Meet The Chefs

Welcome back to another episode of Meet The Chefs! Another day and another country as I sit down with Ferdinand at one of Vienna's most historic coffee houses. 150 years old, Café Landtmann has been frequented by the likes of Sigmund Freud, and visited by Paul McCartney and Hilary Clinton. It's one of the most famous institutions in Vienna and it was fascinating to sit down with Ferdinand,...

Welcome back to 'Meet The Chefs'! This is an entirely different episode as I sit down in the Caribbean with Matt Worswick. Matt has been on a really extraordinary journey and now finds himself running one of the most extraordinary restaurant groups I have ever encountered. That is headlined by 'The Cliff', the embodiment of 'no expense spared' in a restaurant. Check out the...

Hello and welcome back to Oxford Eats! Today I'm back at Hervé Gatineau bakery and patisserie in Summertown. I wrote a full article on the cafe there a couple of months ago that you can read here ( https://cherwell.org/2023/04/30/herve-gatineau-review/ ) and it was great to meet up again with Debra. This podcast is another fascinating insight into the Oxford food community. Even more than that...

Hello and welcome back to Oxford Eats! This is a really fun episode from another iconic Oxford location. Students might know them from their High St. location but I sat down with co-founder Lizzie in their Castle location. Listen out for a section about just how diverse and friendly the Oxford independent community is too! Be sure to check out the Instagram for more!  https://www.instagram.com/oli...

Hello and welcome back to Meet the Chefs.  Today, I’m chatting with Chet Sharma.  Chet has been on an unconventional and winding culinary journey and is now the head chef at Bibi in Mayfair.  The high-end Indian restaurant has been recognised repeatedly as among the top 100 in the UK and has firmly established itself as one of the places to dine in the capital.  Chet has friends across the industr...

Hello and welcome back to Oxford Eats.  Today, we visited the Oxford famous Barefoot Bakery in Jericho.  We sat down with the two founders and owners and chatted about all things cakes, bakes, and drinks.  This conversation is so good because it really is all-encompassing and focuses on everything from the business’ beginnings to its organic growth and the struggles of recent inflation across the...

Hello and welcome back to Oxford Eats.  Today, I sat down with Kate - the co-owner of Temptations Desert Lounge in Summertown.  As you’ll hear, there is an incredibly diverse menu of options here and they cater to all manner of markets.  Kate has a fascinating back story, so listen out for that and all things ice cream, waffles, and croffles (yes croffles!).  Enjoy! Be sure to check out the Instag...

Today it's time for a very special episode as we pay a trip to Bird and Blend. Of course, the brand isn't exclusive to the city but it's become a mainstay of the Oxford High Street for students and locals alike. Watch on Spotify for the full video version as we talk all things Bird and Blend journey, the full menu, retail, and even get a sneak peek at some new biscuit teas! Hosted on A...

Hello and welcome back to Meet The Chefs.  Today I’m joined by Eran Tibi - a chef who has been on a fascinating and unconventional journey.  After a career in marketing, he felt unfulfilled and retrained in gastronomy before working at Ottolenghi.  Then, he went it alone and has created his very own ‘Tel Aviv Fantasy’ at Bala Baya in Southwark.  Listen out for Eran’s ethos - it’s all about a crazy...

Today I paid a trip to Burnout BBQ in Summertown and sat down with co-owners Thomas and Malcom to chat about the amazing site that they have created here.  Originally a street food business, during COVID they saw a chance and exploited a gap in the market for authentically American BBQ.  The result is a love letter to all the US with Brisket, burnt ends, hot dogs, cheesesteaks, wings, floats, and...

There’s even more chocolate on the menu for you today as I sit down with Sarah, the co-founder of Cocomelt on Wardour Street in London.  Sarah has been inspired by her Syrian heritage to make the switch from auditing to create a chocolate cafe in the West End.  It’s quite the career change and it is fascinating to hear the reasons behind it and what she loves most about the crepes, waffles, and ch...

Hello and welcome back to Meet the Chefs.  Today I spoke to Louis, the chef and owner of Chez Louis at Mercato Metropolitano.  If you haven’t been, Mercato is a street food heaven, home to countless cuisines and food types.  Louis specialises in sandwiches and has taken the place by storm since opening just five months ago.  This is a podcast with a twist though with Chez Louis going on hiatus ove...

