Dirty Linen - A Food Podcast with Dani Valent
807 episodes - English - Latest episode: 22 days ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingDirty Linen goes behind the scenes in restaurants, cafes and bars, covering issues the hospitality industry finds hard to share in public - it's all up for grabs and everything is on the table. Your host is food journalist Dani Valent. For 20 years, Dani has been writing about restaurants and the people who give them life. But she's an outsider, a critic, a tourist, a fan. Despite hearing the stories and writing the tales, she's never really understood what happens behind the scenes. Now it's time to get stuck in, with compassion, humour and fearlessness. Dirty Linen goes deep, both in conversations with individuals and in pressing topics. We ask the hard questions and discuss the big issues, bringing a unique perspective to a world that we all intersect with but often don’t understand. Dirty Linen is a Deep in the Weeds Production.
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Episodes
Lucy Whitlow (Osteria Ilaria) - cheese, lots of cheese
May 05, 2021 18:00 - 30 minutesPastry chef Lucy Whitlow made the most of lockdown, creating food-related art and exhibiting it in her home. For herself. While wearing a fur jacket. We talk vulnerability and the myth of the invincible chef, Melbourne glorious Melbourne, and cheese, lots of cheese! https://www.instagram.com/lucywhitlow_/ Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dani https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Deep In The Weeds on Instagram https://w...
Zac Sykes (Boom Boom Room) - cleaning up
May 04, 2021 18:00 - 27 minutesOn the surface, chef Zac Sykes seemed to be riding high with a string of head chef jobs at prominent Sydney restaurants including Coogee Pavilion and North Bondi Fish. But he was battling addiction to alcohol and a turbulent swirl of drug use and other unhealthy habits. After some big lows, he cleaned up, started looking after himself and took a long break. Returning to the kitchen was as scary as stepping out of it but he's now the sober head chef at Brisbane's Boom Boom Room. https://www.i...
Stefano de Pieri (Stefano's, Mildura) - The time to change things is now
May 03, 2021 18:00 - 41 minutesWe head to Mildura to chat to chef, restaurateur, politician, TV host and brilliant, passionate raconteur Stefano De Pieri. Stefano's new show Australia's Food Bowl premieres on SBS later this month. On the face of it, it's a celebration of the Murray-Darling River Basin and all the food that's grown in it. But the undercurrent is activist: water rights, crop choices and tangled politics have damaged ecosystems and livelihoods. The time to change things is now. https://www.stefano.com.au Fo...
Alla Wolf-Tasker (Lake House, Dayleford) - autumn bounty, tough decisions and gleaming leaves.
May 02, 2021 18:00 - 44 minutesDirty Linen celebrates 200 episodes by going back to the legend who kicked off episode 1 in June 2020. Alla Wolf-Tasker is owner and founder of Lake House, the 35-year-old Daylesford restaurant which pioneered a kind of who-needs-to-go-Europe-anyway kind of experience - so appropriate for 2021. We talk recovery, staffing, local tourism, autumn bounty, tough decisions and gleaming leaves. https://www.instagram.com/wolfinkitchen/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.co...
John Rivera (Kariton Sorbetes) - happy, balanced and optimistic
April 29, 2021 18:00 - 42 minutesWhat kind of chef can you become when you put ego aside? John Rivera was powering to success as a fine dining chef when a lower than expected Good Food Guide score knocked him sideways and pushed him to change tack. Enter a pandemic and things got shoved a little more sideways. A COVID ice cream hustle has turned into a fulltime business and Rivera is feeling happy, balanced and optimistic. https://www.instagram.com/j_hnrivera/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.co...
John Reid (Redbeard Bakery, Trentham) - optimism, support & gratitude
April 28, 2021 18:00 - 37 minutesIn February, sourdough pioneer John Reid from Trentham's RedBeard Historic Bakery, was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. We talk about optimism, collegiality, cuddles, support, gratitude and the pleasures of wrangling a big old Scotch oven that's never allowed to grow cold. https://www.redbeardbakery.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dani https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Deep In The Weeds on Instagram htt...
