Culture & Cuisine The Podcast

Husna Pasha is the charismatic, engaging female behind Alisha’s Cafe collective, the community restaurant where you can enjoy quirky, authentic vegetarian dishes, weekly cultural events, and the best Chai around. Today, Husna leads us on a journey through her childhood as the only Indian, Muslim in her town to her time as an occupational therapist and ultimately, to the talk-show host, mother, and restaurant owner that she is today. Enjoy wisdom, laughs, and a few tears as we learn about life, love, and what it takes to be Australia’s answer to Oprah Winfrey. Stay with us as we learn how the past and the future of Melbourne is shaped by the Muslims.

Today, we meet with Barbara Nicole, a PhD and expert in the emergence of Chinese restaurants in Australia from the late nineteenth century through the 1950's. We sit with Barbara in the Chinese Museum in Melbourne where she volunteers and discuss her research to understand why you can find a Chinatown in most cities in Australia, how Chinese restaurants came to be in even the smallest of Australian towns, and the impact Chinese had on the immigration policies of Australia. We begin to understand Melbourne’s roll in this emergence and see how legislation, war, and business led to the prominent cuisine so cherished by Melbourne residents. Stay with us as we learn how the past and the future of Melbourne is shaped by the Chinese.

Today, we sit with Peter Laliotis, managing director and part owner of Hellas Cakes, a Melbourne Greek sweets staple since 1962. Melbourne not only has the largest Greek population in Australia, they have the largest Greek population of any city outside of Greece. Located in the heart of Richmond, formerly a primarily Greek suburb, Hellas Cakes has proudly served the residents of Melbourne for over 50 years. Through that time, they have had to adapt their business plan and alter their service style to accommodate for the changing times and diversifying area. Today, we learn how a restaurant works to retain authenticity and history while adapting with a city through sharing stories, food and the passion passed down through generations. Stay with us as we learn how the past and the future of Melbourne is shaped by the Greeks.

Today, we sit with Greg Hampton, head chef of Charcoal Lane, and Troy Krillin, program manager for social enterprises for Mission Australia. Although they are the oldest, ongoing living culture in the world, indigenous Australians have almost become foreigners in their own lands. Missions where natives were forced to be housed and “Christianized”, the Stolen Generation where approximately 1 in 3 children were forcibly removed from their families, late 20th century laws restricting land ownership, maternity leave, pensions, inheritance, and more all contributed to an aboriginal unemployment rate that is 3 times that of the average non-indigenous person. To help combat this statistic, Mission Australia created Charcoal Lane as an opportunity to train Aboriginal youths in the service industry. They create a safe, healthy environment where their trainees can learn about their culture, honor their traditions, and learn valuable skills that they can take into the workforce. Charcoal Lane also incorporates native Australian produce and animals into their food and press to educate people on the benefits of cultivating these products for food sustainability in Australia. Today we discuss recent history, current events, personal stories, and exotic cuisines to understand more about the native culture and cuisine of Australia. Stay with us as we learn how the past and the future of Melbourne is shaped by Aboriginals.

Today, we sit with Salvatore Malatesta, founder and creative director of St Ali Coffee in South Melbourne.   As a former British settlement, tea used to be the main household brew of Australia. It wasn’t until the first espresso machine was introduced to Melbourne at Cafe Florentino, the predecessor to Grossi Florentino who we speak with in a former episode, that coffee began to emerge in the city. Now, Melbourne is world renowned for its specialty coffee shops, and Salvatore Malatesta is credited with being at the forefront of the movement in Melbourne. He shares with us the journey that led to his passion, the catch 22 of coffee costs and labor conditions, and Melbourne’s coffee evolution over time.    Stay with us as we learn how the past and the future of Melbourne is shaped by coffee.