In this episode, we hang out with John Rivera, the culinary force behind three of some of Melbourne’s most exciting Filipino venues.

We trace John’s journey from growing up in the Philippines and New Zealand to launching into Melbourne’s fine-dining world, working his way through Rockpool and other prestige hospitality establishments in Australia.

During COVID, John doubled down on his roots and creativity by co-founding Kariton Sorbetes, a Filipino-inspired gelato brand, during lockdown. Today it has three Melbourne stores and is gearing up to expand internationally.  

Soon after came Askal, his contemporary Filipino restaurant in the heart of Melbourne CBD. Askal quickly became a buzzy, hard-to-book destination known for reimagining Filipino classics.

But beyond the restaurants and bars, John’s story is one of family, creativity, resilience, and a kitchen that’s always brimming with heart. Whether he’s remixing childhood pantry experiments or building new dining concepts from scratch, his food is a love language. Always bold, authentic, and endlessly generous.

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The Heart Media Podcast is a hospitality focused podcast hosted by the co-founders of Heart Media, Tyrone & Bily. Heart Media is a Melbourne based creative agency that specialise in all things marketing, content creation and growth within the hospo space.