Chef or cook

From footy stands to petrol stations, the Aussie meat pie is everywhere. LEE TRAN LAM discovers how food personalities from across the country would reinvent this icon today.

Head chefs, kitchen stylists and food writers weigh in.

The influential plant-based deli has hopped over from Fitzroy to Collingwood. And together under the one roof with its sister restaurant, Smith & Daughters, the new spot is poised to become Australia’s biggest vegan destination.

Catch of the day? This Sydney fish and chippery focuses on a single fish species year-round.

Spurred by a life-changing event or an inner voice, three hospitality insiders share their stories of challenge, adversity and renewal.

It’s a case of two becoming one, with the chef announcing plans to merge Smith & Daughters and Smith & Deli under one roof in Collingwood.

A touch of chilli can be wonderful, but a rogue seed can have catastrophic consequences. Chefs and restaurateurs share their cautionary tales on what not to do with chilli.

Joel Bickford has had his curtain call at the waterfront restaurant, and he's been tapped for an ambitious project in Sydney’s CBD.

The chef behind Sydney's Ricos Tacos shows how it's done (fish fingers included).

Across Australia, there are plenty of spots to experience the food and culture of Japan. And for these chefs, restaurateurs and producers, it's just a matter of knowing where to look.

Order finish-at-home meals from celebrated Sydney restaurants including Ho Jiak, Monopole and CicciaBella. It's another way to help restaurants survive the current lockdown.

How to survive lockdown, according to the industry professionals who did it the longest.

A team of local hospitality guns is set to open Nieuw Ruin in Fremantle, where the food is given as much thought as the drinks.

Exorbitant Kewpie mayonnaise prices, yakisoba made with spaghetti, and fish without the fat. Australians may have a love affair with Japanese cuisine but for the chefs who were first on the scene, it wasn't always easy.

It's the food, and so much more: Indonesian aunties who ply you with sweets, staff who know your child's favourite booster seat. For these chefs, these restaurants and pubs double as a second home.

With more than 20 years’ experience serving laghman, polo and toho kordak across the city, co-owners Ershat and Hislat Shukur still run their restaurant with heart.

After shuttling back and forth between the mainland and Tasmania, chef Ali Currey-Voumard is keeping things simple at Public Wine Shop.

Culinary doyenne Alla Wolf-Tasker shares a taste of her latest project Dairy Flat Farm, where guests are invited to celebrate the seasons and relish simple flavours straight from the paddock.

Executive chef Khanh Nguyen has cooked up a menu featuring a Vietnamese-Bunnings sausage sanga mash-up, potato wedges with sour cream remixed, and the ice-cream sandwich of his dreams. And he’s eyeing that 16 June open date, Melbourne lockdown be damned.

From a South Melbourne market stall to Yarraville café Mabu Mabu and now her 130-seater in Federation Square, the self-described “Island girl” has many reasons to celebrate.

The Vietnamese savoury pancake, rendered into crisp, golden goodness before your very eyes.

From the Mornington Peninsula to the big smoke, the former Pt Leo Estate chef is ready to strike out on his own.

The industry talent pool was running dry long before the pandemic, and it’ll take a change in government policy, and self-reflection from restaurants, to make hospitality great again.

The Sokyo chef puts his Osaka okonomiyaki down, flips it and reverses it.

It’s a new chapter for the chef-restaurateur with the much-anticipated opening of Lucky Kwong, named in honour of her late son.

Upon the departure of Phil Wood, the Catalonia-born chef is taking up the mantle at the Mornington Peninsula establishment.

The chef and restaurateur built an empire of Thai restaurants that irrevocably shaped Sydney’s love and understanding of Thai food.

Hanukkah and Christmas family feasts, a three-part extravaganza on the big day by a veteran Melbourne chef, and a party for women who have survived domestic violence. This is what Christmas looks like for these players in the food and hospitality world.

In her monthly column, Kylie Kwong celebrates some of her hospitality heroes and the individuals helping to grow a stronger community. Here, we meet cook, producer and restaurateur Maggie Beer.

With restaurants closed and chefs shut out of their kitchens, the current pandemic gave many time to pause, reflect and ask themselves: what's next? From going it alone to aligning with social justice causes, five chefs share their experiences.

The hospitality industry is in crisis, with many predicting up to a third of all restaurants will close permanently following the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the industry’s leading figures speak about the future and what needs to change.

Bánh mì thịt. Mud crab. A whole chicken. No dish or creature of the land and sea is exempt from the Sunda chef’s "en croûte" treatment.

“Leaving on a high is the right way."

As head chef of Two Good Co, Strode finds solace in providing meals to women in need, and the power of humanity.

The chef turned television presenter gives us a taste of the Top End and shares his love of rare seafood delicacies.

