Dirty Linen - A Food Podcast with Dani Valent

Veteran chef Steve Kilminster speaks to Dirty Linen from rehab in Townsville, where he's recovering from alcoholism, anxiety and depression. He talks about the long hours, low wages and culture of drug and alcohol use that has made him extremely jaded about hospitality. It's a full-on chat but Steve is keen to dismantle the 'push on' mentality that he reckons pushed him down some dark tunnels.

Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en

Follow Dani

https://www.instagram.com/huckstergram/

Follow Deep In The Weeds on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en

Follow Rob Locke (Executive Producer)

https://www.instagram.com/foodwinedine/

Follow Huck (Executive Producer)

https://www.instagram.com/huckstergram/

Nathan Toleman is one of Melbourne's most dynamic restaurateurs. With wife Sarah, he's progressed from a suburban cafe 13 years ago through a series of increasingly ambitious businesses that have culminated in Hazel and Dessous in Flinders Lane. Nathan puts mental wellbeing front and centre in his business culture, with meditating and farming part of the routine, though he admits he's finding it a challenge to meditate his way through the COVID times. We talk about struggling with uncertainty, the perils of lockdown and the benefits of turning mental health into a habit, just like flossing.

Restaurateur Kate Bartholomew owns Coda and Tonka in Melbourne's CBD. She talks openly about her obsessive compulsive disorder, post-natal depression and the shame she felt when her restaurant Oter failed after a tricky two years trading. It's an honour to have Kate on Dirty Linen for this big, deep, brave, trusting conversation.

https://www.instagram.com/katebartholomew/?hl=en

https://www.codarestaurant.com.au

https://www.tonkarestaurant.com.au

Follow Dirty Linen on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en

Follow Dani

https://www.instagram.com/huckstergram/

Follow Deep In The Weeds on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/deepintheweedspodcast/?hl=en

Follow Rob Locke (Producer)

https://www.instagram.com/foodwinedine/

Follow Huck (Producer)

https://www.instagram.com/huckstergram/

Sydney chef Jared Ingersoll is best known for putting the farm at the centre of the table at Danks Street Depot. He's out of restaurants now, working at tech company Canva. As part of mental health week on Dirty Linen, he opens up about opening up, the bullshit of bravado and the strength that lies in vulnerability. It's not an easy chat but it's bravely, entirely human.

Country restaurateur Annie Smithers generously and courageously shares her mental health journey. We talk boundaries, working hours, medication, persistence and what it's like to be gay in hospo. She's a brilliant storyteller and an excellent human. It's an honour to have Annie on the show.

Dr Paul Valent is a psychiatrist, traumatologist and expert in the psychological impact of disasters. He's also Dani's dad. Dr Dad shares his thoughts on how the pandemic is affecting people's mental wellbeing and reminds Dani to always look carefully when she crosses the road.

Liam Crawley is a chef, business owner and founder of Hospo for Life, which offers counselling and other services to help hospitality workers with mental health. To find his own peace and success, Liam has overcome family challenges, learning difficulties, bullying, drug addiction and homelessness.

To kick off our focus on mental health in the hospitality industry, we're talking to a Tasmanian restaurateur with a unique perspective. Bianca Welsh owns Stillwater in Launceston. After a difficult experience helping a staff member through a mental health crisis, she decided to learn more about how people tick. Bianca spent seven years studying psychology and has found it immensely helpful in building a restaurant culture that strives for mental wellness.

Israeli chef Ehud Malka owns Left-Handed Chef in South Melbourne. He's faced huge tests in his life - army service, 100-hour weeks, financial stress, immigration anguish - but this second shutdown may just be the hardest thing he's ever faced. At least there's hummus...

Sam Pinzone is a hospitality consultant who's worked for everyone from Neil Perry to Jacques Reymond. Now he helps restaurants and cafes survive and thrive, even during a pandemic. He talks strategies for business owners and chefs, candidly shares his own struggles with mental health, and tells us why he's totally against putting nasturtiums on a menu.