Table for Two

After 7 years, Burger head co-founders, Joshua Deluca and Tim Rosenstrauss have decided to call it quits after a couple really tough years in the industry. They are closing 4 of their bricks and mortar store. But it's definitely not the end of Burger Head. They and are putting all their effort to focus on their Burger trucks, events and wholesale. I originally interviewed Josh and Tim in 2021, Ep 36, where we spoke about partnerships, pressures of business and plans for growth. Two years later a lot has happened, and I'm very grateful to the boys for being so honest and raw about their experiences. I highly recommend listening to their first episode before listening to this one to get a better understanding of their journey.

Meet Jonny Massaad owner of the very popular Cake mail. When Johnny couldn't get a job at KFC at the age of 17 he decided to take matters into his own hands and start his own business from his garage while still at High school called Sugar high. Sugar high focused on creating Custom cakes and although things were going great he knew he was capped with how many cakes he could make in a week. He decided he wanted his business to grow. He leased a warehouse changed his business strategy, and changed the name of his business to cake mail. A business that produces amazing cakes that blew up on social media. Cakes that that could be ordered and delivered the same day. Since opening he has seen many copy cat business but Jonny has continued to be the leader in the market and constantly evolving his brand and products. He has since opened Balloon mail and tidbit snacks. It's crazy to think with everything Jonny has achieved he is only 24 years old. Listening to Jonnys story and journey I was blown away with his confidence and ability to create brands and ideas without worrying about the negatives.

Episode #56 now Live! Meet Tyron Simon and Ben Williamson, owners of some of Australia's best restaurants.  Ben And Tyron's journey crossed paths during their hospitality careers and when the opportunity to work together came up they jumped at the chance to combine their skills and create something that hadn't been done in Brisbane.  They opened a unique wood fire restaurant called Agnes, with a kitchen that works solely with crackling wood fire and smoke – there's no gas or electricity. Which is unheard of in hospitality.  They also own, Same Same, Honto and the amazing Bianca restaurant and have placed them selves among the best Restaurateurs in Australia.    In todays episode we talk about business partnerships, running great venues, dealing with cultures and how to build great cultures.

Episode #55 is now Live Meet Anna Petridis former owner of Patissez. Anna and her family have been in business and Hospitlaity their whole lives After selling their successful school uniform business to Lowes an opportunity to open their own cafe presented itself, so they jumped at the opportunity to open a venues together. They renovated the existing venue and the cafe Patissez was born. Within a few months they had lines out the door every day from people travelling all around Australia, thanks to Annas creation of the freak-shakes, over the top milkshakes that everyone wanted to try. Within 6 months they had opened their second store in Canberra which was then followed by stores in Malaysia. Singapore, India and Qatar. From the outside it looked like Anna and her family were living the best life with all the success in the world, But internally things couldn't be more different. Within a few years, they had lost everything, Anna's partner left her, they lost their family home and they went into liquidation. Lost everything except the support of each other and their family. They stuck together and when her grandmother heard they were struggling she stepped in, bought their original store back from the liquidators, which Anna and her family went back to work in which they eventually bought back off her, turned it around and ended up making it one of canberras best cafes and selling it for a great profit. Anna will be the first to admit she wasn't a great business owner and operator but through all of the hardship she has learnt from All the mistakes and come out of it to be an amazing leader and business woman. I'm so grateful I get to interview amazing people and business owners every week. Every story is so inspiring. But I have to admit this is most inspiring story I have ever heard and what's amazing is this is just the start for the Petridis family. Their next venue is amazing Mexican concept called cartel which is the first of its kind in Australia. We were also grateful to have Anna's beautiful mother join us and share part of her story with us.

Meet Joshua Khoury, Co owner of The Rusty Rabbit. Josh was only 19 when him and his brother decided to take over a cafe in Darlinghurst. With limited experience in running cafes, the brothers received full support from their parents to take the risk letting them know they had their full support no matter what happened. Although there were plenty of struggles over the next six months the brothers persisted and created one of Sydney's funnest and best known hospitality brands It's amazing to see the growth they have had over the last 6 years opening 4 successful cafes and doing it all before the age of 25.

Episode 52 is now Live! Meet Greg McLean. Greg's journey in hospitality started at the age of 18 when his parents bought a coffee franchise. After spending a few years managing their store he decided to move back to the Gold Coast with no intention to ever get back into hospitality. It didn't take long for him to realise working for others wasn't for him so with the support of his girlfriend they opened a small hole in the wall espresso bar in Sunshine Coast called your place. Since then Greg and his partner have gone on to open 10 venues all around Queensland. Greg now owns The Bungalow in Yeppoon, which is going from strength to strength and is also about to launch his third food and music festival called socal Although Greg was faced with many obstacles along the way he has successfully been able to sell all venues he has opened and has built and amazing reputation. I was blown away by Greg's drive, attitude and his ability to make things happen and can't wait for you to all hear his story.

Episode #52 is now Live! Meet John lazarou,  John is one of the founders of the coffee club, which now has over 400 locations world wide.  Johns journey in hospitality started a little different to most successful hospitality operators.  At the age of 15 he left school to take on a hairdressing apprenticeship,  2 years later he quit his job and bought a existing salon, taking two of the seniors at his previous work place while still doing his apprenticeship.  He continued hairdressing for over 10 years, and had a very successful career but one of his biggest mistakes was that he was the face of the salon which put pressure on him to be at the store 7 days a week where he felt trapped.  In 1989 by two of his friends, both named  Emmanuel, were opening a coffee shop called The Coffee Club, and approched him to help out. So he split his time between the salon and The Coffee Club.  It didn't take long for him to sell his salon and become a partner.  After opening 7 company stores in 5 years, they decided to start franchising with massive success.  They opened over 180 stores before selling 50% of their company to Minor International, one of Thailand's largest resort companies in 2007, they then sold another 20% seven years later, Setting up the original founders for life.  The coffee club started the cafe scene and is one of Australia biggest success stories. I'm very grateful to John for taking the time to chat to me about his journey. One of Johns greatest assets is his ability to make people feel welcome and comfortable and is a massive reason for the success of the coffee club.