A three-part feast, brought to you by the head chef at Gerard's Bistro.

OzHarvest has recruited an all-star line-up for its latest initiative – a dinner delivery service with heart.

"You better eat all of those dumplings. They are three-Michelin-star dumplings right there, so you better appreciate every bite!" Three hospitality families on their brood and food.

“We’ve put too much money, sweat and tears into this place to press stop.”

In our new video series, we step into the kitchens of Australia's best chefs and find out what it takes to dish up some of the finest food in the country.

From battling illness and drought to opening and closing restaurants, key industry players reflect on 2019 and their hopes for the future.

If a ham is the ruler of the Christmas table, a well-made glaze is its crown. Here some of our leading culinary lights share their favourite formulas. It's brush hour.

The chef on Australian motels, packing light and his love-hate relationship with Los Angeles.

The Sydney chef power-couple on departing the hospitality group they’ve loved for six years, pivotal moments with pipis, and their big move up north.

The Arc Dining head chef and Gourmet Traveller’s Best New Talent recently presented a MAD Mondays talk at Sydney's Carriageworks on the challenges of steering a successful kitchen. Here, in an edited extract of her speech, she shares her new model for getting the job done.

The New York chef on angry vegetables, competing in Iron Chef and her unique wine list.

The chef and TV presenter on growing up in Wollongong, the magic of cooking, and putting kangaroo on his restaurant menu in the '90s.

The head chef on her cult fried-potato dish, her modern take on room service and her lessons learnt about the kitchen fire.

After almost six years with Maurice Terzini’s flagship restaurant and The Dolphin Hotel, the executive-chef power couple is moving on.

The chef is returning to the Sydney kitchen where, 11 years ago, he made his start at the Merivale group. And he's bringing back that hot fudge sundae.

As he readies to open his Italian restaurant CicciaBella with the Icebergs crew, the Sydney chef talks Chinese Bolognese, chokos and the early days of instant messaging.

The legendary cook and author on her love of opera and and being a much, much messier cook than Stephanie Alexander.

While the Adelaide Hills restaurant hunts for a new head chef, they’ll have the former Garagistes and Longsong talent in residence. And Frank the kelpie will be there too.

The former Brae chef on fish sauce-spiked Bolognese, the ingredients she's loving right now, and 10 William St's signature dessert.

One is a legend of Australia's culinary scene, the other a veteran of our cinema screens. Upon the release of Palm Beach, Beer and Brown share their tips for hosting a dinner party to remember.

The Icebergs dessert queen on coriander, her dreams of being a flight attendant, and the importance of reading recipes.

Kylie Kwong’s Sydney restaurant Billy Kwong has closed its doors after 19 years. It’s a time for reflection, but also a chance to look ahead to new beginnings.

The chef on the weight of owning a restaurant, kicking out Paul Carmichael, and the baloney sandwich 2.0.

The celebrated chef reflects on his life, career, and his unfortunate run-in with a bag of dried shrimp.

At Sydney restaurant Alberto’s Lounge, chef Daniel Pepperell adds unexpected twists and modern turns to the classics in an Italian(ish) sequel to Restaurant Hubert.

This week is your last chance to dine at her Sydney restaurant.

The neighbourhood restaurant has been an incubator for emerging chef talent over the years. Chef-owner Karl Firla is calling time, but says this is not the end of the Oscillate Wildly brand.

There's pink walls, green velvet banquettes, and a naan pizza filled with blue cheese. Plus, a dish that combines panipuri and steak tartare.

Business was booming for the maker of Sydney's favourite ricotta – and then she stopped. Much-loved cheesemaker Kristen Allan explains why.

Opening a restaurant is tough. Building it yourself? That’s another world of pain. Just days before launch, we dropped into the worksite at Pipit, the new NSW North Coast restaurant by chef and handyman Ben Devlin.

The low-down on what to order at Barangaroo House's produce-driven restaurant, where vegetables, seafood and a Milo-inspired dessert receive top billing.

At this Northern Rivers restaurant, local vegetables and seafood play a starring role, and proceeds from the opening weekend will go towards OzHarvest.

He was in Australia to launch his restaurants’ latest dishes, but we also learnt much more about the Thai cuisine master.

The Lankan Filling Station chef-owner is doing her bit to help, one curry at a time.

With the Chinese eatery celebrating a decade on the Sydney restaurant scene, head chef Andy Evans reflects on near misses with vats of chilli oil and nicknames for his knives.

The chef on late night lamb souvlakis, her favourite playlist and what’s next.

From the coconut plantations of Sri Lanka via the kitchens of northern Italy, Lankan Filling Station chef O Tama Carey brings us a cracking autumnal lunch leavened with sultry spice and characteristic flair.

For the Melbourne chef, when you've nearly drowned three times in your life, you plate the experience.