Principle of Hospitality

 Ep 211 - Spring Break (Ep 2 of 2) - Why Starward ditch the airs and graces and focus on flavour instead with Patty Karakostas with Starward Whisky Starward is Whisky for a curious, food-obsessed generation.  They are made in Melbourne and they ditch the airs and graces and focus on flavour instead. Starward make their own whisky here in Melbourne, it is matured in red wine barrels and they...

Ep 210 - Spring Break (Ep 1 of 2) - Talking drivers of success and work/life balance with one of Melbourne’s best restauranteurs Rene Spence from Uncle Restaurant and Pollen Over the years our newest host Leon Kennedy has been able to call this week's guest a peer, a co-worker and most important of all, he's been able to call him a friend. He is an icon within our industry… the co-founder and driv...

Ep 209 - When starting a nightclub gives your the strength to start a restaurant group with Thai Ho from Hochi Mama and Straight Outta Saigon  Melbourne Dining Group owns the very successful Hochi Mama and Straight Outta Saigon brands, serving some of the best Asian fusion food in Melbourne all backed by Hip-Hop beats. Their director and owner Thai Ho has a rich history of bringing some of th...

 Ep 208 - Using quality training to develop outstanding talent with CEO of the Kick On Group Duncan Thomson  The portfolio of venues Kick On group spreads far and wide from the Melbourne CBD, inner city, Regional Victoria, Regional NSW, Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.  With such Iconic venues are Terminus Hotel in Fitzroy North, The Plough Inn in Southbank, Brisbane and the new landmar...

Ep 207 - The true meaning of sustainability in bars with one of the best in the industry with Ryan Chetiyawardana Aka Mr Lyan for the World Class Cocktail Festival Cocktail bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana goes by Mr Lyan, which is arguably easier to say. He opened his first bar, White Lyan, in London in 2013 as the first cocktail bar in the world to use no perishables; no fruit and even no ice. It’s...

Ep 206 - Nourishing the community with locally sourced produce with Emmy Feingold from The Sweet Potato Kitchen Organic. Seasonal. Local. These three words weird clearly define the priorities that this week’s guest places on who and how she cooks her nourishing food. Working out of the Worksmith development kitchen in Collingwood, Victoria, founder of The Sweet Potato Kitchen Emmy Feingold focuses...

Ep 205 - A payments platform for hospitality with the co-founder and CEO of Payo Taf Chiwanza. Payo is a payments platform for hospitality.  Payo allows for contactless payment through a QR code with the ability to split the bill between mates.  It also has a buy-now-pay-later functionality as well which has been very popular in the retail sector in recent years. Today we sit down with t...

 Ep 204 - Special Bonus Episode - Overview of Fine Food Australia Melbourne - September 5th to 8th Fine Food Australia is the leading trade event for the food industry. Running for 38 years, the event has welcomed hundreds of food industry professionals from Australasia and beyond, through our show doors. Today we sit down with Program and Event Organiser Andrew Lawson, to understand what people...

 Ep 203 - Stripping back to the bare essentials of what makes a great hospitality brand and experience with the CEO of Industry Beans, Trevor Simmons Established by brothers Trevor and Steven Simmons in 2010, Industry Beans is a transparent operation of sourcing, roasting and brewing specialty coffee. In 2013 they opened Industry Beans Fitzroy which was an open-plan coffee roastery and cafe and s...

 Ep 202 - We revisit the amazing work that Good-Edi has been doing post their launch in 2021 In this special episode, we revisit the brand Good-Edi with founders Aniyo and Catherine to discuss their success since we first talked with them in March 2021. In this podcast we discuss: -How the brand has gone since the last time we spoke in March 2021, including setting up the pilot plant and starting...

 Ep 201 - Trusting your skills and taking big opportunities as they come with Mei Lin from Day Bird LA and Top Chef  This week’s guest is something that a lot of people both inside and outside of the industry will know.  She has worked with acclaimed chefs such as Wolfgang Puck and Michael Symon, and following her win on Top Chef Season 12, she was also a personal chef for Oprah Winfrey. &n...

 Ep 200 - From starting the best catering experience to one of the best hospitality groups in Victoria with Legacy Hospitality Group CEO Ben Avramides With the intention of providing end-to-end catering this week’s guest Ben Avramides co-founded the Tommy Collins Group in 2007. From working at Ottolenghi in London to founding key pillars of Melbourne’s cafe culture, The Little Ox and Hawk & H...

