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PODCAST

Straight To The Source

Tawnya Bahr & Lucy Allon

Welcome to the Straight To The Source podcast, where leadership meets the future of food. Hosted by two of Australia’s most respected food industry voices, Tawnya Bahr and Lucy Allon, the Straight To The Source podcast connects you directly with the changemakers shaping how we grow, source, and experience food. With decades of experience spanning the kitchen, dining room, and boardroom, as chef, restaurateur, consultants, and educators, Tawnya and Lucy bring an insider’s lens to the

arts food

All Episodes

52:35

Damien Pignolet & Jason Roberts: Mentorship, Sydney...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/10/07

Damien Pignolet, an icon of Australian dining, and acclaimed chef Jason Roberts sit down to reflect on a relationship spanning more than 30 years, one shaped by food, mentorship, trust and friendship. What makes someone back a young chef before everyone else can see what they’re capable of? From Claude’s and Bistro Moncur to the Josephine Pignolet Young Chef of the Year Award, this conversation explores mentorship, trust, kitchen pressure, and the evolution of Sydney dining. Damien

en-AU

42:59

Australia Exports 70% of Its Seafood and Imports 70%....

Straight To The Source ·

2026/09/30

Why is it easier to buy imported tuna in an Australian supermarket than tuna caught off our own coast? Heidi Walker, co-founder of Walker's Seafood and Walker's Tuna, explains why. Australia exports about 70% of the seafood it catches and imports about 70% of what it eats. Local fishers pay Australian wages and Australian fuel prices, and they compete against subsidised foreign fleets fishing the high seas with few rules. The country also has no scaled seafood canning facility left. Heidi and her

en-AU

40:19

Angus Cameron: Beyond the Jar at Meredith Dairy

Straight To The Source ·

2026/09/23

Meredith Dairy’s marinated goat cheese has become one of Australia’s most recognisable food products. But behind that famous jar is a far bigger story about farming, family, innovation, sustainability and what it really takes to build an Australian food business with global reach. In this episode of Straight To The Source, Tawnya Bahr sits down with Angus Cameron, the next generation helping steer Meredith Dairy, to get beyond the cheese and into the realities of running one of

en-AU

50:11

Robert Mackenzie on what it takes to produce...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/09/16

For Robert “Macka” Mackenzie, fourth-generation cattle farmer behind Macka's Australian Black Angus Pastoral & Beef, it comes down to the one-percenters. In this episode of Straight To The Source, Tawnya Bahr invites Macka into the studio to explore the small decisions that add up to better beef, from premium Angus genetics and soil health to pasture management, sustainability, traceability and resilience. Macka shares his journey from leaving school at 14 and growing up on the

en-AU

36:35

The Underground Story of Potatoes and Onions with...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/09/09

Potatoes and onions might be everyday ingredients, but there’s nothing ordinary about what goes into growing them, choosing the right varieties, or getting them from paddock to plate. In this episode of Straight To The Source, Lucy Allon sits down with John Tselekidis, Chief Commercial Officer of Mitolo Family Farms, one of Australia’s biggest fresh market potato and onion producers, to give these kitchen staples the attention they deserve. John takes us behind the scenes of fresh

en-AU

43:04

Stefano Catino: Creating a World's 50 Best Bar and...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/09/02

Stefano Catino has helped put Australian bar culture on the world stage. As co-founder of The Maybe Group, the hospitality entrepreneur behind celebrated Sydney venues including Maybe Sammy, Maybe Frank and El Primo Sanchez, Stefano has built a global reputation not just for exceptional cocktails, but for creating experiences people remember. In this episode of Straight To The Source, Stefano joins Lucy Allon to unpack the thinking behind that success. From being recently recognised as one of the

en-AU

58:16

Sauce, Ego & the Hustle: Inside Chef Luca Ciano's World

Straight To The Source ·

2026/08/26

“A dream without a plan stays a dream for a very long time" - Luca Ciano Luca Ciano has built a food career that doesn’t fit neatly into one box. He’s the chef-turned-entrepreneur behind one of Australia’s most recognisable pasta sauce brands, with products now sold across Australia and into Asia. He’s also a two-time cookbook author, TV chef, and global ambassador for Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma. But this episode goes well beyond the polished version

en-AU

39:00

Two Cult Brands, One Wild Collab: Yo-Chi x Tokyo...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/08/19

This week on Straight To The Source, we're pulling up a chair with the humans behind two of Australia's most obsessed-over dessert brands: Oliver Allis, the guy who took a struggling frozen yoghurt shop from four stores to 75 (plus Singapore, because why not), and Eddie Stewart, the chef and baker who turned a drunken Tokyo night out into a Lamington institution. We're talking origin stories, cult followings, and the two-year "ghosting" saga that almost stopped their collaboration. Now Yo-Chi and

en-AU

46:11

The Spice King of Australia: Ian Hemphill on Herbs,...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/08/05

He was nicknamed "Herbie" at school before he ever knew it would become a global brand. Ian Hemphill grew up in a nursery in Dural in the 1950s, watched his mother write Australia's first published book on herbs, trained as an actor at NIDA, sat with 300 spice merchants in New Delhi and finally felt like he'd "found his tribe" - and then, in 1997, took $45 on the first day of trading from a converted terrace house in Rozelle. Nearly three decades later, Herbies Spices is one of Australia's most

en-AU

59:57

Colin Fassnidge: Michelin Kitchens, MKR Fame, Mental...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/07/29