Episode #51 Meet Simon Gloftis Simon's journey in Hospitality started in the early days as a teenager selling corn on the cob at the markets, what started as a little side job turned into a very successful business, selling over one thousand corn on the cobs in one day, earning more than some adults would earn in a week. That market stall helped him understand business, people and working with suppliers. At the age of 21, Simon bought a run down cafe in Nobbys beach, and created one of the first genuine espresso bars in The Gold Coast, he went on to open two more successful cafes Little bean and Piccolo. 10 years later Simon opened Hellenika also in nobbys beach. Hellenika is often referred to as one of the first to move the Gold Coast dining scene into an exciting new direction, Introducing share menus, set menus for bigger groups and food Gold Coast never seen before. Hellenika helped put Simon's name on the hospitality map, he would later open the Fish house and Nineteen at the star. Later Selling all venues to focus on Hellenika Brisbane in The Calile hotel. Hellenika Brisbane has been an unbelieveable success. People travelling all around Australia to stay at The Calile and to eat at Hellenika. Simon also owns SK steak and oyster within the same precinct and is about to open Sushi room and Sunshine which is a project he says is the most important project of his life. I was blown away by Simon's amazing work ethic, love for Hospitlaity, people and culture, strong focus on high quality produce and creating the best guest experience.

Episode #50 is now LIVE! Meet Charlie El Hachem, owner of Piccolo Me and Go Dark. Charlie has seen the highs and lows of the hospitality industry, at the start of the pandemic he genuinely thought he would lose the business. He and his family worked so hard to build. But after some dark times, Charlie changed his mindset, has turned his worst time in to his best, and when lockdown was announced this year they were ready. Not only did they survive, they thrived. In today's episode we chat about the impact his Dad has had on his career and life, the challenges he has faced in hospitality and their ability to adapt during covid. His new start up Go Dark is a unique concept that will change the way we operate from our hospitality venues. It's been amazing to see Charlie's growth from store owner to CEO over the last few years and the vision and direction he has for his business is very inspiring. I also interviewed Charlie's brother, Roy the creative genius behind Piccolo Me back in September last year, so if you want to know more about the Piccolo Me story I recommend you listen to that episode also. That was episode number 12. Thank you again to the Piccolo Me family. Harry, Charlie & Roy for always being there and continuing to be there for me as friends and mentors.

Episode #49 is now Live! Meet Sean and Mark. Sean had a background in HR and mark spent 20 years making gelato at bar Italia which was one of the first artisan gelato shops in Sydney. After Sean was made redundant, they decided it was time to open their own business. After 12 months of searching and looking at multiple venues, they decided on a small space in Redfern. And Ciccone and Sons was born. Although the start of their journey was slow with gelato being a very seasonal product, Sean and Mark knew by creating their unique gelato and focusing on guest experiencing as their point of difference they would be able to build loyalty through their customers. Since opening 6 years ago they have collaborated with some of the best hospitality venues in sydney including nour and continental deli while also featuring in every possible hospitlaity publication as having the best gelato in Sydney. Over the next 3 months they will open 2 more locations one in Glebe and also including our partnership at Gellfrenda, something we are very grateful to be part of.

Episode: 48 is now Live!  Lisa and Argi met while working at Rashays.  Several years later they decided to take a risk on a shop in Liverpool Westfields that no one would go near and was considered a dead spot in the shopping centre.  With strong marketing, great food and service, It didn't take long for their cafe to take off and build the reputation as one of the best cafes in Liverpool, with a social media following on instagram of over 35,000 followers.  What's amazing about their cafe is they have no traditional commercial kitchen but have found a way to create and execute a full cafe menu with all bench top cooking equipment, Something that is very had to do in a 70 seater venue.  They have since bought and sold another two successful cafes and are constantly looking out for new opportunities.  Lisa and argi are highly respected in the industry and it was a pleasure to hear their story.

Episode #47 Meet Johnathon Israfil, owner of Kerbside Creamery.  Jonathons journey in hospitality only came about when he was fired from his civil engineering job during the start of the pandemic.  He had an idea to create Sydney's first cheesecake on a stick with your option for your favourite flavours, what started as a small set up on his front yard under a small marquee, has now turned into a very successful busienss with two food trucks, a online business and delivering all around Sydney.  With nearly 40,000 followers on Instagram kerbside creamery has developed a cult following.  Jonathons story is so inspiring and a great  listen for anyone wanting to leave their job to start their own business. 

Episode 46 Meet Chloe Watts  Chloe was born and raised on the Gold Coast but spent several years in Sydney before heading to London for two years to work with London's best chefs and hospitality groups.  She decided to head back to the Gold Coast, where she bought Paddock Bakery with her parents, from her brother. She has since turned it into one of Australia's most iconic venues.  After receiving an offer she couldn't refuse for Paddock Bakery she decided to sell, take a break and start working on her new concept.  That new concept is called Tarte Bakery, which is now considered one of the Gold Coasts best cafes.   It's no coincidence that anything Chloe does turns to gold.  Her work ethic, attention to detail and love for people and hospitality has made her one of Australia's best restraunteurs. 

Episode #45 is now live! Meet Tony Pantano, partner and chief operating officer of @onlyhospitality. Tony's journey in hospitlaity started at the age of 13 working in an Italian restaurant in Lygon St, Melbourne. After finishing high school he managed several venues while also competing his university degree. He joined a hospitality software company called My Guest List which took him to New York, where he would later join Bluestone Lane, an Australian inspired coffee shop as general manager of their flagship store, that has now grown to 17 stores across America. He was than offered a unique position as the chief steward aboard a 50m super yacht which took him to 30 countries including some of the most remote locations in the world. After getting home sick he decided to move back to Melbourne with the goal of working with Julian and the only hospitality group as general manager which has now grown to over 15 locations, which includes, cafes, a roastery, a pub and restaurants. Tony is now chief operating officer of Only Hospitality which is Melbourne's largest non-franchised cafe group.

