Dirty Linen - A Food Podcast with Dani Valent

We're talking hospitality industry culture today with Ben Parkinson, sous chef at Melbourne's bayside Pipi's Kiosk. Ben has suffered burnout during tough times as a chef and went into therapy to find his way through. He loves his work and now strives to build a balanced and successful life in and around it. https://www.pipiskiosk.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dir...

What's on my mind this Friday? I shake my head and see if any thoughts fall out... Here's what we get: the loss of a local fishery and the end of Port Phillip Bay sardines, new style Valentine's Day, the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival launch is coming, loving the suburbs especially Abruzzo Lab, what is a restaurant for and why does it make us better humans? We also welcome Cookaborough as a sponso...

With more than three decades experience in hospitality, restaurateur and wine maker Simon Denton has seen just about everything. We reflect on the changes driven and witnessed over the years, and the opportunities and perils of the pandemic period, including those for Simon's Melbourne basement restaurant Izakaya Den 2029. https://www.dentonwine.com Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.inst...

Nic Poelaert trained in the classics in his native France and moved to Melbourne where he cooked at Vue de monde, was named Young Chef of the Year, and ran highly rated Embrasse and Brooks. Given all that, it might seem surprising that he's now running a choux microbusiness in the Newcastle area. Nic explains why it all makes sense... https://www.instagram.com/ChouxPatisserieNSW/?hl=en Follow Dirt...

The Achacha has been domestically cultivated for centuries in the tropical lowlands of the Amazon Basin. But after being introduced to the tropical fruit by a friend, Helen Hill and her husband Bruce (Achacha) set about creating the world’s first commercial plantation in Far North Queensland– and the world is taking note. https://www.achacha.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram https://www.ins...

Perth hospitality worker Stefanie Wee has a decade's experience in the industry, both as owner and employee. Stef is an advocate for cultural change, particularly around misogyny and abuse, both in the workplace and in personal relationships. This is a tough but important conversation as we work towards a safer and more fulfilling industry for women. TW: abusive relationships, sexual assault https...

What's on my mind this Friday? Optimism, the privilege of journalism, the upside of cancellations, the importance of ventilation and the meaning of food trends. I shake my head and see what falls out. Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Rob Locke (Executive Producer) https://www.instagram.com/foo...

As we march towards our third pandemic winter, it's time to talk air quality and ventilation in restaurants. Kate Cole is President of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists and sits on the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce Infection Prevention & Control Panel. She discusses ways to understand and improve airflow in a room, thus keeping customers and staff safer from COVID...

Happy Year of the Tiger! We talk Lunar New Year traditions and much more with Yanan Zhou, who grew up in her father David's businesses and has now taken on a leadership role with Oriental Tea House. Yanan shares lessons, strategies and stories, including one about the accidental matchmaking that occurred in her family's restaurant. https://orientalteahouse.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram ht...

Jason Cotter grows heritage wheat and mills it into flour at Tuerong Farm on the Mornington Peninsula. The Peninsula, an hour from Melbourne, is better known as a wine region but Jason's interest in local grain economies and his fascination with the fundamental place of wheat in the human story has taken him down a different path. https://www.tuerongfarm.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram ht...

When the pandemic started, we locked down to protect the vulnerable. The current era of personal pandemic responsibility is alarming for many, especially those with underlying health conditions. Lily Ngatai-Stokes owns community-focused Theodore's in Brunswick, currently closed because her complex health conditions mean it's too risky to trade. What values, attitudes and practical measures allow d...

For Gerald Diffey, hospitality is about relationships: being open to them, then building, nurturing and honouring them. It's there in his iconic Gerald's Bar - the original in Melbourne and another in San Sebastian - and it's threaded through his new book Beggars Belief. We talk about the many details that make up the marvellous machine that is a restaurant and the problems that spill from not val...

