Dirty Linen - A Food Podcast with Dani Valent

Melbourne joins Sydney in lockdown so Dirty Linen talks pasta and positivity with Pino's Vino E Cucina chef Cristiano Patacca. Why is pasta the ultimate comfort food? How do you stay upbeat and hopeful when times are tough? And what is it like being so far from your birth country when it's going through extremely hard times? https://www.pinosvinoecucina.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https...

We head to Brisbane to talk to Andy Ashby, owner of C'est Bon. It's Bastille Day and he has a huge day ahead at the French restaurant he took on just before the pandemic swept in. We discuss New Zealand baking, time working with Scott Pickett, strategies for shepherding staff through COVID and how he's brought knowledge from hotels and resorts to his multi-pronged urban bistro. https://cestbon.com...

Dirty Linen heads to western Sydney to talk to Pazar Food Collective's Attila Yilmaz. With the city in lockdown, things are tough and the light at the end of the tunnel isn't exactly blinding him. We talk about leadership, inconsistencies and policing - Attila is an ex-cop and he has some views. Despite all the uncertainty, he's managing to stay optimistic. https://www.pazar.com.au Follow Dirty Li...

Comedian Jennifer Wong's new iView show Chopsticks or Fork? visits regional Chinese Australian restaurants, finding out their stories and the secrets behind their deep-fried ice cream, prawn cutlets and sizzling beef. The tone is warm, generous and light-hearted but there's important anti-racist work in here too.. https://jenniferwong.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.co...

We're talking mental health and hospitality with psychologist Rhonda Andrews, Managing Director of Barrington Centre. Rhonda has researched the hospitality industry's challenges around mental wellbeing and has developed a framework for discussing and solving them. Her approach is multifaceted, ranging from the very specific and small (have a shower) to society-wide and structural (national skills...

We head to locked down Wollongong to chat to Jerusalem 'Sara' Taddesse. With her market stall on hold and catering business closed, Sara is bunkered down with family. We talk about Ethiopian cuisine, her hopes and ambitions for her business, and her desire to share the joy and traditions of her culture. https://www.instagram.com/ethiopian_cuisine_wollongong/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram h...

Yamatji-Noongar woman Sharon Brindley owns Cooee Cafe and Jala Jala Treats. We talk about life as an Aboriginal business owner: what are the challenges, joys and preconceptions faced. We're talking during NAIDOC week, a spotlit opportunity for reconciliation in action. https://www.cooeecafeandcatering.com.au/index.php Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/...

When the pandemic hit Australia, Andrea Vignali was a chef at Grossi Florentino on a sponsorship visa. Suddenly out of work, he started Al Dente, a pasta delivery hustle which has now turned into a real life restaurant. It's been hard - the visa stuff sucks - but Andrea's rule in life is to look beyond the problems to the possibilities. He digs the semolina out of his phone - "that always happens"...

Dirty Linen heads underground, into Melbourne's Campbell Arcade subway to chat to Courtney Patterson, co-owner of Cup of Truth espresso bar. With $6000 needed to repair their coffee machine and money very tight, Cup of Truth reached out to their regulars and were overwhelmed by the response. https://www.goodfood.com.au/eat-out/news/completely-overwhelmed-loyal-customers-raise-funds-to-support-much...

With Melbourne in the very unusual state of being open while much of the rest of Australia is in lockdown, we check in with Port Melbourne publican Anna Streater. Anna's Prince Alfred pub battled through four lockdowns with humbling support from its regulars but is now facing a new challenge: an anti-vax pile-on that's made her feel vulnerable and besieged. https://www.princealfred.com.au Follow D...

Just as he was about to open Margaret, the Double Bay restaurant that brought him out of a five-minute retirement, Neil Perry had to close it down. We talk about lockdown, perspective, the courage in simplicity and the challenges and pleasures of running restaurants with compliance and work-life balance in mind. https://www.margaretdoublebay.com Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagra...

Caterers have had a super tough time during the pandemic, operating at the junction of arts, entertainment and hospitality. We chat to Sydney caterer Peter McCloskey, owner and founder of The Fresh Collective, which runs events in public institutions such as Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art and Brisbane's Queensland Museum. The pandemic has pushed Peter's retirement timeline into the far distan...