Episode #44 is now live! Meet Hadi Chami  Owner of Notorious espresso, Werribee.  Like most kids growing up in a Lebanese family business, as long as you were tall enough to see over the counter you were old enough to work in the shop.  Being the eldest, Hadi would always be there helping his family in every business they had, that included a cafe they bought in Collins St, Melbourne.  It opened his eyes to the cafe and coffee world, although it was long hours and hard work hadi loved the cafe scene.  Things were going great and the business had grown since they had taken over.  He than overhead the Leasing agents talking talking about not wanting to renew their lease.  When he approached them he was told bad luck and he should have done their due diligence when buying the business.  This left a negative impact on Hadi,  and after they sold their cafe at half the price they had bought it for he told himself he would never get back into the hospitality industry.  He than completed his degree in engeering while also working odd jobs. He had lost his passion for business and hospitality, but It wasn't until he ran into one of his old customers that told him he was wasting his time and should get back into what he knew best.  He than found a shop in Werribee, Melbourne's west that was for sale.  Although everyone told him it was no good and he was crazy, he seen the potential, took a risk and bought the business, he has since doubled sales. The business grew so much that he recently renovated the shop to triple the size of his cafe.  Hadi took a chance, and has really transformed the cafe scene in Werribee.

Episode #43 is now Live! Meet Jon Ford Jon Ford is owner and operator of teddy picker restaurant in Werribee Jon was born in Liverpool, England, his hospitality journey started at the age of 14 when he got his first job in a kitchen, he was instantly obsessed and knew he wanted to make a career in hospitality. He left school at 16 and has since worked in some amazing kitchens. After coming to Australia he met his now fiancé Kristy and knew he wanted to continue his career in Australia. He worked in several venues before being approached to open his own restaurant. Despite the fear of covid he signed the lease for the space that is now teddy picker, knowing it was a special venue. Since opening in February his 300 seater venue is booked out every weekend. I met Jon the day before this podcast and knew I had to get him on to share his story, his passion for the kitchen, cooking and hospitality is something I wanted to share with everyone.

Episode #42 is now Live! Meet Lucia Di Luca  Lucia's home turned weekend restaurant, offers guests traditional Italian food on the back verandah of her Orchard Hills home.  In 2012 Lucia opened Cucina Casareccia. The humble restaurant serves a four-course seasonal menu, which changes every month, designed to be savoured with family and friends, and enjoyed in the traditional style of an Italian celebration. It operates only 2 days a week. Saturday dinners and Sunday lunch. With only one sitting each day, Lucia could easily increase revenue by offering a second sitting for each service but she stresses that guests who visit shouldn't be in a hurry to eat. Food at Cuccina should be eaten slowly while guests appreciate the open space and views on the 5 acre property. I recently had the chance to dine at Cucina Casareccia and was blown away. One of the best dining experiences I've ever had. The authenticity and warm Italian hospitality was something I have never experienced before.

Episode #41 is now Live! Meet Matt Woods Matt Woods passion for creativity and drawing started at a young age. With a passion for art and design he later went on to study industrial design at university. His first job was at Sunbeam but hated it immediately. He then joined a joinery company which allowed him to focus more on design. After a few different jobs and starting to get bored, a new opportunity presented itself when his then girlfriend knew a cafe owner that was renovating and mentioned that Matt was a designer. What started out as giving them some advice, then turned into a full time job. He helped create Bloodwood in Newtown which created a lot of buzz and helped put Matt's name on the map. Since then, Matt Has gone on to design some of the best commercial and residential properties in Sydney. In 2011 he won the DESIGNER OF THE YEAR, in 2015 he won the EAT DRINK DESIGN AWARDS for BEST RESTAURANT DESIGN and in 2019 won THE DESIGN FILES AWARDS. Matts passion for sustainability in his design is evident in all his work. He genuinely cares about the clients best interested. Personally, what Matt has done for our business has been life changing and something I'm forever grateful for. A great episode for people that want to get into design or have a venue they want to get design.

Meet Christine Elbakht Christine spent 20 years in corporate working for some of the world's top luxury brands in Australia and Dubai. After spending 3 years in Dubai she decided it was time to come home. Knowing her time was up in the corporate world and decided to chase her dreams of opening her own business. She had worked in hospitality as a teenager and wanted to combine her love for brands business and hospitality. Being a lover of all things peanut butter she opened the world first dedicated peanut butter bar. Her initial concept was to create a dessert bar that focused on offering peanut butter desserts free from refined sugars and preservatives as well as gluten free and vegan options, that didn't make you feel guilty after eating desserts. Although she received attention from nearly every major media outlet around the world including a video that was viewed over 30 million times, the sales started to drop, as things got worse people told her that she gave it a shot but it was time to give up and go back to her corporate career Christine knew she had something special and refused to give up, she engaged a consultant to help her re brand the business, changed the concept and in 2019 Peanut butter bar 2.0 was born. I was blown away by Christine's story. Her Resilience, drive and passion for hospitality and building a brand she hopes to take world wide one day is so inspiring.

Episode #39 Meet Kenneth Rodrigueza. Kenneth's journey isn't the typical hospitality journey but a passion for baking set him up for what would end up becoming one of the best donuts in Australian.  After finishing a uni degree after 7 years, he decided to take a gap year he started working in different jobs while also doing cake tutorials on YouTube.  While working in retail he started making donuts for his work colleagues, after seeing everyone go crazy for his donuts he started wholesaling for other cafes and also decided to start selling them at markets.  At the time were sharing a Commercial kitchen with other business but realised they needed their own space when demand grew, so they decided to open a wholesale kitchen in Redfern which ended up being the retail store and shop front of Donut Papi.  Donut Papi is now considered one of the best donuts in Australia and the demand for his donuts shows every week with them selling out our every week.  Kenneth has since expanded and also has another shop front called donut papito. And also have a vegan range called Pudgy Vegan Donuts and plans to open a Philippine cafe called Tita Donut Papi is truly a family business with his sister Karen and other siblings all part of the journey.