With a goal to create delicious food from sustainable produce, Tom Eadie (Berkelo) not only built one of the best sourdough bakeries in the country but actively supported healthier local communities in the process. https://berkelo.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/producerspodcast/ Host Anthony Huckstep https://www.instagram.com/huckstergram/ Host Dani Valent https...

Dirty Linen launches into 2022 season proper with Sreelekha Mekala from Chai 'n' Dosa, a food truck in Melbourne's Braybrook. Sree has an IT background but she's always wanted a south Indian food truck and in 2018 she pursued her dream, employing a multi-cultural girl squad to make it happen. We talk passion, commitment and mindset as she steers Chai 'n' Dosa to new successes. https://www.instagra...

Summer rolls on in this chat with Indian chef Harry Mangat, whose Biji Dining experiences are popping up at Avani Wines on the Mornington Peninsula during summer 2022. Harry talks about a key meal at Quay, his mother's carrots, and his mother-in-law's Indonesian chicken. https://www.bijidining.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent htt...

Dion Sanusi from Kata Kita takes us to Indonesia as part of Dirty Linen's Summer Series. He starts with a redolent rundown of some of the key building blocks of Indonesian cuisine before diving into some favourite dishes. See you on the street for some noodles! https://www.instagram.com/katakita.au/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valen...

What makes someone go into vinegar production? And what keeps them in love with their business every single day? We talk to Ian Henderson, owner of Australian Vinegar and the artisan Lirah brand. Ian shares his extraordinary foundation story, the values that power his business and the reasons we should all be using and enjoying more vinegar. https://lirah.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram h...

Restaurants would be nothing without their diners and there are few diners as committed and keen as Melbourne vet Jeff Brady. Asking Jeff to choose just three memorable meals seemed very mean but he came through with the goods, travelling through the decades and the continents in the latest instalment of Dirty Linen's Summer Series. https://www.instagram.com/thermomixeroz/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen...

We continue talking key food moments in Dirty Linen's Summer Series. Today's guest is videographer and extreme food fan Jake Reeder who expounds on his love of creative wine matches, glorious coffee geekery, the place of reverence in the restaurant experience and the joys of return visits. https://jakereeder.com Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dan...

We ask vegan specialist Shannon Martinez from Smith & Daughters to talk about three memorable meals as part of Dirty Linen's Summer Series. Narrowing the list down was tricky but she zooms us to London, Sydney and Barcelona for surprising, delightful and thought-provoking bites. https://www.instagram.com/shannon_martinez/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpo...

Looking for a greater connection to the local community, Matt Bakker and Micah Oberon joined forces to create Neighbourhood Farm - a small-scale bio-intensive market garden based in Oxley, Brisbane. Using the best organic and regenerative farming practices they’ve not only captured the hearts of the neighbourhood, but the attention of some of Brisbane’s best chefs too. https://www.neighbourhoodfar...

Summer rolls on with food identity and ex-MasterCheffer Conor Curran who takes us to Marseille, Tasmania and his yiayia's house in Richmond to share his most meaningful and memorable meals. https://www.instagram.com/creamy_confusion/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Rob Locke (Executive...

Dirty Linen's Summer Series checks in with Seasoned Traveller founder and freelance food writer and content creator Sofia Levin. It was extremely challenging for this committed eater to come up with just three memorable meals but she goes at it with gusto and glee. https://www.instagram.com/sofiaklevin/ Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent...

Dirty Linen's summer series rolls on with Frank Pham, otherwise known as Culinary Frank on YouTube where his ASMR cooking videos have hundreds of thousands of fans. I think I understood ASMR - sounds that inspire 'brain massage' - properly for the first time watching Frank chop, stir and slide pans around. Frank is also a chef at Spice Temple and it's awesome to hear about his most memorable meals...

Jemal Murat founded Australian coffee company Jack Murat with his brothers and father. The Murats grow coffee beans in north Queensland on land previously used for tobacco and vegetables. With coffee, they’ve found a project promising enough to engage the whole family in a lifetime commitment - to the farm, the crop and a unique high quality product that will hopefully be enjoyed in cafes around t...