 Ep 199 - Lotus Barangaroo -Allowing customers to step out of their comfort zone and try something new  with Head Sommelier of Lotus Dining Karen Dollimore  Today’s Guest Karen Dollimore has carved out an impressive career working in hospitality where she developed an unwavering passion for wine.  She has been the Head Sommelier at Lotus Barangaroo for the past 6 years and prior to...

 Ep 198 - The importance of celebrating the joy that hospitality leaders deliver with Rebecca Lines from Tequila Daisy   Rebecca Lines is the co-owner of Barangaroo’s Tequila Daisy and boasts an impressive resume when it comes to hospitality and wine. Rebecca is also an award-winning Sommelier who has trained through The Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET). Rebecca and her husband Hamish...

Ep 197 - Replay- How sound and coffee balance together in this legendary Japanese cafe With Reiji Honour from Hibiki - Now called Haiku Hibiki is one of the most inspiring Japanese-influenced cafes in Melbourne.  A large part of the menu at the Japanese-style brunch spot is based on owner and next guests Reiji's mum’s cooking.   Hibiki, which is Japanese for "sound" or "echo", comes...

Ep 196 - Sharing Italian heritage through a true love for pasta making with Piera and Federica from Piera Pasta Fresca Piera Pasta Fresca is a pasta business supplying Fresh Pasta to restaurants and individuals all around Melbourne.  Their founder Piera aims to share her Bolognese roots with the Australian community, through her love for Pasta Having arrived in Australia with her husband in 2...

Ep 195 - Creating a 6-venue group based on music, theatre and happiness in country victoria with Andy Pobjoy from Piano Bar  This week’s guest Andy Pobjoy is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, cruise ship entertainer, live streamer, father of two, and founder of Piano Bar. Performing in church from age ten, weddings at age fourteen, and nightclubs from age sixteen, Andy has said “yes” to every gig...

Ep 194 - From pop-up store to Australia-wide delivery doughnut empire with Phillip Kouch from Goldelucks At only 28-years-old our next guest Phillip Kuoch, founder and CEO of Goldelucks, has built one of Australia’s most fun and successful bakery businesses, pioneering the future of the baked goods and gift industries.  He is a keen and passionate entrepreneur, harbouring innovative and forwa...

  Ep 193 - A health-conscious cafe that still delivers on that unique Melbourne feel with Georgia Mackie from Seedling Cafe We are big fans of Seedling Cafe as they believe in similar principles as we do, that is to use whole foods to create delicious meals for everyone to enjoy. With everything from their classic acai bowl to their amazing bulletproof coffee, Seedling really are about health...

Ep 192 - How joy, passion and humour have developed Melbourne's most iconic modern Indian and Asian restaurants with Adam D’Sylva from Tonka, Coda and Boca Gelato He really needs no introduction. His name is synonymous with amazing venues in Melbourne such as Coda, Tonka, Boca and W Hotel’s Lollo and Culprit Cafe. He’s won The Age Young Chef of the Year award in 2008 and is a regular guest on Mast...

Ep 191 - Talking drivers of success and work/life balance with one of Melbourne’s best restauranteurs Rene Spence from Uncle Restaurant and Pollen Over the years our newest host Leon Kennedy has been able to call this week's guest a peer, a co-worker and most important of all, he's been able to call him a friend. He is an icon within our industry… the co-founder and driving force behind Uncle, the...

Ep 190 - The importance of storytelling in the design of your hospitality venue with Eid Goh the Director of Architects EAT ARCHITECTS EAT believes in finding new solutions to the every day, and is run by a talented team of passionate, considerate and detail-oriented architects and interior designers. They believe that great design is for the long haul, not just a fad, and aim to tirelessly find n...

Ep 189 - One of the founding fathers of Melbourne's burger scene Dani Zeini from Royal Stacks On one trip to the US many years ago, our next guest Dani Zaini visited more than 30 burger venues on his 34-day stay, and the idea for Royal Stacks began. Fast forward to 2016 and Dani opened his first Royal Stacks venue in Collins Street, right in the centre of the Melbourne CBD and office sector. Since...

Ep 188 - Streamlining hospitality tech giving a better outcome for venues with Doshii CEO Justin O'Donnell  Doshii is technology that brings hospitality apps together and gets them talking to each other.   They are a  leading tech integration platform, champion of the hospitality industry and backed by x15 ventures.   For venues, having Doshii means less double-handling, admin...

Ep 187 - Delivering unique and authentic German experiences in Melbourne with Philipp Hockenberger from HOF Hospitality The original Bavarian eat & drink experience that is the HOF lies in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD in Chinatown, under the same roof for the last 50 years. Established in 1968 and independently owned by Bavarian Chefs by trade, they're proud of their long successful history of...