The Pass | Australia’s newest food podcast

Heston is one of the few chefs in the world who only needs to be introduced by his first name. There wouldn't be a food-lover on the planet who isn't familiar with his extraordinarily famous restaurants The Fat Duck and Dinner by Heston in London and Melbourne, or his Willy Wonka, science experiment-like creations on TV shows like Masterchef. The Pass got the chance to spend some time with the real Heston- literally 'Heston at home' in his penthouse in Crown Towers in Melbourne. He invited us to hang out with him and, over a game of ping pong, we discovered his favourite food memory, how he feels about all the awards he has won, and found out how Heston eats at home. 

We're serving up national food critic Anthony Huckstep’s full, unedited Under The Grill interview - because his insights into restaurants & that elusive art of reviewing were too good to leave on the cutting room floor. It's not often you get to ask a reviewer what they really think- and get an honest answer- which is what makes Huck's insider tips so refreshing.

From hunting and foraging to baking and preserving, there's not much that Biota chef James Viles doesn't make from scratch. We get his trusty hacks for cooking with fire and how to make what might be the world's best bacon sandwich- using your own home made bread, butter and bacon. You’re welcome.

James Viles is the hunting, foraging, fishing chef from one of Australia's most renowned regional restaurants, Biota in NSW's Southern Highlands. He takes us to the the cult ramen joint on every chefs list, and shares the challenges of staying “pure”to his craft, his eye-opening insight into hunting with a bow and arrow, what he really thinks about restaurants, and the toll that owning a restaurant can take and how he’s dealt with it. This is James raw, unedited and like you’ve never heard him before. Plus we “grill” one of the country’s leading food reviewers and writers, and co-author of Australia’s definitive fish cook book Anthony Huckstep on his insider guide of where to eat when he’s off the clock.This episode of The Pass is proudly partnered with Electrolux.

Rising star Jo Barrett is a name you’re going to be hearing a lot more. As co-head chef alongside her partner Matt Stone at Oakridge in the Yarra Valley, she’s turning out some of the most talked about food in the country, particularly her talent for pastry and baking bread. She shares her inspiring sustainability ethos and the price of striving for perfection, the home of Australia’s best croissant, and reveals the incredible inner city food hub you never knew existed. Then we put interior designer extraordinaire, the woman behind some of the most impactful restaurant fit outs in the country, Pascale Gomes-McNabb, under The Pass Grill.

Unless you’re from Byron Bay, you may not have heard of Rob but his humble stall- The Nomadic Kitchen- at the Byron farmer’s markets is an institution, and the go-to breakfast for every visiting chef and food-loving locals in the know, including Fleet’s Josh and Astrid. We caught up with the River Cafe trained chef to find out what inspires his rustic Sicilian menu, why he makes everything from scratch, his hot tips for where to eat in Byron…and the secret recipe to the family passata.

Fleet is one of the most exciting restaurants to open in regional Australia- or infact anywhere- in years and is responsible for putting the sleepy coastal town of Brunswicks Heads on the map. Chef Josh Lewis and Sommelier/Front of house superstar Astrid McCormack have gained high praise from critics, diners, and industry heavy weights for essentially mastering every detail of their tiny 14-seater. They share what it’s like to be partners in business and life and take us to the incredible Byron Bay producer that inspires them. We also put the Monday Morning Cooking Club’s Lisa Goldberg under The Pass Grill to get her insider guide on where to go for Jewish food from the softest challah to tastiest felafel- this is one list you don’t want want to miss.

If Andrew McConnell is he culinary king of Melbourne, then chef Brent Savage might just be his Sydney counterpart. With acclaimed restaurants including Bentley, Yellow and Monopole, Savage too has a knack for picking what diners want to eat before they do and creating eateries that stand the test of time. The famously humble chef opens up about working with McConnell, where he eats and how he’s converting meat-lovers to vegetables. 

If Melbourne is one the most exciting dining destinations in the world, chef and restauranteur Andrew McConnell is the king of the capital. With an empire including institutions like Supernormal, Cutler & Co and of course Cumulus Inc, it seems every restaurant he touches turns to gold, so just how does he do it? We catch up with Andrew and talk shop, shoes, music and find out where he eats more than anywhere else in Melbourne. Plus we put one of the country’s top tastemakers, Broadsheet founder Nick Shelton, under The Pass Grill and get his Little Black Book of go-to food haunts.

We chat to Victor Liong’s mentor, legendary chef Mark Best about how he inspired such an extraordinary alumni of young chefs at his former fine diner “Marque”, what he loves and hates about the industry, and his “eternal dissatisfaction.” Naturally the chef, known for his wit and often brutal honesty, doesn’t hold back. And apologies Mark for even having you in the same sentence as side order…you’re no one’s brussels sprouts or hot chips!

Victor Liong is one of the Australia’s most exciting young culinary stars and the hilarious, multi-faceted and passionate chef and owner of Melbourne institution Lee Ho Fook. This talented and dynamic (foul mouthed!) king of one-liners will engage you just as much discussing his rigorous time in the kitchen with legend Mark Best, as he will chewing the fat on design, Instagram, coffee, Kanye and his unmissbale list of go-to cheap eats. Plus we put on of the country’s youngest and brightest stars, Charlie Carrington under The Pass Grill to find out all about his new ventures and where he eats when he’s off duty. 