Jo Barrett (Future Food System) - what if everything could be different
April 27, 2021 18:00 - 41 minutesMelbourne chef Jo Barrett is currently living at Future Food System, a closed-loop house that grows its own food, deals with its own waste and is currently installed at Federation Square. It's an inspiring project and this is an inspiring conversation: what if everything could be different, starting now, right where you are? https://www.futurefoodsystem.com Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dani https://www.instagram.com/danival...
Don Macdonald (Big Don's Smoked Meats) - low n slow
April 26, 2021 18:00 - 38 minutesWith Perth emerging from a three-day lockdown, we chat to Don Macdonald from Big Don's Smoked Meats. Don quit supermarket middle management to go big on brisket and the pandemic has delivered him his biggest and wildest year yet. We talk about the magic of low n slow barbecue and the community that forms around it, and the beauty and jitters that come from following a dream. https://www.bigdons.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en F...
Xinyi Lim (Cafe Freda's) -- doing, being and thinking
April 25, 2021 18:00 - 47 minutesYou could call Xinyi Lim the chef at Sydney's Cafe Freda's but that wouldn't begin to describe all the many hats she wears and strands of doing, being and thinking that she draws together. We talk about racism, identity, the social justice potential of cooking and sharing food, and the blessed beauty of mediocrity. https://www.instagram.com/megafaunafood/?hl=en https://www.cafefredas.com Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dani h...
Mauro Callegari (The Independent, Gembrook) - belief in community
April 22, 2021 18:00 - 39 minutesChef and restaurateur Mauro Callegari owns The Independent in Gembrook, in the Dandenong Ranges outside Melbourne. The past year's events have reinforced his belief in community and giving back. Despite huge challenges finding staff, he's grateful for Australia's pathway through the pandemic, especially when considered in the light of his homeland of Argentina's very different track: 25,000 cases a day, low compliance with lockdown rules and leadership that sows dissent rather than working fo...
Chris Hysted-Adams (Moon Dog Brewing) - silver linings
April 21, 2021 18:00 - 34 minutesWe continue to chat silver linings with drinks guy Chris Hysted-Adams from Moon Dog brewery. The pandemic has been tough for the indie Melbourne brewers but it's also given them time to develop a range of alcoholic seltzers which - to their absolute astonishment - has overtaken beer sales. We chat about work-life balance and the differences and similarities between product development, wholesaling and hospitality. https://moondogbrewing.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.in...
Rebekah Pedler (ex Eleven Madison Park) - still feeling optimistic
April 20, 2021 18:00 - 34 minutesSome people have had quiet pandemics. Then there's chef Rebekah Pedler, who had her dream job at Eleven Madison Park in New York when COVID hit. She lost her job, then went back to the restaurant when it started making meals for frontline workers, transforming herself from fine dining chef to bulk cook. What else? She was part of Black Lives Matter protests, the craziness of the American election swirled around her, her husband got really sick from coronavirus, and she's just finished hotel q...
Charlie Carrington (Atlas Dining) - an optimistic outlook
April 18, 2021 18:00 - 35 minutesDirty Linen is spending a fortnight talking optimism. What's good? What's worked? Where are the bright spots? We start with chef and entrepreneur Charlie Carrington who launched Atlas Masterclass at the start of the pandemic. His recipe box service was a successful pivot in a crisis and it's continued to build after lockdown. https://www.atlasdining.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dani https://www.instagram.com/danivale...
Mike Souvanthalisith (More of Something Good - MSG) - shining a light
April 15, 2021 18:00 - 39 minutesI’m wrapping up a fortnight of discussions about anti-Asian racism with a great chat with Mike Souvanthalisith. Mike and his partner Muriel-Ann Ricafrente are designers and food lovers based in Sydney. In February 2020, as the pandemic started to impact Australia's Asian communities, they launched More of Something Good - MSG - a website and Instagram designed to shine a light on Asian restaurants in a period of deep struggle. https://moreofsomethinggood.com Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram ...
