FoodRadio | Foodservice & Hospitality Podcasts

The Culinary Passport - Asia
EP4: Josh Nicholls, Easy Meals Japan, Niigata

From Hungry Jacks to catering for athletes. Listen to Josh Nicholls' interesting entrepreneurial culinary journey that has led him from humble beginnings to running an innovative catering business in Niigata, Japan.

== Episode proudly sponsored by Bega Foodservice ==

Inside Foodservice
Tackling the staff and skills shortage

We speak to three well known foodservice advocates to find out what strategies are being employed to ensure staff retention, what role government can play and the outlook for the broader hospitality sector.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Bega Foodservice ==

The Burnt Chef Project - Alan Thompkins

Alan Tompkins is an Australian ambassador for The Burnt Chef Project – a non-profit social enterprise established in 2019 to help eradicate the stigma associated with mental illness in the hospitality profession and make it healthier and more sustainable. We spoke to Alan to find out more about the project and the role he plays in it.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: UNOX ==

The Network - EP2: Damon Venoutsos - New West Foods

From humble beginnings New West Foods is now one of the leading food supply and food distribution companies in Western Australia. Managing director, Damon Venoutsos, speaks about the past, the present and the future.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Hormel Foodservice ==

The Network - EP1: Sebastian Galipo - Galipo Food Company

In 2023 Galipo Foods celebrated 40 years in business.From humble beginnings in a garage on the outskirts of Adelaide, founder and owner - Sebastian Galipo - has built one of the Australian foodservice industry’s biggest distributors, making him the ideal candidate to be the first guest on the new Foodradio podcast ‘The Network’

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Bega Foodservice ==

For more The Network podcasts

The Culinary Passport - Asia
EP3: Mick Bolam - LKF Concepts, Hong Kong

Mick Bolam began his career in rural NSW but since then his culinary passport has taken him to many places. We caught up with him in Hong Kong where after a long day in the kitchen he likes to relax with his staff enjoying Under Bridge Spicy Crab in Causeway Bay.

== Episode proudly sponsored by Bega Foodservice ==

The Culinary Passport - Asia
EP2: Sam Aisbett - Akuna Restaurant, Vietnam

Follow the truely inspiring journey of Sam Aisbett, a Michelin star chef who has made his way from humble roots in Airlie Beach, in Far North Queensland to the cutting edge of fine dining in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City.. and what a journey he has had along the way.

== Episode proudly sponsored by Birch & Waite & Bega Foodservice ==

The Culinary Passport - Asia
S2 EP1: Matthew Helm - Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Even if you've never been to Singapore, you will no doubt recognise the 5-star Marina Bay Sands. With its 3 hotel towers topped with a 200m high observation deck and infinity pool, it has transformed the city's skyline and lives up to its claim: 'A world like no other'. Matthew Helm is the resort's Executive Director of Culinary.

== Episode proudly sponsored by Kikkoman & Priestley's Gourmet Delights ==

The Culinary Passport - EP4: Roy Ner

Well known Australian Chef, Roy Ner (Nour, ARIA & Za Za Ta) shares his culinary journey which has led him to one of the premier areas of London's West End with his latest venture, Jeru in the heart of Mayfair.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Bega Foodservice ==

The Culinary Passport - EP3: David Stevens

Originally from Brisbane, David Stevens shares his culinary journey which has taken him to many interesting places. He attributes his success to working with good people and being involved in the day-to-day. David, is currently the Group Executive Chef of the Wolseley Hospitality Group in the UK.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Primo Foodservice ==

The Culinary Passport - EP2: Brayden Davies

Brayden Davies is an Australian in his mid 20’s who’s currently sous chef at The Angel at Hetton, a one star Michelin restaurant which is widely regarded at the UK’s original gastropub. Situated in Skipton, the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Bega Foodservice ==

The Culinary Passport - EP1: Scott Hallsworth

Scott Hallsworth is a chef, restaurateur and author well known in London and Australia where he’s launched some ground-breaking establishments. He owns The Freak Scene restaurant in partnership with Australian comedian, radio and TV presenter, Adam Hills, in Parsons Green.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Bega Foodservice ==

Episode 1: Tips for Café Owners In Today's Challenging Environment - with Liam McLaughlin, Executive Chef and senior partner at Global Hospitality Group

Running a cafe business is an amazing experience, though it doesn’t come without its challenges. Most business owners are incredibly time-poor, juggling many aspects of the business, from cash flow, staffing, social media to ordering stock and the list goes on. In this episode we talk practical tips for you to consider.