We chat to one of the brightest stars to come out of Neil Perry's kitchens, former Rockpool & Eleven Bridge Executive Chef Phil Wood. He opens up about what he learned from his mentor, leaving one of Sydney's most prestigious kitchens to define his own cuisine in regional Victoria and, of course, his little black book of where to eat.

One of Australia’s most iconic chefs and restaurateurs NEIL PERRY goes off-duty from his 60-restaurant empire to take us to his favourite hidden local in Sydney’s Korea Town. Largely responsible for defining the Asian cuisine that Australia is now so famous for- from his groundbreaking days at Bluewater Grill to Rockpool- this is one covetable little black book of where to eat that you don’t want to miss. He also opens up about everything including the secrets of his success, his signature ponytail and the truth behind designing menus to be eaten at 30,000 feet! Plus we put one of Sydney’s most respected wine guys, Chris Morrison, under The Pass Grill. Having demystified wine at the likes of Quay, Est and Guillaume at Bennelong for over 20 years, this somm’s tips will instantly make you order better and look better at dinner parties.

Chef Colin Fassnidge has a reputation for shaking things up- at both his restaurant 4Fourteen and as the fiery judge on My Kitchen Rules. But in this episode, we see a much softer side to the so-called Irish bad boy, celebrated for his modern take on nose to tail cooking. Raw, unfiltered and off-duty, Colin takes us to the local cafe that taught him one of his biggest life’s lessons and reveals everything from his tough school years and the true cost of cheffing, to what he really thinks of reviews and the paparazzi, and how his daughters changed the way he cooks. For our season finale, we put benchmark bad boy chef Matty Matheson under the grill. He’s the burly, cursing tattooed chef from Toronto’s hipster mecca Parts and Labour, and has a cult following from his popular instagram and TV shows such as Dead Set On Life. As you might expect, he doesn’t hold back!

A very special episode where we get a behind the scenes pass to quiz the all-star chef line up at the Cook for Syria fundraiser in Sydney on their favourite Syrian ingredient, which chef's food they could eat for the rest of their life, and who is really the boss of the kitchen when ten of Australia's best head chefs are behind the burners at once. Established in the UK in 2016 by Instagram sensation @clerkenwellboyec1 and Serena Guen of Suitcase magazine, Cook for Syria has become a global movement and now a best selling cook book. After getting the biggest names in British cooking on board in London, including Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Fergus Henderson, Cook for Syria made it's way to Australia with an equally stellar line up including Peter Gilmore (Quay and Bennelong), David Thompson, Kylie Kwong, Ross Lusted (The Bridge Room), Paul Carmichael (Momofuku Seiobo), the Three Blue Ducks and young guns Clayton Wells (Automata), Luke Powell (LP's Quality Meats), Mitch Orr (Acme) and Mat Lindsay (Ester), as well as Syrian chefs the Saloums from Almond Bar. We go behind the scenes with these amazing chefs and grill them as they plate up ten extraordinary dishes together.

Kylie Kwong is the undisputed queen of modern Australian Chinese cooking and has changed our perception of native ingredients. She is a household name with her much-loved restaurant Billy Kwong in Sydney's Potts Point, and a regular on our TV screens- from Masterchef to her own shows exploring China and Australian producers. But on our journey to her favourite weekend hang, we discovered another side to this inspiring chef: her focused and spiritual approach towards life and cooking, how she copes with the daily stresses of being a chef, why she is a one-restaurant woman and what her light bulb moment was a few years ago. Then we put Hollywood's “it chef” Louis Tikaram under the grill. The Mullumbimby boy earned his stripes at top Aussie restaurants Tetsuya’s and Longrain before being hand-picked to open EP and LP in Los Angeles, and turning it into one of the city’s hottest restaurants and rooftops. He spills the Hollywood food goss from where to get the best taco to being enlightened by vegan coffee.

Side orders, like any good dish, accompany the main course, so put an order in and download this weeks side orders to get the full unedited Little Black Book Interview with renowned Conde Naste Traveler and NY Times food and travel writer, David Prior. 15 minutes of all the hottest travel and food tips from Australia to around the world.

Sarah Wilson- cook, journalist, former Masterchef host and best selling author of I Quit Sugar- has created a wellness empire worth and followed by millions. In one of her most unfiltered interviews yet, the self-confessed minimalist and sustainability crusader reveals her quirky dining habits and favourite restaurants, and why she lives in an airbnb and doesn’t quit wine! But life isn’t always sweet. Sarah opens up about the raw beginnings behind her food revolution and the battles she deals with daily. We also get access to one of the world’s most coveted little black books on where to eat and venture, when we put renowned Conde Naste Traveler and NY Times food and travel writer, David Prior, under The Pass grill.

Side orders, like any good dish, accompany the main course, so put an order in and download this weeks side orders to find out about Josh’s Niland’s curious process of smoking and dry ageing fish, the life changing moment with Peter Doyle that got Josh to where he is today, his encounter with Michael Jordan in LA and his experience of working for, and learning from, one his greatest Mentors, Luke Mangan.

Side orders, like any good dish, accompany’s the main course, so put an order in and download to find out about Matt’s first ever job at his local RSL, his first fine dining job interview and what he had to do to secure it. Also in Matt’s Side Orders, Matt takes us on a tour of his local hood and gives us the lowdown on the chef institution that is Golden Century.