Celebrity chef Colin Fassnidge shares his journey from Dublin to Australia, building award-winning restaurants, television, family, mental health and the future of hospitality. People think they know Colin Fassnidge. The TV chef. The Irish larrikin. The straight-talker. But behind the television career is a chef who built his reputation the hard way, through Michelin-star kitchens, iconic restaurants, financial pressure, family life and an unwavering commitment to hospitality. In this episode of

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44:33

Amelia Birch: Building Famelia, Championing Women...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/07/22

After more than two decades in hospitality, Amelia Birch has built a business that reflects exactly what she believes in. Amelia is the founder of Famelia, Australia’s only wine bar and bottle shop dedicated exclusively to championing women winemakers and women-led wine businesses. But her journey to Famelia was far from straightforward. In this episode of Straight To The Source, Amelia joins Lucy Allon to share how losing her award-winning restaurant, The Book Kitchen, forced her to rebuild,

en-AU

54:33

Hunter Rob Gallina & Chef John Ralley on Venison,...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/07/15

In this episode of Straight To The Source, Tawnya Bahr is joined by professional game harvester Rob Gallina, founder of Australian Bush Harvest, and chef, hunter and founder of Bush River Kitchen, John Ralley. Together they unpack one of the biggest developments in Australia's wild food industry: the approval of Australia's first mobile game meat processing facility, creating a fully traceable, ethical and sustainable supply chain for wild game meat. From venison, wild goat and kangaroo to

en-AU

38:29

Anna Polyviou: The World Champion Pastry Chef on...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/07/08

Chef Anna Polyviou doesn't do anything by halves. In this episode of Straight To The Source, host Tawnya Bahr sits down with the bold, unapologetic pastry chef behind Anna's Mess, the dessert that captures exactly who she is. Anna opens up about her wild start as a hungover, almost-fired apprentice at Hotel Sofitel, and how a pastry competition (which she lost) changed the entire trajectory of her career. From there, she went on to win Best Apprentice in Victoria, train under Pierre Hermé in

en-AU

28:53

Three Passports, One Mission: Chef Remy Davis on...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/06/24

What does it take to quit the comfort of Sydney's eastern suburbs, pack a single bag, and talk your way into one of the world's best restaurants, without speaking the language? For Remy Davis, it just takes curiosity, the right contacts, and a willingness to scrub stairs with a metal scourer until you've earned your spot at the fire. In this wide-ranging conversation with Tawnya, Remy traces his journey from shucking oysters at Otto in Woolloomooloo to grilling €600-a-kilo turbot at Elkano in

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36:52

Roots Run Deep: Sue Heward and Frank Heward on 105...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/06/17

What does it look like when fifth-generation farming meets modern food entrepreneurship? For Sue Heward of Singing Magpie Produce in Monash, South Australia, it looks like sun-dried Smyrna quinces, semi-dried black and white figs, vine-ripened Shiraz grapes dried on the vine, and artisan gift boxes that tell the full story of the Riverland. In this rich, grounded conversation recorded on the Heward family orchard, Tawnya Bahr sits down with Sue and her father Frank - a man who has farmed this

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49:24

Sharon Winsor: Protecting Indigenous Food Culture,...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/06/10

What happens when a little girl collecting bush fruits in outback New South Wales, not knowing she was poor, just knowing she was rich in country, grows up to launch the first-ever Australian Native Food Festival and win the most prestigious trailblazer award in the industry? You get Sharon Winsor. In this extraordinary conversation, Sharon joins Tawnya Bahr to tell her story with radical honesty: the stillbirth that cracked her open at 21, the domestic violence that nearly took her life, the

en-AU

43:14

Mike Bennie: The Future of Australian Drinks, Wine...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/06/03

In this episode of Straight To The Source, Lucy Allon sits down with one of Australia's most respected drinks voices, Mike Bennie. A journalist, wine judge, educator, and co-founder of P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants, Mike has spent decades tasting, writing about and championing Australian drinks culture. From emerging wine trends and changing consumer habits to the rapid growth of the non-alcoholic category, Mike shares his unique perspective on where the drinks industry is heading and why

en-AU

39:39

From Bondi to Berry: Chef Alex Prichard’s Next...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/05/27

After more than a decade at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, Chef Alex Prichard is trading Bondi for Berry with the launch of Sara Dining & Garden, a produce-driven restaurant grounded in farming, sustainability and regional hospitality on the NSW South Coast. In this conversation, Lucy Allon sits down with Alex to discuss the realities of opening a farm-led dining destination in today’s economic climate, why chefs need a deeper connection to producers and how regional Australia is reshaping

en-AU

38:18

From Christchurch to Australia: Chef Amber Doig on...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/05/20

In this episode, Tawnya Bahr talks with Amber Doig, an impressive chef and quiet achiever about ego, culinary instinct, seaweed, and why attitude will always beat talent. Amber Doig left Christchurch at 17 for Australia. Twenty-something years later, she's worked alongside Alex Stupack, Chef and Co-Owner of the Empellón restaurant group based in New York City, and is now quietly reshaping how Sydney eats Mexican food. This isn't a rags-to-riches story. It's a story about showing up, getting

en-AU

41:37

Salt, Chemo, and Carbonara: Naomi Lowry on Cooking...

Straight To The Source ·

2026/05/13

How do you compete in a Chef of the Year culinary competition when you can't taste a single thing on the plate? For chef Naomi Lowry, the answer is muscle memory, decades of instinct, and an industry that showed up for her in ways she never expected. In this candid conversation, Naomi joins Tawnya and Lucy to trace a career built on anything but a straight line, from a pub kitchen in the UK to Sydney's finest restaurants, a breast cancer diagnosis three months after opening her own venue, a stint

en-AU

104 results

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