Dirty Linen - A Food Podcast with Dani Valent

It's Friday! Here's what's on my mind... Standing up for a beer and scrapped capacity limits at 90% vax - YAY - but not enough staff to service demand - BOO! Also, why are visa holders still being discriminated against by not being able to leave Australia to visit family back home? And also...a great meal at Carlton Wine Room and apparently I'm a - ahem - legend. Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram ht...

After 35 years running Marios cafe, Mario De Pasquale has retired, leaving the all-day dining institution in the hands of his business partner Mario Maccarone. He reflects on what's changed and what's remained consistent over the decades. We also dig into the convergence of business identity and financial models and how they relate to caring for staff. It gets emotional... https://marioscafe.com.a...

Dirty Linen continues with the challenging topic of leaving hospitality in this discussion with sommelier Stacey Edwards. Her stellar career in wine and restaurants included stints as head somm at River Cafe in the UK and Lake House in Daylesford. She was working at Igni when the pandemic hit, prompting a career change: Stacey is now a train Signaller. What would it take to get this talented profe...

What if you farmed as much for beauty, joy and creativity as sustenance? Simone Jelley runs Pretty Produce, an edible flower grower in Queensland, supplying chefs and restaurants, and making value-added products that she offers direct to consumer. It's an endless journey of discovery, working with plants that aren't always appreciated for their edibility, that are strictly seasonal and extremely p...

We head to the Mornington Peninsula to speak to chef Brigitte Hafner, co-owner of Gourmet Traveller's Restaurant of the Year, Tedesca Osteria. This is a big juicy chat, largely about how to make restaurants work for the people who make a living from them. https://www.tedesca.com.au/osteria-tedesca Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https:...

Australian-Filipino chef Ross Magnaye returns to Dirty Linen, this time from far away Bulgaria where he's had a 'hot vax summer' on the golden sands of the Black Sea. We talk about the purpose of travel and adventure and Ross gives us an early taste of his future plans for a restaurant in Melbourne. I also share stories about my own crazy Bulgarian misadventures. https://www.instagram.com/rossmagn...

For three generations Greg Kocanda’s (Block 11 Organics) family have had their hands in the soil producing organic fruit and vegetables on farms in New South Wales Central West and The Hawksbury. Organics isn’t a marketing catch cry for the Kocanda’s, for 80-odd years it’s simply the only way they have ever farmed. https://block11organics.com.au Follow The Producers on Instagram https://www.instag...

Shashi Singh is winemaker at her family operation, Avani Wines on the Mornington Peninsula. She talks about the farming she witnessed as a girl in rural India and the deep resonances with the biodynamic farming methods she uses in the vineyard. A scientist, environmentalist, a mother and grandmother, Shashi's life is rich and - like so many careers in food and wine - her path has been circuitous a...

Friday On My Mind is a little wrap of the week: what I've been eating, drinking and thinking. Today it's Diwali, visa holders, Hector's Deli cheese pull, Restaurant St Lawrence donut, Stillwater at Crittenden STILL without power and lots more! Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Rob Locke (Execut...

Gilbert Family Wines have a long history of agriculture and winemaking within Australia. A father and son story of balancing tradition with natural progression and respect to site and season. https://www.gilbertfamilywines.com.au Over a Glass is a drinks podcast with Shanteh Wale. Exploring the personalities, stories & landscape of the wine and drinks business. Follow Over a Glass https://www.inst...

With reopening feeling more and more secure in Melbourne and Sydney, it's a good opportunity to have a state of the industry check-in with Wes Lambert, head of the Restaurant & Catering Industry Association. What are the big issues and what are the solutions? We talk vaccination, restrictions, lobbying, immigration and staffing, staffing, staffing. https://www.rca.asn.au Follow Dirty Linen on Inst...

Paul Righetti is a founder and owner of Honest Eggs, a central Victorian regenerative farm where they take pride in doing things differently. Paul grazes cattle, sheep and chickens, moving them through pastures in a nurturing cycle that works well for the produce and the land. Honest Eggs goes way beyond "free range" in terms of animal welfare, environmental impact and - crucially - flavour, and h...