Episode 2: Bite Sized Tips for using Technology in the Hospitality and Foodserice Industry - with Andrew Low, Co-Founder of Ordermentum.

This episode focuses on how technology can support foodservice business owners and distributors alike in understanding how it can streamline your processes and become more cost efficient.

Episode 3: Venue Design Tips & Tricks for the Foodservice Industry

If you currently run a food venue that needs to be ‘zhuzhed up’ or you’re thinking of opening one, this episode covers the design and layout tips and tricks you need to know that will save you loads of time, resources, and dollars.

Episode 4: Building the Perfect Recipe: Team Building in the Foodservice Industry

In this episode of Bite Size, we explore the art of team building and its crucial role in the food service industry with industry expert, and renowned Executive Chef, Gary Johnson. We unpack the art of fostering strong and cohesive teams and the strategies, challenges, and triumphs of managing people.

Episode 5: From Stationwagon to Sweet Success: The Extraordinary Story of our Founder, Marilyn Jones

Join us as we sit down with Founder and Board Member, Marilyn Jones as we explore the extraordinary rise of a founder who started by delivering cakes from the back of a station wagon and became the biggest dessert supplier in Australia. We’ll dive into how Priestley’s was born, the hurdles of starting a business, the art of taking risks, how to overcome the challenges of being a woman in business and the importance of being an innovator and changemaker.

Episode 6: Navigating the Future of Hospitality: Marketing Strategies for All Sizes

In this episode, we’re tackling the age-old question: How do you get your business out there? How do you harness the power of marketing to connect with your audience and separate yourself from the competition? Hospitality marketing expert Astrid Kelaher (known for her roles at Crown Resorts, Lavazza Australia, Treasury Wines, and PUBLIC) reveals the vital role marketing plays in Australia’s AUD 26.7 billion dollar hospitality industry.

Showcasing Australian produce on the menu

How much of a drawcard is Australian produce on today’s menus? Showcasing Australian produce on menus may often be more expensive, but as we discover ‘local is best’, and even in tough economic times customers are prepared to pay for it.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Bega Foodservice ==

Unlocking leadership in Hospitality

Unlocking potential and aligning common goals are the key to effective Hospitality leadership. We get the views of three seasoned industry professionals; Martin Probst, Amanda Fuller and Glenn Flood on the best ways to manage employees within your foodservice operation.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Bega Foodservice ==

Securing cost efficiencies in your foodservice business

When it comes to securing cost efficiencies, chef Gary Johnson uses the analogy of flying an aircraft – if you increase the altitude, you have to cut back on the fuel; there are lots of dials and gauges and any adjustment influences other aspects of flight so careful, considerate corrections are always the best approach.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Bega Foodservice ==

Sustainability in the Healthcare sector: Renae McBrien

To learn more about how sustainability and waste reduction strategies are being implemented in hospital kitchens and how they tie in with the overall commitment to building greater sustainability into the healthcare system, we spoke to Renae McBrien, Clinical Lead for Environmental Sustainability at Children’s Health Queensland.

== Episode proudly sponsored by: Bega Foodservice ==

Social Media in Foodservice

How to ensure you are using social media to its maximum potential. This episode is packed full of information and ideas from 5 very interesting experts on the topic.

Featured in this episode
Fabian Folghera - Banksia Tree Cafe & Restaurant, Port Adelaide
Melissa Goffin - Red Gum BBQ, Mornington Peninsula
Adam Franklin - Bluewire Media, Brisbane
Alison Battisby - Avocado Social, UK
Damian Dellala - Momo Bar, Sydney

‘The Elephant in the room’ - Omicron

A brand new series on FoodRadio. Each programme will look at an industry issue. For the first episode, we’re kicking off with ‘ the elephant in the room’… how Omicron affected the Christmas/New Year period and the prospects for the industry around the country in 2022.

The Bottom Line | Simplot Foodservice

The Bottom Line | Episode 19: Aussie Chefs going for Gold

Australia's Culinary Olympics teams: taking on the world. Senior Squad Captain Andrew Ballard, Youth Squad Captain Amber Heaton and Team Manager Pat O'Brien give us an insight into the challenges our competitors are set to face head-on at the IKA Culinary Olympics in Stuttgart, Germany.

The Bottom Line | Episode 18: Challenges of Venue Catering Post-Covid

Now that lockdowns are thankfully just a bad memory, we caught up with three chefs working in the venue catering space to find out what changes Covid has wrought and how customer expectations are being met in the current operational environment of staff and skills shortages.