Episode #38 Is now LIVE! Meet Roman Urosevski, owner of Son of a Baker, one of Sydney's most popular bakeries. Romans journey in baking started from a early age helping his dad at his bakery. With no real passion for baking and knowing he wasn't going to go to university, he decided to quit school. Over the next 3 years he worked in different industries before realising he wanted to go back to what he knew best. He approached his dad to buy the family business, but his dad wasn't ready to sell the business. At the time, he had a pop up in Miranda called Alexander's bakery and decided to make it his own and create his own brand. This was when Son of a Baker was born. He has since opened 3 more stores and become one of the most popular bakeries in Sydney, he has won multiple awards and gained media attention from some of the best publications around Australia. In today's episode we talk about what is required to be successful, the opening of multiple stores, his love of combining art and food, how he learnt how to bake, the highs and lows of business, how he will never open a full service cafe again, giving up the wholesale business and the positive effect Covid had on his business. I was very grateful to Roman for talking to me about his journey and also talk publicly for the first time about the breakdown of his business partnership and how it nearly ruined his brand, the mental stress it put him under and financial impact it had on him that nearly forced him to close his doors. Seeing him come out the other side is not only inspiring but also a lesson to all of us to never give up on your dream.

Episode #37 is now Live! Meet Alex Riviere Alex was born in France and his passion for hospitality came at a young age watching his family of restraunteurs run hospitality venues. He moved to Australia at the age of 22 and worked in several well known restaurants around Bondi one of them being Sean's Panorama. After spending several years in Australia, Alex and his partner Lulu decided to move back to France to be closer to family. Two years later and with a new born baby they decided to move back to Australia. They loved the relaxed Blue Mountains lifestyle and knew it was the perfect place to raise their family. Alex resumed work as a chef in Mount Tomah, and part of his job was making sourdough for the restaurant. This is where his obsession for baking started. He was learning from YouTube, and connecting with other bakers on Instagram to learn the art. With the support of his wife it didn't take long for him to quit his job as a chef and start baking full time. David Harris from Vesta allowed him to use his wood fire oven after the restaurant would close, which allowed him to start supplying several cafes and restaurant. He set up a Saturday morning stall at The Blue Mountains Food Co-op markets and that's where he grew his reputation. He would prep all his sourdough from his house and then head to Vestas to bake his bread at night. He was starting to get tired of all the logistics of making his own bread from home and using another venue to bake his bread, so he decided to ask other cafe operators if they knew of anyone that was anyone willing to invest in helping him set up his own bakery. He was connected with Stefan and Rosi who were in awe of his bread vision and passion and decided to invest in him. Things progress very quickly and within several months they opened their first bakery called Black Cockatoo. Broadsheet once were quoted as saying his bakery commanded similar queues to an Apple store on a new iPhone day. With 2 stores and a wholesale business black cockatoo is as popular as ever selling nearly 4000 pastries a week. I was so inspired by Alex's story, his business is built on pure passion, obsession and love for baking. Alex is 100% self taught in making bread and pastries. He credits his wife Lulu for the Success he has had saying he would never been able to pursue his passion for baking if she didn't support him.

Episode #36 Is now live! Meet Joshua DeLuca and Tim Rosenstrauss, 2 of the 3 owners of the very successful fast casual restaurant Burger head. Josh, Tim and Richard all completed their apprenticeships working together in some of the best fine dining restaurants in Australia, but it wasn't until a few years later they would reunite to open what is now considered one of the best burger shops in western Sydney. Although many people expected them to create something more high end, They took their experience of working in fine dining and created a point of difference for their burger shop which no one was doing in western Sydney, creating a loyal and engaging following. They have since opened another burger head in botany, a burger truck, smoking gringos while also operating a burger stall at makets and the Easter show. Their growth over the last few years is nothing short of amazing and you get a feeling this is just the start for them with all of them still under the age of 30 In today's episode we discuss the good and bad of business partnerships, the power of social media, the pressures of working in fine dining kitchens, the struggles they faced with their first venue and their controversial post that made McDonalds send them a cease and desist letter which ended up being a blessing as it gave their business free exposure all over Australia.

Episode #35 Meet Danny Russo, chef and owner of Russolini Group, one of Australia's most respected and skilled boutique food service consultancy groups. Danny's passion for food came from a young age watching and cooking with his mum. He started his apprenticeship with the Merivale Group. He worked under amazing chefs who helped him not only learn how to cook but more importantly manage his own a team. He opened his own restaurant called L'Unico in Balmain in 2000, receiving amazing reviews and changing the way people experienced Italian food. He went on to work in some of the best hatted restaurants around the world. With people reaching out to him and asking for help and advice he decided it was time to combine his passion for hospitality and travel and open his consultancy business called the Russolino Group, a consultancy group that provides tailored food service projects that make a difference in a client's operations, branding and bottom line. Dannys work has had him featured in the New York Times, and has received rave reviews in Vogue Entertaining, The Sydney Morning Herald, Time Out, The Daily Telegraph, The (Sydney) Magazine and Australian Gourmet Traveller Danny is driven to continue to help, grow and mentor the next generation of chefs and restauranteurs and you can hear the passion and love he has for the industry.