Melbourne prides itself on being an events capital but that hasn't exactly been the case for the past 20 months. We check in with Hatem Saleh, CEO of Atlantic Group, which had already been thrown into turmoil even before the pandemic. How does a leader deal with crisis? Why is he in the industry anyway? And what are the positives Hatem is taking forward into his reshaped hospitality and events bus...

It's been a week since Melbourne reopened and Victoria is set for further changes this weekend, as the state hits 80% 16+ vaccination. What has the last week been like and what can we expect for the next stage of easing? Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Rob Locke (Executive Producer) https://w...

We head to Adelaide to talk to American-born chef Justin James (ex-Vue de monde). Justin's restaurant in the Adelaide Botanic Garden uses foraged produce to create tasting menus that take diners on a journey. We talk about the hot topic of staffing and Justin shares his innovative approach to melding and overlapping the many roles that combine to make a restaurant work. https://www.instagram.com/c...

It's episode 300! We catch up with erudite, opinionated pastry chef Will Goldfarb, who has recently been named World's Best Pastry Chef by the World's 50 Best awards. Will runs the incredible Room 4 Dessert in Bali which has navigated the pandemic with energy and optimism. We chat creativity, humility, art and dessert: how far can you push it? https://www.instagram.com/willtgoldfarb/?hl=en Follow...

Great cheese takes time, takes patience and takes a lot of care. For Nicole Gilliver (Grandvewe) it all starts with a great life for the sheep. Everything Nicole and her family do is founded on respect for their sheep, respect for the environment and a love of exceptional cheese. https://grandvewe.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent...

Rhianwen Seiter is flustered! The owner of Bendigo's Ms Batterhams is excited about Victoria rejoining as one but she's also discombobulated by a rolling staffing crisis. Her situation is further exacerbated by a number of her team - including her head chef - who've had to isolate after visiting exposure sites. We know we're living with COVID but we're still not sure how it works: the new new new...

Melbourne is open and so is my mouth! I catch the train to the city, eat in a restaurant with friends and feel all the feelings. Let's do this - safely, carefully, joyfully - let's satisfy our hunger for experience and connection. Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dirtylinenpodcast Follow Dani Valent https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Rob Locke (Executive Producer)...

Let's Melbourne again! Daniel Amato owns Brunswick favourite Lux Foundry. He can't wait to open the cafe again and feel the energy and buzz of the dining floor. Reopening for a sixth time is kind of unbelievable - imagine telling a business owner that two years ago. Even so, he feels prepared and optimistic - and he'd love you to try the new passionfruit panna cotta. https://www.luxfoundry.com.au...

With Melbourne on the verge of reopening for the 6th time, Scott Pickett is feeling the butterflies, wrangling the menus, decoding the ever-changing rules and - more or less, basically, in the end - feeling optimistic about his restaurants and Melbourne generally. Sure, he might have to scoop up staff on incoming flights but he's up for it...Let's do this, Melbourne! https://www.scottpickettgroup....

Ben Blackmore is a sixth generation farmer and the custodian of Blackmore Wagyu, launched by his father David more than 30 years ago. Their wagyu is one of the most respected and adored meat products in the world, a testament to genetics, breeding, feed, animal care and an unending commitment to quality. But what's it like to run a family farm in an arena that's stocked with corporates and in a wo...

We head to Canada to talk to cook, author and food commentator Julie Van Rosendaal. Her home town of Calgary, Alberta is open but dining out is restricted and the hospitals are overwhelmed. What can we learn from the Canadian situation as Australia climbs towards high vaccination rates and dining in again? https://www.instagram.com/dinnerwithjulie/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www...

Haikal Raji is one of the three brothers who run Melbourne institution A1 Bakery. Haikal grew up in the shop, learning hospitality and generosity from his father and uncle, and growing slowly into the custodian of a Lebanese legacy that is dear to Brunswick and important to Melbourne. The COVID times have been tough but he doesn't see any way forward but optimism, zaatar manouche in hand. https://...

When your restaurant is all about a sense of place and connection, it's hard to keep the spirit going in lockdown. But Andrea Pagani from Elwood's Figo Pizza has kept his staff engaged, the locals fed, distinguishing Caroline No Anchovies from Caroline Extra Anchovies along the way. He even managed to finish a PhD in literature. Let's talk Pinocchio! Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.ins...