Hello and welcome back to Oxford Eats.  This episode is a big one and perhaps the most requested I’ve ever had.  Today, I sat down with Jens Knoop, the brains behind Knoops, the brand revolutionising drinking chocolate.  Since opening his first store in Rye in 2013, Jens has been on a quite remarkable journey.  I must give the disclaimer that I also work at Knoops and get to see the passion that J...

Help and welcome back to meet the chefs.  Today we are changing things up and you join me stateside in the West Coast capital of food, San Francisco.  It is my first time here and I sat down with Mark Dommen, head chef of the famous One Market restaurant.  A leader in the San Fran food scene, Mark has been on a quite remarkable journey as a chef that has taken him from the Napa valley, to New York...

Hello and welcome back to Meet the Chefs.  Today, I am speaking to Leonardo Masi the co-founder and original chef of Dez AMORE.  Leo has been on an incredible journey from his home in Florence to New York London, back to Italy and now back in the UK. He founded the street food Italian Burger and Pasta chain Dez AMORE with his friend Simone after COVID and now has five locations from Mercato Metrop...

Today, I am speaking to Liam Nichols, the head chef and founder of in Stoke Mill.  Here, he offers a really unique small-scale dining experience, as you’ll hear him explain.  Liam has had an incredible career and has just been awarded his first Michelin star so it has been a seriously busy week.  Thanks again to Liam for giving me the time and I hope that you enjoy our chat. Thanks so much again t...

Hello and welcome back to Oxford Eats and a very exciting new series called ‘Meet the Chefs’.  In this series, I am going to be sitting down with some of the country’s most exciting chefs about their journeys into the industry, food in general, their restaurants, and what makes them tick.  From Oxford street-food stalls to some of the hottest restaurants in London, there is a huge variety of episo...

Welcome to a new special series of the podcast, Meet The Chefs. In this series, I am going to be sitting down with some of Britain's most exciting chefs. In the first episode, I chatted to Giovann Attard, the Executive Head Chef of Norma on Charlotte Street in London. Giovann has been on quite the culinary journey with his career taking him from his childhood home of Gozo to Belgium, Dubai, an...

Hello and welcome back to Oxford Eats.  Today we were lucky enough to visit El Rincon restaurant in Summertown.  Joined by owners Juan and Rosaleen, we sampled a wide variety of the menu and heard about the truly authentic ethos behind the business.  Here, authenticity doesn’t just mean tradition.  Juan has previously worked at La Manor Quatre Saison and looks to incorporate avant-garde Spanish cu...

Hello and welcome back to Oxford Eats. Today we were lucky enough to visit Wilding wine bar and restaurant on Little Clarendon Street. Joined by owner Ken, we sampled a wide variety of the menu and hear about the truly unique ethos behind the business. Here, as you’ll Ken explain, wine comes before the food. There are so many different aspects to the business with wine on tap, available in their e...

Today I’ve got a new host joining me, Alex, and we visited Pompette. Based in Summertown, this is the only double rosetted restaurant in Oxford. We sat down with owner Laura to talk about all things Alsace, food, wine, Brexit, energy costs, and more. The atmosphere here is what makes it so special. When we arrived, Laura spent 15 minutes at least talking to some regulars and this really is that ki...

Over the past couple of weeks I have been lucky enough to visit the new Italian restaurant on the High Street here in Oxford, Gusto. Having got a chance to try a great variety of the dishes that they offer I then sat down with head chef Mukrram and sales manager Undine. This really is a fascinating chat - the site, in the old Mitre pub, is so unique and brings plenty of challenges as well as oppor...

Today we were lucky enough to visit the brand new Chickpea restaurant off the High Street. Founded by Will, the brains behind Alpha bar and Vaults and Gardens, it offers Middle Eastern flavours at an amazing price point. Will’s commitment to sustainability and the care for his food is more than clear and it tastes amazing too. I have no doubt that it is quickly going to become a student go-to for...

Hello and welcome back to Oxford Eats.  Today we visited Maya's downstairs in the Westgate centre.  Here, Moor offers unprecedented and unrivalled knowledge of all of his products. There is genuinely nowhere else that you can get this level of personal experience and education in Oxford. Each trip is like an education. A brief warning, we really get into the weeds in this one! Its one fo...

Today as a special treat I am bringing you a special episode from the Kent countryside village of Wadhurst! Amthuc Viet is a Vietnamese takeaway bringing a completely unique cuisine to this area of the country. In a first for us, they are a takeaway-only business and certainly represented a journey of culinary discovery for me. What you’re about to hear is the conversation I had with the brilliant...