Episode #34 Meet Jamila, owner of the amazing strawberries and co who specialises in strawberry towers, macaroon towers, desserts, event styling and workshops.  What started as a side gig for a little bit of income doing projects for the family, turned into one of the most popular and unique dessert business in Australia.   With no business experience and never owning a social media account, Jamila wanted to create more awareness to showcase her amazing products. With help from her nephew, they created a photoshoot,  a social media page, posted on Instagram and it went viral. She now has over 120,000 followers on Instagram and is constantly booked out.  She credits the passion of her business for getting her through some of the hardest times in her life.  Through her experiences Jamila hopes to hold a seminar this year to help inspire and empower other women and show them that anything is possible.

Episode #33 Meet Sal and Huss Sal, Huss and his sister Amani's journey is not the typical hospitality story. There was no burning desire to ever open a cafe but when there was a relationship breakdown and a 9 year lease in Huss' name, he had no other choice but to step in and take control. With no experience in hospitality they were determined to make it work. After 6 months they had built what would end up being one of Sydney's best cafes. But it wasn't always that way. Three months after opening they were questioning if they made the right choice. They knew they had an amazing product and offering but couldn't understand why they weren't busy. There were days where they wouldn't turnover $500 and gave themselves a few more months before trying to sell or close the business. Things started to change when their friend Jameil came in for breakfast. After being blown away by the food he realised they had something special he offered to help them create more awareness through social media. Through this, things started to change, but it wasn't until their Ramadan nights that Nineteen43 really took off. They had people from all over Sydney visiting their venue for the food, coffee and vibe. I have spent a lot of time with these guys and know how hard they have worked to create something so special. They have recently sold Nineteen43 but their legacy will live on forever. They really were the first in Sydney to turn the humble bakery into a unique middle eastern venue. Ninteen43 was just the beginning for them, They will be opening 2 more venues over the next 6 months Amani didn't appear on this episode but we hope to interview her in the near future to hear her inspiring story.

Episode #32 Meet George Nahas George is the owner owner of Belluci Cuccina, Gypsy Coffee Roasters, Romolo Espresso and is also opening one of the most anticipated restaurants in Sydney later this yeah with Ibby Moubaddar called Aalia. George had been working in the industry from his teenage years. When he opened his first venue he treated it more of a hobby, but it wasn't until his accountant told him he wouldn't he in business much longer if he didn't take it more serious. It didn't take long for him to soon become one of the best hospitality operators in Sydney. He has had success after success with his venues but when Covid hit he was heavily impacted, with most of his venues in the city which was a ghost town for several months, but with his hard work ethic, business smarts and faith in god, he was able to turn things around. Although he has flown under the rader in the hospitality industry for so many years George is one of the most respected operators in the hospitality industry. Another passion for George is rugby league, he says football background helped him in hospitality because it taught him the meaning of resilience, hard work and working in a team environment. This podcast was a little shorter than other episodes as we were strapped for time but we are hoping for a follow up episode in the near future.

Episode #31 Meet Rarbie and Mohamed Taha. Two of the three founders of Sydney Brunch Crawler. With a passion for finding the best hospitality venues, Rarbie started getting phone calls and messages asking where the best places for brunch in Sydney were. His brothers Billy and Mohamed encouraged him to start a blog and together the three of them started one of Sydney's best Instagram food blogger accounts. With over 80,000 followers, through organic growth, their blog has now become so much more. They are respected influencers and they have since collaborated with amazing brands and also look after many venues helping with social media management. All three brothers bring a different skill set which has helped many hospitality venues increase revenue and raise awareness. This was such a great podcast and added so much value to people that want to help grow their business through social media. They are genuine about wanting to help and I have seen firsthand the positive impact they have had on our business.

Episode #30 Meet Mathew Abi - Arrage Mathew started his hospitality journey to make a bit of money with no intention to ever open his own shop. By the time he was 25 he was running some of Sydney's best venues. Working his way up in the Merivale Group he became the licensee for the establishment, after working there for 18 months, he decided to move to Melbourne to work with the Sand Hill Road Group, one of Melbourne's best pub operators. He realised after a conversation with one of the owners that there was no reason why he couldn't open his own venue. He decided to move back to Sydney and start looking and planning for his own site. Although he was ready to open a shop he wasn't sure what concept he wanted to open, but this didn't stop him from signing a lease for a beautiful space in Rhodes in 2015. After doing some research he found that there wasn't as many high quality cafes in Sydney like there was in Melbourne, he saw there was a gap in the market, and 6 months later he opened Left of Fields. Mathew talks about the struggles of the leasing process, the doubts, the fear of people not coming to his cafe, and the reason why he decided to sell the cafe 6 years later. Mathew is the first guest we have had on our podcast that is no longer in the industry so it was quite interesting to hear his take on the hospitality industry since he sold his cafe.

Episode #29 Meet Jonathan Faro, owner of Society Pizzeria and Johnny Gios. Johnathon started his hospitality journey in catering at the age of 23 with Society Catering. With jobs all around Australia their mobile food business couldn't keep up with demand, Jonathan than opened Society Pizzeria on Bondi Road. It didn't take long for that shop to reach capacity selling over a thousand pizzas a week. With his reputation of great service and food, it was meant to be a home run. As Johnathon describes it, he was over ambitious. Things didn't go to plan, but instead of feeling sorry for himself he pulled himself out of the tough situation he was in and opened another shop during the hardest period of his life, that store was his second in bondi called Society Pizza Bar, and ended up being one of his best performing stores to date. He has since opened a new concept called Johnny Gios, a takeaway pizza restaurant that Johnathon describes as your neighbourhood pizza shop, he already has two Johnny Gios locations and plans to open all around Australia and internationally once the borders open.