With Sydney in lockdown, we chat to Jarrod Walsh, owner of Hartsyard in Newtown. The fire-focused restaurant got ahead of the city-wide lockdown, closing early and shifting to takeaway as cancellations rolled in. The first weekend of take-home meals has been a success and if it's just two weeks, Jarrod reckons it will be OK. Fingers crossed... https://hartsyard.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagr...

With New South Wales fighting an expanding COVID cluster, we check in with Stuart Knox from Sydney's Fix Wine Bar. With two staff in isolation, masks on and city trade tanking, he's watching the situation with March 2020 vibes, and hoping he doesn't have to negotiate a lockdown without JobKeeper and rent relief. Meanwhile, he planning to open a pinot... https://fixwine.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on...

Behind the complex and ever-changing rules of the pandemic are human stories of plans stymied and lives upended. We check in with Sarah Todd, ex-MasterChef contestant and owner of restaurants in India - she's just out of quarantine after making enormous - and ultimately unsuccessful - efforts to get to Goa. https://www.instagram.com/sarahtodd/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.inst...

Hash Tayeh was born in Palestine and moved to Melbourne by himself while still a teenager. He launched his first business at 17 and is now the owner of Burgertory and Melbourne's EzyMart convenience stores. As well as being an inspiring entrepreneur, Hash is open about his mental health struggles and shares his recent revelations about self-care. https://www.burgertory.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on...

Eamon Walmsley has dealt with plenty of crises during 16 years in hospitality but nothing has caused more headaches than the outdoor dining tent he erected to cope with winter 2021 at his Seddon wine bar Charles and Gamon. We chat about this epic local government saga before moving on to learn about Eamon's work with Odonata, a biodiversity enterprise that is about to open Sky Farm Melbourne. http...

As if a lockdown and easing restrictions wasn't enough, restaurants in large swathes of Victoria have also been battered by severe storms. We chat to chef Soren Thogersen from Seville Estate in the Yarra Valley about power outages, adapting to constant change and why he still feels lucky. https://www.instagram.com/spthogersen/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepint...

Are there any barriers to who can cook what cuisine? David Lakhi doesn't think so. He's the Indian-born chef of Heidelberg, Melbourne restaurant Little Black Pig & Sons and he stands behind the heart, soul and flavour of his Italian menu. David has been embraced by the community - they supported each other through lockdown after lockdown - but he's also been subject to gross and undermining racism...

As Joseph Abboud's Rumi marks 15 years, we celebrate the endurance of this modern Middle Eastern restaurant in Melbourne's Brunswick East and mourn the passing of the city's Bar Saracen. What is it that makes a restaurant work, and how does Abboud now balance risk and reward as he charts a path forward? https://www.rumirestaurant.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dee...

When chef Peter Doyle closed Sydney's Est in 2018, the then 66-year-old was calling time on a stellar career as chef-restaurateur that spanned five decades. He stepped into a leadership role at Merivale's internal chef apprenticeship school. We talk about the program, why it's necessary and how best to train and inspire chefs. We also chat about Merivale's move to Melbourne: should we be dismayed...

Restrictions are easing in Melbourne and restaurants are allowed to reopen but it's not as simple as that, especially in the CBD. We talk to cafe owner Elisa Mariani of Mayday in Richmond, and Greta and Maverick in the city. As she musters the energy to build business back up again, she knows it's not going to be easy with offices capped at 25% capacity and masks compulsory. But what can you do? S...

As Melbourne emerges from Lockdown #4, we chat to Byron Barrowclough from Moorabbin pub Wilbury & Sons. Byron talks about clawing back lockdown losses, the ongoing issue of staffing and some silver linings: after months stuck in 5K, Melbourne is loving its neighbourhoods and a cosy pub for locals feels like just the ticket. Bring on the lamb shanks... https://www.wilburyandsons.com.au Follow Dirty...

As a graduate visa holder, Pranav Kapoor's pathway through the pandemic has been perilous, often literally. When he lost his job last year, he took up work as a delivery rider, skidding around Melbourne's streets in the rain. Now he's got a great job managing the coffee shop, restaurant and bar in a five-star hotel...or at least he will when Melbourne comes back out of lockdown. https://www.instag...

For 20 years, Ashley Palmer-Watts was Heston Blumenthal's right-hand man. As the UK emerges from lockdown, Ash talks expansively about what he's up to now (coffee and cycle tours) plus the broader situation: a staffing crisis, Brexit, the post-isolation return to activity. We also discuss the endlessly invigorating Heston years and Ash shares inspiring insights into creativity, team-building and c...