Learning On The Jobs Running A Small Food Business.

This week Robbie spoke to another friend of his, Rob Chasteauneuf, the Executive Chef of Great Fosters; a beautiful hotel and this year’s winner of AA Hotel of the Year. Great Fosters is a boutique-style hotel with a Michelin-starred restaurant as well as a 2 AA Rosette Grill and a Conference and Banqueting Department for weddings and big groups. Rob shares his views on the difference between the city-style restaurant and the more country-style retreat as well as discussing systems and strategies for managing a big operation. Instagram: @robc8619 @greatfosters

This week Robbie spoke to his good friend Chris and his personal trainer Ted. Chris has managed to lose over 35kg to date with hard work, focus and dedication. He got some bad news about a friend's mother, and Chris said to himself that it was time to make a change. From that time, he's been working to shift the weight. The results have been fantastic; not just in his appearance but in the mental aspect as well. Chris is feeling a lot clearer in his mind and a lot more positive in his outlook of the future. Instagram: @chris_eagle1 @tedwinterpt  

This week's a little different - this is some of the audio taken from a 'Charcuterie Master Class and Small Business' talk that Robbie was asked to do earlier this year. We hope that there are some people out there that will get some benefit from it and maybe it will help someone improve their business.  www.instagram.com/robbiebell8/ www.city-larder.com

This week Robbie spoke to a good friend and mentor, Terry Laybourne. Terry has been in the hospitality industry for 40 years, owning many restaurants, a pub, hotel and now two restaurants with a retail offering. Terry's restaurant 21 Queen Street was the first restaurant to be awarded a Michelin star in Newcastle, which he held for many years before handing it back to turn the space into a modern-style bistro under the name Cafe 21. Terry has also been awarded MBE for his contribution to the industry. This is hopefully the first of a couple of podcasts Robbie intends to do with Terry.

This week Robbie spoke to James, the owner of Flinders + Co.  They talked all things meat, food industry and green energy. James was in his early 20s when he took over the family business. He talks about the wins, the losses and the lessons on the way. Flinders + Co's focus is to cultivate a better food world; they're not sure how they're going to achieve it, but they're having a good crack at doing it.

This week Robbie spoke to Tom Milligan, President of the Australian Bocuse D'Or Team and Technical Director of Le Cordon Bleu school in melbourne. Tom has been cooking all raound the world from restaurants to hotels, then on to function centres cooking for 1000s.  Robbie spoke to Tom a few days after Tom had just got back from competing in France at the Bocuse D'Or.

This week Robbie spoke to Alice Zaslavsky about her new program 'Phenomenom'; a program for teachers to introduce vegetables to kids in the classroom through a series of short videos using fun kids and pro-athletes. Being a former school teacher, Alice believes that introducing kids to vegetables at an early age hopefully will help them consumed more. They also discuss her book, Alice's Food A-Z, her segment on ABC News Breakfast and her appearance as a contestant on Masterchef Australia. You can find Alice on across social media @aliceinframes  https://aliceinframes.com http://phenomenom.com.au

Tom is really starting to get some momentum, being recognised as "One to Watch" in 2019. Tom has worked all round the world in places like London, New York and Sydney for chefs such as Gordon Ramsay, Thomas Keller and Neil Perry. Tom and Robbie have been best mates for nearly 20 years and this podcast is two mates having some crack reminiscing about old times and going through Tom's career.

Josh began his career qualifying as an architect, but after struggling to find work he ended up working in hospitality and fell in love with it. After a few changes he came across his perfect job, combining his love of sport with his career in the hospitality industry. We managed to sit down with Josh immediately after the 2019 Australian Open for a debrief. I hope everyone finds it interesting as we did.

This is a look back on season 2 and a quick reminder that we are still here working on season 3, which will be coming mid-Feb.

This episode was meant to be the same as normal but unfortunately, due to work, Robbie had to cancel the interview. So this is Robbie saying his thank yous, concluding season two and explaining what's coming up in season three.

This week Robbie spoke to Charlie Carrington, owner and chef of Atlas Dining and Colours Kitchen. Atlas is a very unique restaurant as it changes its menu every 4 months. But not just the menu; the whole cuisine. Every few months Charlie flies to a different country, studies the food markets and culture, then returns home and recreates a menu inspired by his trip. Colours Kitchen is Charlie’s casual eatery, inspired by his time in Israel.

This week Robbie spoke to Pat, also known as Ultra Chef. Like a lot of chefs, Pat was struggling in his relationship because of too much alcohol and too many parties. But after the announcement of his first baby coming Pat changed his life around and turned to running. Now 5 years later he is ranked one of the best in Victoria and best ultra runner. This is Pat’s story. https://www.instagram.com/ultra_chef/ www.ultrachef.com.au

This week Robbie spoke to Paola about her new book, Adriatico. They broke down the chapters and discussed some of the fantastic places Paola visited. Robbie also spoke about some of the recipes in the book that resonated with his cooking career and his time in Italy.

This week Robbie spoke to Sam Canning From Cannings Free Range Butchers. Sam fell into butchery after getting a job as a clean-up boy; he then got an apprenticeship before heading to London. Fast-forward 20 years and Sam now runs six very successful butcher shops around Melbourne, with more coming next year. https://canningsfreerangebutchers.com.au https://vimeo.com/170335474

This week Robbie spoke with Graham from Smithward wine bar in Collingwood, Melbourne. Graham started his career in radio before following his dream of opening his own neighbourhood wine bar. This episode is a great example that you don't need heaps of experts. just lots of planning, good values and a passion for giving good service. www.smithward.com.au

Richard is English-Jamaican and is living here in Melbourne. I really wanted to sit down and chat to him, to hopefully inspire someone to start their own business. Richard has no culinary background, has a full-time job in government and his side hustle is Little Brixton, with the hope of it one day being his full-time gig. He shares some of the tricks he has learnt on the journey so far.

Banjo is a man with a plan who knows how to execute it. He is a sommelier by training but no doubt now he is an entrepreneur; part-owner of four thriving businesses, including an online wine/tech business. The great thing about Banjo is that you really feel that he is not driven by money, but more by offering a fantastic product, serviced and experience to his guests.

This week Robbie caught up with long-time friend Jeff Claudio over the phone; this catch-up has been a long time coming, so it’s a genuine eavesdrop into two industry pals chewing the fat and hearing what Jeff’s been up to.

This week on the podcast I was lucky enough to sit down with hospitality royalty chef Ian Curley, and what a humble gentleman he was. Hospitality runs through Ian’s veins; after 35 years of cooking he is stepping away from the pass to concentrate on other projects still in hospitality, so that he has more time to focus on his family. It was a real honour to listen to Ian talk us through his career, his thoughts, and to listen to where he came from and what he has achieved in and out of the kitchen. http://frenchsaloon.com http://www.kirkswinebar.com https://www.instagram.com/chefiancurley/