Meet Ibby Moubadder   Ibby grew up in Lebanon, Beirut and like most teenagers loved the life he was living. But after the war in 2006 he knew it was time to get out to help create a better future for himself and his family.  He moved to Australia in 2007 to study nursing with dreams of one day being a doctor.  Without knowing a word of English, and with no friends or family other then his Aunty, he went on to graduate from university with a bachelor of nursing.  After working as a nurse for several years he decided the only way he could afford to continue to study to become a doctor was to open a business that could give him a passive income to help support him during his studies.  With no experience in business or hospitality he approached his friend and asked if they would invest in a site in Newtown.  A few months later he opened his first cafe in Newtown called Cuckoo Calley.  Over the next few years he would open a fine dining Lebanese restaurant called Nour. This has changed the way people think about lebanese food. He then opened other businesses called Cuckoo Calley cafe, a chicken shop called Henrietta and Lilymu, a contemporary pan Asian restaurant, all receiving amazing reviews from Sydney's best publications,  But he isn't finished just yet. In August this year he opens his biggest restaurant in Sydney called Aalia.  One of the most impressive things about Ibby has been his ability to keep opening high quality restaurants without compromising the high standard that he sets for all of his venues. When asking him the secret he says it all comes down to finding the right people and resilience.  Although he has had many struggles in business he says nothing will ever be as bad as the things he witnessed in Lebanon during the war.

Meet Adam Mcasey. At the age of 25, Adam decided to head to Bali to invest in property with no plans to go into hospitality. But things quickly changed when he realised Bali was missing the high quality venues that he had come to love in Melbourne. He had a long lease in a commercial property, where he was operating a homewares business which he decided to turn into the now famous, Sister Fields Cafe. Within the next 3 years he opened 3 more venues next door, Boss Man Burgers, Sibling, and Bikini. He has also been involved in starting Expat Coffee Roasters and Fika. After seeing his Dad do long hours from open to close, the impact that had on his physical wellbeing as well as the time away from the family he knew how to do things differently in Bali. So from day one he delegated every role in the venue instead of being behind the machine, in the kitchen or on the floor, and over the last 7 years has been able to build an amazing culture with over 600 staff. Business in Bali can be very lucrative but as Adam discuss there are so many challenges that come with running venues in a foreign country. Finding staff, understanding the differences in cultures and religions, and having a understanding of the legal requirements of doing business in Bali. His venue Sisterfields was averaging nearly a thousand meals a day, but that all changed when covid hit. Some of the biggest hit industries was tourism and hospitality venues. This was a disaster for Adam when you consider all his venues are in Seminyak where 95% of people there are tourists, but seeing his ability to adapt during covid and stay so positive is very inspiring. I was very honoured to have Adam come on to this podcast. There was so much wisdom in everything he said.

Episode #26 is now live! Meet Issac. Issac started his hospitality journey as a chocolatier in Melbourne, a few years later he decided to move to Sydney where he met his now wife Sammi. He started working for other hospitality venues but when their son Teddy was born 3 months premature he decided he needed to be there for his family and knew he had to start his own business so he could have the flexibility to work when he wanted to. He started his food blog called Issac Eats A Lot. A personal blog which is now verified and has over 200,000 followers. His other business (Chew Crew Media) creates content for some of the biggest fast food companies in Australia. Including: McDonald's, KFC, Red Rooster and Oporto. He is constantly calling out other food bloggers that buy their own followers and likes to gain financial benefit from their customers, he believes this is a form of fraud as small business are spending money on fake promises. Issac is very passionate when it comes to supporting small business. He is constantly working for free to help other business that need support.

Episode #25 Meet Chris Sheldrick, Co-owner of Banksia Bakery, Thicc Cookies, Big Brownies and Passion Tree Velvet. Chris was born and raised in England, after university the age of 23 he was selected to join the new entrepreneur foundation, a paid program, where every year they pick 25 of the future potential entrepreneurs of the country. It gave him the oppourtinity to meet amazing entrepreneurs and also have breakfast at Richard Branson house. After meeting his girlfriend, now wife Hannah, He moved to Australia to helped grow Passion Tree Velvet from 1 store to 13 stores. This is just the start for Chris and his business partners and I can't wait to see what they do over the next few years. Chris's story is so interesting, inspiring and will help anyone wanting to get into the industry.

Episode #24 Meet Osheen Arakelian, owner of The Valley specialty coffee, West Pennant Hills. Osheen went to University to study law and finished with a double degree, but once he had graduated he knew his future was hospitality. He has now been in the industry for over 15 years and has built an amazing reputation within the cafe and coffee industry. One of Osheen's best qualities is his positive “can do” attitude - nothing is ever a problem. I loved the conversation I had with him. He doesn't hold back when it comes to certain topics, especially when it comes to people leaving reviews, which we had a good laugh about.

Episode #23 Meet Jesse Orleans and Chris Theodosi - the owners of Happyfield in Haberfield. We previously spoke to Jesse and Chris 35 hours before they opened their first venue. They have now been open for 9 weeks and the whole of Sydney has gone crazy for Happyfield. They have had a waitlist every single day since they have opened and have already been featured in some of Australia's top media publications like Broadsheet and Time Out. Broadsheet writer, Pilar Mitchell says it's “one of the most uplifting places she ever had the pleasure of spending a weekday morning”. It's beautiful to see the respect Chris and Jesse have for each other. They credit the other person for the success of Happyfield which makes this a perfect partnership. I highly recommend listening to the first conversation we had with them, which is episode number 14 to see their thoughts before they opened.

Episode #22 Owner of Pazaar food collective. Although Attila was born into hospitality, it wasn't until a serious incident working for NSW police that he decided to pursue a career in hospitality. After gaining inspiration from his travels, his journey as restauranteur began in 2012 where he opened a North Mexican inspired food truck. The following year, the space he used in Canterbury as a garage and prep area turned into a pop-up restaurant called La Lupita. The concept was a hit — and he was receiving recognition all around Australia. It was so popular that Attila received a partnership offer from a local businessman to move the restaurant to a central Sydney location. La Lupita relocated, but the business relationship did not last. Left with almost nothing, Attila says it was out of spite he opened Pazaar Food Collective in the old location of La Lupita. It is now considered One of Sydney's best eateries, it has been mentioned in some of the best media publications like New York Times, Delicious 100 and the Good Food Guide. Attila is quite outspoken when it comes to certain issues in the hospitality industry. But his honesty is so refreshing. He is not scared to say things that others would never say in fear of losing business or customers. He is so misunderstood and I'm grateful we got to talk to him to get to know the real Attila. In today's episode we talk about his journey as a police officer, how PTSD has helped him in his hospitality career, the cost of running a venue that people don't see, struggles of finding good staff and the one time he went viral when he banned kids from using phones and iPads at his restaurant.