Victor Liong (Lee Ho Fook) - the power and limits of kindness
April 13, 2021 18:00 - 44 minutesVictor Liong is chef and owner of Lee Ho Fook in Melbourne and Chuuka in Sydney. After an early career embedded in European fine dining, Victor moved on to cook a new style of Chinese food. We talk about being a model minority, staying contained to keep safe, struggles with identity and the power and limits of kindness. https://www.instagram.com/smokeystevenson/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dani https://www.instagram....
Sandra Tan (The Entree.Pinays) - small, simple acts
April 12, 2021 18:00 - 31 minutesSandra Tan is part of The Entree.Pinays, a collective of Australian Filipinas working to further understanding and enjoyment of Filipino food and culture. She's also a writer, editor and content strategist working mostly in design and architecture. As part of our series of discussions around discrimination against Asians, we talk visibility and the office microwave, about the differences in representation and dialogue in the design and food worlds, and how small, simple acts can have powerful...
Will Mahusay (Sydney Cebu Lechon) - shining a proud light.
April 11, 2021 18:00 - 34 minutesDirty Linen continues airing the issue of anti-Asian racism in this conversation with Sydney restaurateur Will Mahusay. Will moved from Cebu in the Philippines to Sydney as a child and was the victim of devastating racist insults and abuse for many years. After long struggles with shame and his identity - including as a gay man - he has forged a victorious career that shines a proud light on his heritage. https://linktr.ee/sydneycebulechon Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instag...
Khanh Ong (The George on Collins) - being the boss
April 08, 2021 18:00 - 42 minutesVisible and vocal, restaurateur, author and two-time MasterChef Australia contestant Khanh Ong was born in a refugee camp to Vietnamese parents, grew up in Springvale and immersed himself in fashion and DJing before finding a career focused on food. We talk about his path, representation, being the boss and when it's not a banh mi. https://www.thegeorgeoncollins.com.au https://www.instagram.com/khanhong/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast...
Yvonne C. Lam (Digital Editor, Gourmet Traveller) - a big chat
April 07, 2021 18:00 - 51 minutesAs part of a series of discussions about anti-Asian racism, we are speaking today to food writer Yvonne C. Lam. Yvonne is the digital editor of Gourmet Traveller magazine and a founding member of Diversity in Food Media. This is a Big Chat. https://www.yvonneclam.com.au References: Yvonne C. Lam on Problematic Restaurant Names: https://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/news/food-and-culture/problematic-restaurant-names-19020 Reni Eddo-Lodge: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/30/why-im-...
Deb Ong (Chef & Anthropologist) - being open to learning & listening
April 06, 2021 18:00 - 37 minutesWe continue opening up and exploring the topic of anti-Asian racism, as experienced and expressed in the restaurant world. Deb Ong is originally from Singapore; she came to Melbourne to study anthropology and ended up training to be a chef and, for a time, owning a cafe. She now balances her time between the hospitality industry and further study. Among other topics, we discuss the discrimination Asian customers sometimes encounter when dining in restaurants. https://www.instagram.com/nihili...
C.K. Chin (Restaurateur - Austin, Texas) - doer, thinker, changemaker, communicator.
April 05, 2021 18:00 - 50 minutesDirty Linen begins a series of discussions about anti-Asian racism in the hospitality world. We begin with C.K. Chin, a restaurateur from Austin, Texas. C.K. has been outspoken around the #stopasianhate movement, as well as supporting Black Lives Matter, frontline workers during the pandemic and people impacted by Austin's February big freeze when the power went out and water was in short supply. He's a doer, thinker, changemaker and an incredible communicator. https://www.instagram.com/seek...
