) https...

We're thinking about the food future today with artist Anna Reeves, also known as A.Ray, from the Futureology collective. In a new exhibition, the artists explore the future of food systems with a tour of a fictional synthetic food factory called “Gloop Corp”. We discuss gastronomy in the age of tech, celebrate real food rebels and ponder the hugeness of everything: is it dispiriting or empowering...

Italian chef Rodolfo Malinverni leads the kitchen team at Vanitas in Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast. It's a fine dining degustation restaurant looking after just 25 guests a night but Rodolfo channels his nonna's no-waste philosophy in every dish. We talk about the intersection of luxury and frugality, Italian and Australian, past and present as expressed through food with story and heritage. h...

Victorian-based Aurum poultry are specialists that focus on producing the finest chicken, cockerel, ducks and game birds for avid cooks who appreciate the flavours and textures of traditionally raised birds. And according to Henning Skallebaek they have become the go to poultry supplier for some of Australia’s most influential chefs too. https://aurumpoultryco.au Follow The Producers on Instagram...

How can you express yourself as a chef? For Elia Donati, the pathway is cooking for small groups in private homes. It's a tough business but we talk about strategy, mindset and personal growth. Maybe you've achieved a lot more than you think... https://www.instagram.com/eliadonati/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.inst...

Lots of chefs have a longterm dream of opening their own restaurant but what do you actually have to do to turn fantasy into a reality? Perth chef Richard Overbye cooked around the world and settled in Melbourne where was head chef at Amaru before moving back home. We talk about the opportunities and pitfalls as he seeks a site to realise his big ambition. https://www.instagram.com/roverbye/ https...