Episode #21 Meet Jonny Pisanelli - Owner of Adelaides best bakery...Abbots and Kinney. After studying for 6 months at a Pastry school 20 year old Jonny felt he was limited in Adelaide, so decided to fly to Italy to work in the best bakeries. For free! He returned to Adelaide and started selling his bread and pastries out of his van on the side of the road, he knew he had something special so started selling at the farmers makers every weekend. He would sell out within a few hours! Jonny then opened his first Abbots and Kinney store in June 2015 in the CBD of Adelaide, where he baked every morning from the small on-site kitchen, it didn't take long for him to outgrow that space. He now has 4 stores and another opening this week. They have also been named in the Qantas Travel Insider as one of the top 23 bakeries in the world. I was lucky enough to visit Jonny in Adelaide just before their second lockdown. Once I reached out to him, he was more then happy to share his knowledge and spent several hours answering all the annoying questions that I like to ask. Thanks Jonny! We recorded this podcast through zoom. Although Quality is quite good but there is a few minutes where there is a bit of delay.

Episode #20 Is now live! . Meet Gee Ozgen. Owner of Mister Gee's burger truck. After finishing school and working in a few different industries, Gee knew he wanted to stay in hospitality and own his own business. After a trip to The States, he was inspired by the amazing burger scene that was happening at the time and knew he could deliver a similar product back home. With a limited budget he knew building a food truck was his best option. In 2014 Mister Gee's food truck was born! It didn't take long for his reputation to grow as the king of burgers. Within a few months he had lines 100m down the road. A few years later he opened his first brick and mortar store called Happy Ending, a fried chicken and burger shop. Gee was ready to grow his burger empire, but in 2018 everything changed. He recieved a phone call saying his food truck was on fire. Everything he had worked so hard to build was gone. Gee describes it as the worst period of his life. It didn't take long for Gee to think outside the box or the truck for that matter. He started collaborating with cafes around Sydney which was a massive success! It showed him even though the food truck was destroyed the brand was as strong as ever! The future of Mister Gee's is very exciting and I'm grateful Gee took the time to tell us about his journey and his future plans.

Episode #19 Meet Ameer El-Issa, owner of Knafeh Bakery, one of Australia's most well known and respected hospitality brands in Australia. Ameer's hospitality journey started way before their first venue. He was born into a family where hospitality was a way of life. Once they were old enough Ameer and his brother Joey start working in restaurants, cleaning dishes. Within a few years, they were opening and running venues for other operators all over Sydney. It was at this point where they decided to open their first cafe called Bar Biscotti. Followed by Shisha Bar and Grill. Is was at these venues, when they decided to put a item on the menu called knafeh A unique take on a traditional Middle Eastern dessert that their mother Nabila had created. It was an instant hit. When they couldn't keep up with demand in the restaurant, Ameer came up with an idea. To sell knafeh from a shipping container and change locations every week. His family thought he was crazy but like they have always done they supported him and the idea, and Knafeh Bakery was born. Six years later and the brand is stronger than ever. Knafeh Bakery has taken Ameer and his family all around the world. It has allowed him to collaborate with some of the worlds biggest brands like Lamborghini, Etihad, Qantas, Mercedes, Harvey Norman and House of Kdor. On today's episode, we talk about the impact his family have had on him and his career, how you are a product of your environment, what hospitality really means, the importance of focusing on giving an experience instead of selling a product, and how good luck comes from hard work. Ameer has long been a mentor and inspiration to me. Along with his family, they are one of the most loved and respected hospitality operators in the industry and whats amazing is this is just the beginning for him and the El- Issa family.

Episode #18: Meet Sam Suiter, owner of Kai coffee in Hawaii.  Sam was born into hospitality, his family owned the Honolulu Coffee Company. One of the first specialty coffee venues in Hawaii, which now has over 40 locations.  After the family sold the company, he decided to stay on as director of retail operations, where he oversaw expansion, systems and training.  5 years later he knew it was time to go out on his own, so along with his wife Natalie, they opened their first store in downtown Honolulu. Then, opening up at the Hyatt and onto his third location which is also a roastery in the Alohilani hotel.  He was ready to sign his 4th lease then Covid-19 hit. This is where he learnt to keep his dream and his business alive during such unprecedented times.  The reason why I wanted to reach out to Sam was because every time I visited his venues, when we travelled to Hawaii, the service and culture was always amazing. I was so interested to find out how he has managed that with 3 stores.  Sam lives and breathes hospitality and this is such a great episode for anyone wanting to open their own venue.

Episode #17  Meet Noreen Bryan, co-owner of High st Depot, Penrith. Noreen started her career as an apprentice chef at Aria, one of Australia's most popular restaurants. It's also where she met her now husband Tim Bryan.  After years of working and opening venues for other people they decided to sell everything they had, move back to the west to move in with their family to follow their dreams of opening their own venue.  In today's episode we talk about the importance of women in hospitality, the sacrifices that are required, how crucial support from both families was for them to be able to open High St Depot and the affect covid had on her.  One of Noreens greatest qualities other than being super woman, is her positive attitude,  nothing is ever a problem for her and she is always smiling. She has an amazing ability to make her guests feel like family. Along with her husband Tim, they have been able to run a very successful business, while also raising 4 beautiful children.  Tim was also recently interviewed on this podcast for anyone wanting to listen it was episode #11.