Colin Wood (Cheesemaking Chef) - forging a new path
April 01, 2021 17:00 - 44 minutesColin Wood found his way to cheffing after a back injury stymied his Olympic plans. After a fruitful and inspiring period working in Melbourne for Andrew McConnell, Colin took on a role with Ignacio Mattos in New York, leaving on the cusp of the world locking down. A pandemic year in his home town of Perth took him deep and he's fired up to forge a new path. https://linktr.ee/colejwood Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dani http...
Jerome Dalton (Dalton Catering) - where to now?
March 31, 2021 17:00 - 33 minutesBrisbane is in a snap third lockdown so we check in with Jerome Dalton, owner of Dalton Catering. Jerome is pedalling hard but he's hurting and reckons he probably has PTSD after a tumultuous year. A lockdown announced just as JobKeeper finished is a huge blow, affecting income, employment and business projections. Where to now? https://daltoncateringbrisbane.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dani https://www.instagram.co...
Hamed Allahyari (Cafe Sunshine & SalamaTea)
March 30, 2021 17:00 - 37 minutesThe way immigrants are welcomed - or not - into Australia can have a huge impact on their own lives and the contribution they are able to make to Australian society. Hamed Allahyari is a cooking instructor, recipe developer, social entrepreneur and owner of Cafe Sunshine and SalamaTea in Melbourne's west. He was born in Iran and now - after a hard road - is an important part of Australia’s culinary landscape. http://www.hamedspersiankitchen.com Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.i...
Niro Vithyasekar (Tuka Tuka Kotthu Roti Man) - looking for certainty
March 29, 2021 17:00 - 34 minutesNiro Vithyasekar runs Tuka Tuka Kotthu Roti Man food stall, selling the classic Sri Lankan stir-fried roti dish, the making of which is also a percussion show. Niro is a Tamil man and was forced to leave Sri Lanka because of ongoing conflict and discrimination. He came to Australia by boat, was detained for six years and still doesn't have a certain path to permanent residency. https://www.instagram.com/tukatukakothurotiman/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/d...
Trish Frail (Thulii Ngemba Cafe, Brewarrina) - trailblazing in Brewarrina
March 28, 2021 17:00 - 30 minutesThis week on Dirty Linen we talk to trailblazers who are shining a light for their communities, trying new things, striking brave paths. We start with Ngemba woman Trish Frail who recently launched Thulii Ngemba Cafe in Brewarrina in north-western New South Wales. Bre is also known for its ancient Aboriginal fish traps, "built before the Egyptian pyramids were even an embryo". https://www.facebook.com/thuliingemba/ Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspod...
Mario De Pasquale (Marios Cafe, Fitzroy) - the beauty of regulars and the joy of newcomers
March 23, 2021 17:00 - 36 minutesMarios Cafe in Melbourne's Fitzroy is turning 35 next month. We chat to one of the two Marios who own it, Mario De Pasquale, and get stuck into the crapshoot of dealing with multiple layers of government, the beauty of regulars and the joy of newcomers, staying relevant in a fast-changing industry, how to manage a longstanding business partnership and - once and for all - why baristas hate soy milk. https://www.marioscafe.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/dee...
Ivan Brewer (Restaurant Profitability Consultant) - avoid the perils and seize the possibilities
March 22, 2021 17:00 - 41 minutesOn the anniversary of Australia's March 23, 2020 pandemic lockdown, we chat to hospitality consultant Ivan Brewer. Ivan gets fired up by profitability - he'll look at everything from menu items to bottle bins to the spring in a waiter's step. He thinks we're on the verge of a huge number of restaurant closures but that there'll be massive opportunities on the other side. How do business owners and hospitality workers avoid the perils and seize the possibilities? It's Ivan's mission in life to...