The Bottom Line | Episode 17: Boomerangs: Return of the Baby Boomers

One way of tackling the current staffing shortages in the hospitality sector is to encourage older people to come out of retirement and back into the workforce, if only for a few shifts per week.

The Bottom Line | Episode 16: Frontier Chef PART 4 - Sodexo’s ‘Art of Food’ Apprenticeship Program

In this latest instalment of our Frontier Chefs series, we look at Sodexo’s industry-first apprenticeship program, Art of Food, which gives participants the chance to attain a Certificate III in Cookery through practical training on Sodexo remote sites across Western Australia’s energy and resources sector.

The Bottom Line | Episode 15: Dealing with the Labour Shortage Crisis

One of the lasting legacies of Covid is the staff and skills shortage which has cut a swathe through the ranks of workers across the hospitality sector. With many businesses struggling to adapt to the ‘new normal’, industry veterans have been working to come up with strategies with which to combat this unprecedented shortfall.

The Bottom Line | Episode 14: Planning the post-covid menu

Adaptability has been the key to survival during Covid, and in this post-Covid environment more changes are having to be made to ensure ongoing profitability. To find out more about planning the post-Covid menu we spoke to Gary Johnson, National Executive Chef for ALH Group.

The Bottom Line | Episode 13: The importance of Food Safety & Hygiene

To find out more about how the events of the past two years have raised awareness of the importance of food hygiene and safety, we spoke to food safety consultant, trainer and auditor Gary Kennedy from Correct Food Systems.

Episode 12: Belinda Clarke, COO of Restaurant & Catering Association

As Chief Operations Officer of foodservice’s leading industry association Restaurant & Catering Australia, Belinda Clarke has a lot of responsibility on her shoulders. But it’s a job she relishes – describing it as “the best of all worlds”.

Episode 11: Women in Hospitality - Claire Van Vurren & Alice Newport

Women In Hospitality (WOHO) now boasts more than 500 members across all facets of the industry. The cornerstone of WOHO is its mentoring program and to find out how it works it we spoke to one of the founding mentors, Claire Van Vuuren, and recent mentee Alice Newport.

Episode 10: Young Chefs Today PART 2 - Sarah Jones & Amber Heaton

In the second part of our series we talk to two young women who both have extensive experience in the competitive arena - Amber Heaton from the Star Gold Coast and Sarah Jones from the National Wine Centre, Adelaide.

Episode 10: Young Chefs Today PART 1 - Billy Fox & Jarrod Everett

The on-going covid lockdowns, and the prospect of them continuing for months to come, has underscored the uncertainty facing many in the foodservice sector. We spoke to two young chefs to get their perspective — Billy Fox, The Australian Culinary Youth Team captain, and also the Youth Chef Ambassador to the World Association of Chef Societies, and Jarrod Everett, the President of The Australian Culinary Federation’s Young Chefs Club.

Setting up a kitchen in a foodservice business is an expensive and complicated process. We speak with John Walther Thomas from Sangster Design Group about what to think about, the pitfalls and background knowledge behind deciding what works best for your foodservice business.

Producing high-end food for large numbers, Delaware North Executive Chef, Markus Werner relies on his staff. With skill shortages a massive issue the industry, Markus speaks about the issues and how he retains the skill in his kitchens.

Episode 7: Centralised Kitchens

Centralised Kitchens: We speak to National Executive Chef for ALH, Gary Johnson about the many benefits including time saving, portion control, food safety, 100% yield, as well as quality & consistency across multiple outlets.

Gary Johnson, National Executive Chef for ALH Group speaks about the changing face of pub dining being driven by Millennials.

In this episode, we speak to Annette Fear, who has made the huge transition from cheffing in the balmy, cosmopolitan lifestyle of Noosa on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, to the icy depths of Casey Station on Antartica. We catch her just as they are preparing to face a "big blow".

In the second part of episode 5 Frontier Chef we hear from Malcolm Burbidge of Compass Group and his experiences working on oil rigs, shipyards and remote sites.

Have you ever wondered what it is like to work and live in the Antarctic? We talk to Noel Tennant, who has made three trips to Antarctica as a chef with the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD), a Federal Government body which undertakes scientific research in the region.

Episode 4: Tomorrow’s Chef

Now that we’ve closed the door on one of the industry’s most turbulent years of recent times, it seems an appropriate moment to take stock and consider how the industry is set to evolve and what it will be like for the chefs of tomorrow.

Episode 4: Scott Pickett, Pickett and Co.

