COOKING THE BOOKS - From Inside the Food Industry

This week Robbie spoke to Raymond Capaldi, Raymond traveled the world cooking at some iconic restaurants and hotels before settling in Australia where he won 3 hats in the age good food guide. Raymond stepped away from the kitchen to start wonder pies 8 years ago. This is an honest conversation about starting a business the ups and downs, how kitchen culture has changed and how embracing new cultures opens your eyes.

This week Robbie spoke to Denis Kelly, former MMA fighter-now-trainer and promoter. They chat about all things combat sports, including weight-cutting and how nutrition has changed the sport.

This week Robbie speaks to Alex McIntosh, 2023 Bocuse d'Or Candidate and Head Chef at Sou'Wester Brewery. Alex goes in depth about the world's biggest cooking competition. He shines a light on how underfunded we are in Australia for the arts compared to other countries, and if we want to be taken seriously on this stage we need more funding from the government.

This week Robbie spoke to Micheal Dalton, owner of Fino Fine Foods. Micheal has been distributing and importing specialised fine foods from around the world for years. In this conversation we find out what it takes to build a distribution business from the ground up, and the difficulties and challenges of importing perishable foods from around the world.

This week, Robbie spoke to Tobie Puttock - chef/owner of 'Made by Tobie', former River Cafe Chef and Jamie Oliver's right-hand man at Fifteen Restaurant for many years. Tobie became a chef to facilitate his true love of snowboarding, until he realised that he was better at cooking than boarding. At that point he went all-in and hasn't looked back. Tobie has turned his hand to all aspects of the industry. From books to banquets, fine dining, podcasting and heaps of TV, giving him a very unique perspective of the full industry.

This week, Robbie spoke to Charlie from Atlas Dining and Atlas Weekly. Charlie started his cooking career at the age of fourteen and by the time he was in his early twenties he had his own restaurant and held 1 hat. Now just-turned thirty, he is well on his way to building a very successful weekly delivery meal kit. Charlie believes the secret to his confidence is all his experience.

This week Robbie spoke to Sandra from Six Eyed Scorpion about chilli oil, starting a food business from the ground up, and how covid affected her career. Sandra moved from Singapore at 16 to pursue her dreams in Australia. From business and marketing to cooking, now Sandra is on her journey as a small business owner.

Sharon Brindley is a Yamatji/Noongar woman living on Bunurong/Boon Wurrung country (the Mornington Peninsula), where she is also the proud owner of Cooee Cafe, the only Indigenous cafe in the region and @jalajalatreats who specialise in native flavoured chocolates.

Hugh Allen is the Executive Chef @vuedemonde and is a big advocate of the true flavours of Australia. He has been helping Sharon with her new venture.

This week we spoke to Elika and Gary from Jamsheed winery in Preston, Melbourne. These are two highly respected hospo professionals who have so much knowledge and are so incredibly humble. Jamsheed is a must-visit; it's a real cool spot for a drink and the food is fantastic.

This week we spoke to Rae Bonny who is a Integrated Wellbeing Specialist/Counsellor about mental health in the work place.