Adam Sadiqzai (Khan's Hospitality Services) - practical, personal, nostalgic, hopeful and human
March 21, 2021 17:00 - 39 minutesThis is a great chat - practical, personal, nostalgic, hopeful and human. When thinking about the future, it's great to get some perspective from the past. Veteran hospitality owner Adam Sadiqzai innovated his way through the pandemic and has come out more or less positive about the prospects for Australian restaurants. His new eatery, Stella's Kitchen at Montague apple farm on Melbourne's fringe is the model of a flexible forward-looking multi-pronged operation. We also look back: Adam grew ...
Sharon Salloum (Almond Bar) - burning with passion.
March 18, 2021 17:00 - 34 minutesDirty Linen heads to Sydney to chat to Sharon Salloum, owner of Syrian restaurant Almond Bar in Darlinghurst and 3 Tomatoes Cafe in Ashbury. We chat about the daily difficulties of running small hospitality businesses. Sharon admits that everything is hard and that margins are incredibly slim but she still burns with passion for the industry. When your heart fills by feeding people, you never really question why you do it. We also talk a lot about barbecue! https://www.almondbar.com.au http...
Paul Waterson (Australian Venue Co) - facing the future with measured optimism
March 17, 2021 17:00 - 28 minutesDirty Linen continues to contemplate the future. Today we speak to Paul Waterson, CEO of Aus Venue Co, a large national pub group. Paul has a broad perspective, with venues in every mainland state, and a spread of CBD, suburban and country operations. The group has made many changes to fortify the business, including new technology, recruitment strategies and training programs. Recovery is uneven but persistent and Paul is facing the future with measured optimism. He also shares cogent advice...
Iain Ling (Super Ling, Carlton) - variables you can't control
March 16, 2021 17:00 - 29 minutesDirty Linen moves into a series of discussions contemplating the future - without JobKeeper, rent abatement and insolvency protections yet still with difficult trading conditions. Today's chat is with Iain Ling, who has just made the difficult decision to close Super Ling, one of his two restaurants in Carlton, close to the city and adjoining Melbourne University. There are so many variables Ling can't control. One thing he can have a say in is whether he trades at all. http://superling.com....
Maaryasha Werdiger (Zelda Bakery) - Underground kosher sourdough micro-baking
March 15, 2021 17:00 - 30 minutesUnderground kosher sourdough micro-baker Maaryasha Werdiger has moved her ghetto garage bakery to a shop in Ripponlea. Zelda’s soft opening has been big news in the local Jewish community, with queues along the street and around the corner for quality sourdough loaves, sesame-topped bialys, challah buns and more. We check in... https://www.zeldabakery.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dani https://www.instagram.com/daniva...
Keelen Mailman (Mt Tabor Station) - helping to close the gap
March 14, 2021 17:00 - 41 minutesOn a day when Australian women #march4justice, we speak to an Aboriginal woman who's passionate about truth-telling, change-making and justice for First Nations peoples. Bidjara woman Keelen Mailman runs Mt Tabor, a cattle station on the black soil plains of western Queensland. That she is running a business on her own traditional country is sadly rare. We talk about the gulfs that exist between people living in very different realities in various parts of Australia and the actions and intent...
Fahan Ahmed (Magnificent Mamma's Kitchen) - ood as a medium to connect communities
March 11, 2021 17:00 - 30 minutesToday's conversation is with Fahan Ahmed, one of 14 African women who form Magnificent Mamma's Kitchen, an employment program with the City of Moonee Valley, providing culturally appropriate (and DELICIOUS) food to local residents impacted by the pandemic. Fahan is from Somalia via Egypt and she's made a good life for herself and her six children in Melbourne. At the same time, she speaks of July's sudden lockdown of housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne as traumatic, shocking and ...