In 2011 Scott Pickett took the plunge and opened his own restaurant, The Estelle in Northcote which went on to build an enviable reputation. In the ten years since then, his restaurant group has grown to encompass seven venues across Melbourne. Scott shares with us the story of how he made it happen.

SPC InTouch SPECIAL : Peter Wright, Newly appointed Pacific Rim Continental Director, World Chefs

SPC InTouch host, Peter Wright has recently been announced Pacific Rim Continental Director for World Chefs. We caught up with him to find out what he plans to bring to the new role.

Episode 3: Andreas Gober, National Gallery, Victoria

Austrian-born chef, Andreas Gober's career has taken him all over the world. Looking back on his diverse career, Andreas believes the key to his success has been his willingness to constantly innovate and stay open to new experiences.

At the tender age of 25 Chris Malone has already enjoyed the kind of career many young chefs only dream of. He’s worked at top-notch venues in London, at the very apex of fine dining in Eleven Madison Park New York. His latest position is Chef de Cuisine of Ossiano restaurant, a stunning underwater fine dining restaurant at Atlantis, The Palm Dubai.

Episode 1: Michelle Di Pietro, Abruzzo Lab

Michelle Di Pietro is a strong example of an Aussie foodservice success story – she’s capitalised upon her Italian heritage to carve out her own special niche in the market. In the outer Melbourne suburb of Epping Michelle has established what is believed to be Australia’s only dedicated arrosticini bar, Abruzzo Lab.

Introducing SPC ‘InTouch’

Welcome to SPC's 'InTouch' podcast. The company is under new ownership with a new slogan: "Better food for the future." But what does the slogan mean for the foodservice industry? To find out, we speak with Abbey Jones, Head of foodservice and ingredients at SPC.

Episode 1: Gary Johnson

Gary Johnson, National Executive Chef of the ALH Group which operates more than 340 hotels nationally, has more than 30 years’ experience working in restaurants, pubs and international hotels. He explains how the business responded to the challenges of lockdown and the importance of maintaining the integrity and quality of ingredients as customers begin to come back.

Episode 2: Tony Twitchett

Tony Twitchett, Executive Chef and General Manager at Melbourne’s Transport Hotel, Taxi Kitchen and the Transit Rooftop Bar, looks ahead to when customers are likely to start coming back and talks about the importance of retraining staff to ensure everyone is across the latest cleaning and sanitisation regimes.

Episode 3: Alex Patterson

Alex Patterson, Executive Chef of award-winning Ziva Eats and Pizza Restaurant at the Ary Toukley on the NSW Central Coast, focuses on business and profitability issues and the financial impact of new hygiene policies and procedures in the club market.

Episode 4: Adam Moore

Adam Moore, one of Australia’s top corporate chefs working in product development and innovation, talks about menu development and the importance of marketing in the post-lockdown environment, as now more than ever businesses need to focus on how to stand out from the competition.

Episode 1: Rick Stephen

Ever wondered what it is like to expand your cheffing horizons abroad? We find out why travelling and working abroad in places like Asia is a critical part of the growth of a chef and what life is like over there.

Naomi Lowry

Follow the courageous story of Naomi Lowry, an inspiring female chef who fought the battle of stage 3 breast cancer.. and won.

Christy Tania

In this podcast, we learn about how and why internationally acclaimed pastry and dessert chef Christy Tania left her job at IBM’s Global Business Services Management team in Singapore to pursue a culinary career.

Tony Twitchett

Join us as we talk to Tony Twitchett, Executive Chef of Taxi Kitchen about his love of cooking with local ingredients and his commitment to nurturing young chefs.

Tawnya Bahr

Talk'n Chef, Adam Moore interviews food consultant, Tawnya Bahr about her venture, Straight to the Source food tours, aiming to get chefs out of the kitchen and connect them to the produce they use every day in a special unforgettable experience.

Anna Polyviou

Talk'n Chef Adam Moore catches up with the "Punk Princess of Pastry", Anna Polyviou about her rise to success and TV stardom featuring on Masterchef and Family Food Fight, and the story behind the cameras in the real life world of cheffing.

Matt Wills

Talk'n Chef Adam Moore speaks with inspiring young chef, Matt Wills - Chef de Partie for Merivale and Guillame about what encouraged him into cheffing and dealing on a day-to-day basis with Cystic Fibrosis.

Somer Sivrioglu

Talk'n Chef Adam Moore catches up with Turkish Australian chef and restaurateur, Somer Sivrioglu about his passion for bringing authentic Turkish cuisine to Australia, and the inspiration behind his outlets, Efendy and Anason.