Episode #16 Meet Nico Alary. Co owner of Holybelly. Europe's most popular cafe. Catching up for breakfast or grabbing your morning coffee at 9am on the way to work was completely unheard of in Paris. This all changed when Nico and his wife Sarah opened Holybelly. Inspired by their travels from Canada and Melbourne, they are now a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. They have had lines out the door up to 100m long for the past 7 years! They live by the motto “it's good because we care”. This is so evident in everything they do. From their service of food and beverage to the way they care for their staff. This dynamic duo have had such an influential presence in the hospitality industry in Paris and around the world. If you follow the Holybelly page on social media you get a real insight into the industry - the good and the bad. Nico was my first international guest and I'm super grateful for his time.

Meet Anthony Karnasiotis Anthony and his family are resposible for some of Sydney's most memorable venues. Anthony's family have been in takeaway shops, and restaurants for over 30 years. They made their name in a venue that was ahead of its times, in The Butchers Block, Wahroonga 2013 with customers travelling from all over NSW to visit their cafe. They then opened a bar and restaurant next door called The Butchers Apprentice. The family ended up selling both venues to open Goodfields which was built in 2018 and has become an instant hit. Anthony who credits most of his success to his family, in my opinion, is one of Sydney's best restraunteurs. His ability to create amazing venues, with excellent food, service and coffee, while also making sure his business is always running at its maximum potential is what makes him such a great operator. He has an amazing ability to stay very calm even in the most stressful situations, knows how to cover every role in the venue from chef to barista and is always trying to find ways to grow and improve. I love the way how he constantly gives praise to his family especially his father who he says is his biggest mentor.

Meet Chris Theodosi & Jesse Orleans the owners of Happyfield in Haberfield which has officially open today! We interviewed them 35 hours before they opened their cafe. This interview is a little different to previous interviews as most of my guests have had their venue for several years and we talk about the highs and lows and the experiences they had. In this case, I wanted to interview Chris & Jesse to get their thoughts and expectations before they open and then interview them again in 6 months time to see what's changed. The talent, experience and ability they both have means Happyfield will be a guaranteed success. They have not left a stone unturned. I'm so proud of what they have achieved. The venue looks amazing and their food and coffee will be next level. We had so much fun recording this and I wish them both a lifetime of success.

Meet Jay Fantom.  The host of the super successful  ‘The Story Box' podcast.  Jay has interviewed some of the worlds biggest stars, celebrities, motivational speakers, business owners and hospitality operators including the king of hospitality - Horst Schulze the Co Founder of the hotel chain Ritz Carlton.  He has since interviewed over 300 guests. Incredibly impressive for someone that has just turned 24! This was the first podcast I recorded!  When I was researching how to operate a successful cafe of my own, I wanted to network and be inspired from the best in the industry. I did the same when I wanted to start my own podcast.  I had been wanting to start my own podcast for so long and after Jay interviewed me on ‘The Story Box' podcast I reached out to him and asked for advice and support. Jay being the guy that he is didn't hesitate. He showed me how to start, setting up my own platform and staying consistent.  Even though this isn't specifically about hospitality there was so much value in this podcast. I wanted to share it with everyone.

Meet Roy El - Hachem. Co-owner of Piccolo Me. A family owned business which has over 25 stores around Australia. Roy is the creative genius behind Piccolo Me, and is considered the ‘Willy Wonka' of cafes. His menu creations are always attracting media attention in Australia and around the world. In today's episode we chat about the impact his Dad has had on his career, the ability to adapt, the role social media has played in the success of Piccolo Me, keeping a balance while growing a brand and always being proud but never satisfied. Thank you to the Piccolo Me family. To Harry, Charlie & Roy for giving me advice when starting out and have always being so generous with their time and advice.

Meet Tim Bryan.  Tim has worked in some of the best kitchens in Australia and the UK. He completed his apprenticeship at Opera Bar, was Senior Su Chef of Aria, and also opened Chiwisk, as head chef, which is owned by Australia top restraunteur Matt Moran.  In this episode, we chat about the pressure of working in some of Australia's busiest  restaurants, the crazy hours required to work starting out and the positive impact his wife Noreen had on him and his career. Nearly giving it all up, how he learnt from his failures to open High St Depot, one of the best cafes in Sydney

Episode 10 is now Live! Meet Giorgina Venzin  One of Brisbane's best restauranteurs, Giorgina started in hospitality at the age of 14, washing dishes, working front of house and learning what the industry is is all about.   Now, at the age of 31, with over 10 stores, Giorgina is what you call a real girl boss!  She made her name in the now famous Pawpaw cafe and was also one of the first to use social media to attract customers to her cafes and restaurants.  In today's episode we chat about  women in hospitality, mental health, running a business with your partner and family, not taking bad feedback too personal, the power of social media and how even with 10 hospitality venues it's so important to get the right legal advice for every venue, no matter how much experience you have.  We recorded this podcast via zoom and I'm pretty happy with the quality and how it turned out.

Part two of Episode 9 is now live! Meet Trung Bui. A good friend and one of the smartest guys you will ever meet! Trung's story is quite unique, and inspiring. He came from the construction industry to opening his first store as a franchisee with the Coffee Emporium. He had no idea about hospitality, let alone what a flat white was! After running that store successfully for 2 years he sold that and started espresso warriors. In today's episode we chat to Trung about the highs and lows of running a franchise, having partnerships in business, the struggles he faced in the growth of his business and asking yourself....is it business or being an entrpreanur what your really want.

Part one of Episode 9 is now live! Meet Trung Bui. A good friend and one of the smartest guys you will ever meet! Trung's story is quite unique, and inspiring. He came from the construction industry to opening his first store as a franchisee with the Coffee Emporium. He had no idea about hospitality, let alone what a flat white was! After running that store successfully for 2 years he sold that and started espresso warriors. In today's episode we chat to Trung about the highs and lows of running a franchise, having partnerships in business, the struggles he faced in the growth of his business and asking yourself....is it business or being an entrpreanur what your really want.