Merryn Padgett (The Gut-Mind Collective/Earth & Soul Pizza) - pause, centre & reconnect
March 09, 2021 17:00 - 25 minutesEverything has been a bit full on, don't you think? Dirty Linen reckons it's time to pause, centre, reconnect and honour ourselves. With that in mind, it's a pleasure to introduce you to Merryn Padgett, a pizza shop owner based in Bairnsdale in East Gippsland. But that's not all - Merryn is also a trainer in nutrition, mindset and resetting habits and today she will guide us through a meditation to help us find and listen to our inner voice. https://thegutmindcollective.com https://earthand...
Lorena Corso (Napier Quarter) - Thick Accents Project
March 08, 2021 17:00 - 27 minutesLorena Corso is a chef from Sicily with a track record in London and a love for Australian hospitality. She's launched Thick Accents Project with Ilanit Bard (episode 145) to foreground immigrant women in hospitality. We chat about standing up against crap, how to be brave and the power of hard conversations. Lorena works at the wonderful Napier Quarter, an extremely wonderful expression of Melbourne dining, drinking and doing. https://www.instagram.com/lorien8723/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen ...
Grace Guinto (The Entree.Pinays) - Australian-Filipina changemaker
March 07, 2021 17:00 - 35 minutesIt's International Women's Day! To celebrate the solidarity, ingenuity, determination and all-out brilliance of women, we are speaking to Australian-Filipina changemaker Grace Guinto, co-founder of The Entree.Pinays. This food-loving collective of entrepreneurial Filipinas brings Filipino cuisine, culture, and communities to the hearts, minds, and tastebuds of Australians on Wurundjeri country. Grace is a powerhouse and I can't think of anyone better to showcase on this special day. https://...
Hana Assafiri (Moroccan Soup Bar) - being the change you want to see
March 04, 2021 17:00 - 39 minutesWe wrap up a thought-provoking, galvanising week of conversations with awesome women with the incredible Hana Assafiri. Hana's Moroccan Soup Bar is a restaurant, yes, but it's foremost a forum for social justice in action - through employment, careful and caring conversations, and by being the change you want to see. I can't imagine anyone not being inspired by this chat! https://www.moroccansoupbar.com.au Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=...
Nims Zavackas (Mise En Place Bonne Femme) - a listening ear
March 03, 2021 17:00 - 42 minutesAs we continue to talk women in hospitality, we head to Brisbane, where Nims Zavackas founded a support group to offer comfort, strategies and a listening ear to women feeling lost in their food businesses and careers. Her path has been strewn with difficult periods and bad dreams as well as strange and beautiful encounters with food legend Maggie Beer. https://www.instagram.com/nimsxx/?hl=en Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dan...
Deborah Harris (Professor of Sociology Texas State University) - Taking the Heat
March 02, 2021 17:00 - 37 minutesDeborah Harris is a professor of sociology at Texas State University and the co-author of a book called Taking the Heat: Women Chefs and Gender Inequality in the Professional Kitchen. Deborah got interested in researching women in restaurants after an episode of the reality show Top Chef and she's applied academic rigour to her study of the societal structures that make professional kitchens tricky ground for so many women. We chat 'precarious masculinity', the role of food media and the inte...
Miranda Moreira (Bride & Wolfe) - Why aren't there more women chefs?
February 28, 2021 17:00 - 27 minutesWhy aren't there more women chefs? Why don't more women get into the industry in the first place and ,when they do start out, why do so many leave? Miranda Moreira trained with Middle Eastern master Greg Malouf and cooked in Paris for actors Gerard Depardieu and Johnny Depp but when she returned to Australia she was desperate to find a new career. Leading up to International Women's Day and in the midst of necessary discussions about toxic masculinity, Dirty Linen talks women and hospitality....
Dani Valent - straightening out a few things
February 25, 2021 17:00 - 12 minutesWe wrap up Dirty Linen's week talking to ex-employees of Red Spice Road with a weird kind of dialogue. Host Dani Valent reads an open letter from the restaurant's owners and straightens out a few things. Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Dani https://www.instagram.com/danivalent Follow Deep In The Weeds on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow Rob Locke (Executive Producer) https://www.instag...
Arlsan Mukhtar (Assistant Manager) - protecting but not protected.
February 24, 2021 17:00 - 33 minutesToday Dirty Linen speaks to Arslan Mukhtar, ex-assistant manager at Red Spice Road. Arslan is now a frontline worker in hotel quarantine. The podcast is a great chat but I was also very moved by something Arslan said after we stopped recording. He told me that the people staffing hotel quarantine are largely overseas nationals on temporary visas. Arslan said he is not unusual in that he is restricting his own after-hours socialising as an added layer of protection for the community. The commu...
Sungeun Mo (Chef) - utterly betrayed.
February 23, 2021 17:00 - 28 minutesToday Dirty Linen speaks to Red Spice Road's ex-head chef Sungeun Mo. Mo worked for the restaurant for four years and was well along the path to permanent residency when she was sacked and the restaurant closed, owing her $36,554.09. The money and the dashing of her residency application and career aspirations were all hard enough, but hearing on the grapevine that the restaurant was to reopen made her feel utterly betrayed. https://www.instagram.com/sungeunmo/ Follow Dirty Linen on Instagr...
Christian Price (Restaurant General Manager) - the shock of a re-opening
February 22, 2021 17:00 - 25 minutesDirty Linen stays on the topic of Red Spice Road via a chat with ex-group general manager Christian Price. Christian had the tough job of telling his team they had all lost their jobs then stuck by them through a tumultuous year of lockdowns and low employment. When the news broke that Red Spice Road was reopening, Christian was as shocked as anyone. https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/restaurant-workers-not-paid-tens-of-thousands-as-red-spice-road-reopens-with-new-staff-20210218-p57...
Laura Dauphin (Events and Reservations Manager) - left out in the cold
February 21, 2021 17:00 - 31 minutesDirty Linen talks to visa worker Laura Dauphin, previously events and reservations manager at Red Spice Road, a Melbourne restaurant which liquidated in May 2020, then announced its reopening in January 2021, while still owing thousands of dollars to ex-employees. Laura was sponsored by the restaurant which means her presence in Australia was imperilled by the business closing. It's not so much the $11,500 she's owed but the fact that her previous employers seem to want nothing to do with any...
Jesslyn Chhua (Jack the Milkman) - Silver linings
February 20, 2021 17:00 - 15 minutesDirty Linen chats to Jesslyn Chhua, who opened Jack the Milkman in Murrumbeena just as Melbourne locked down. Weirdly, it's been pretty good timing and her second cafe is off to a flying start, albeit only with takeaway. She's feeling plenty of love from the local community and lots of optimism about the future of hospitality in Melbourne. Silver linings... https://www.facebook.com/jackthemilkman Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en Follow...
Peter Gunn (IDES, Melbourne) - refinement, balance and trust
February 18, 2021 17:00 - 36 minutesDirty Linen heads to IDES in Melbourne to talk to chef and restaurateur Peter Gunn. The pandemic has been tough but it's also been an opportunity. He's learnt a lot about himself, his staff and the kinds of experiences he wants to create. IDES is about to celebrate its fifth birthday. The future is about refinement, balance and trust: fine dining is very much alive and it's up to visionaries like Peter Gunn to work out what that means in 2021 and beyond. https://www.idesmelbourne.com.au Fol...
Barb Dight (Cicciolina) - big changes
February 17, 2021 17:00 - 31 minutesAnd we're out of lockdown! Victorian restaurants are reopening after a five-day circuit breaker. We talk to experienced restaurateur Barb Dight from 27-year-old Cicciolina in St Kilda. Barb and her business partners have made big changes through the pandemic, tightening up the balance sheet at Cicc and closing their second restaurant Ilona Staller. People tell Barb that it's sad she let go of Ilona Staller after 10 years. She feels differently... https://cicciolina.com.au Follow Dirty Linen...