Punctuating the year with food is a point of commonality across so many cultures — foods that connect us to community and tradition. Jewish cuisine includes a vast array of seasonal dishes. From the careful preparation of the Seder during Passover to the abundant honey cakes of Rosh Hashanah, a new book from the Monday Morning Cooking Club celebrates these moments, sharing stories and recipes for each occasion. It's called A Year of Jewish Cooking.

Guests: 

• Lisa Goldberg and Natanya Eskin, Monday Morning Cooking Club, co-authors of A Year of Jewish Cooking: Recipes We Can't Live Without

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

Recreational beekeeping has experienced an incredible surge in recent years. However, this surge has coincided with the spread of varroa mites — a now-endemic parasite devastating Australian honeybee colonies. Whether beekeeping to harvest honey or to pollinate crops — for love or for profit — how can we mitigate the destructive impact of varroa mites going forward?

Guests: 

• Cedar Anderson, co-founder of Flow Hive, co-author of Flow Hive's Book of Bees and Beekeeping
• Krista Mogensen, founding member of the Melbourne Beekeepers Club and expert on managing varroa mites
• Cormac Farrell, head beekeeper at the Australian Parliament House, author of Urban Beekeeping: The City as a Hive
• Emma Bickley, Saturday Breakfast presenter for ABC Radio Canberra and foodie

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

Laurie Woolever had a front-row seat to both triumph and disaster in the lives of two giants of the American food scene: Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali. Celebrity chef Batali faced allegations of sexual harassment at the height of the #MeToo movement and, by 2019, had exited all of his restaurants. Bourdain was a very different character: a celebrated chef at several New York institutions, a best-selling author, and a fixture of culinary television; he took his own life in 2018. Laurie reflects on both the bitter and the sweet of working alongside Batali and Bourdain in her candid memoir, Care and Feeding.

If you are feeling distressed, or need advice or support, you should consult your local medical professional. If you're in Australia, support is available via Lifeline on 13 11 14 and Beyond Blue.

Guest:

• Laurie Woolever, writer, former assistant to Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali, author of Care and Feeding: A Memoir

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

Given how often we hear about hospitality's slim margins, transient workforce, and the ever-changing tastes and habits of diners, how does a restaurant stay the course? Marios in Melbourne seems to have cracked the code: this year it marks 40 years in business. Today, we pull up a chair at Marios and meet both new and long-standing members of staff, a regular customer of note, and the eponymous Marios themselves.

Guests: 

• Mario Maccarone and Mario De Pasquale, founders and owners of Marios
• Tony Birch, novelist, short story writer, poet and Marios regular
• Abbie Rowan, Sophia Bartlett, Luka Kovalskyi and Massimo Di Sora, Marios staff members

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

Udon noodle making in Japan goes back 1,200 years, so when did Western Australia become one of its top suppliers of noodle wheat? Japanese udon noodles are serious business, with regional varieties of broth, toppings and preparation techniques inspiring fierce local pride. But wherever you are, there's a good chance the wheat comes from Australia. Today, we travel from the WA wheatbelt to the flour mills of Japan, meeting the farmers, scientists and chefs who maintain this long standing relationship.

Guests: 

• Kristy O'Brien, ABC Landline reporter
• Larisa Cato, general manager of education and training at Grains Australia
• Tomokazu Kubo, noodle expert and sensory assessor for flour millers NIPPN
• Tracy Lefroy, wheat farmer and chair of the GIWA Wheat Council
• Daisuke Hiramatsu, owner, and Ryo Hirose, sous chef, Hifumiya Udon Noodle House in Perth

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

For ten years now, one of the most consistently lauded small restaurants in Australia has been Anchovy. It bills itself as Vietnamese cuisine "naturalised in Australia". Chef and co-owner Thi Le was born to a Vietnamese family in a Malaysian refugee camp and grew up in Sydney's West. She shares her story — and recipes — in Viet Kieu: Recipes remembered from Vietnam.

Guest: 

• Thi Li, chef and co-owner of Anchovy and Ca Com, author of Viet Kieu: Recipes remembered from Vietnam

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

When discussing dietary fibre, it's easy to stray into awkward conversations about 'the other end' of eating. Thankfully, we have communicators like Dr Joanna McMillan to normalise these conversations about our nutritional health. Her new book, The Fibre Factor, explores how fibre has faded from the modern diet, and how not eating enough can have implications beyond healthy digestion.

Guest: 

• Dr Joanna McMillan, nutrition scientist, dietitian and author of The Fibre Factor: A Science-backed Guide to a Healthier Gut, Stronger Heart and Sharper Brain

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

When chef and restaurateur Stephanie Alexander published her Cook's Companion in 1996, she could not have known that it would become Australia's kitchen bible. An A to Z guide to ingredients, from abalone to zucchini, the book includes detailed explanations of varieties and seasons, as well as selection and storage tips, alongside a glossary of techniques and tools — everything a curious cook could need. Now 85 years old, Stephanie Alexander says the new 30th anniversary edition of the book will be her final revision.

Guest: 

• Stephanie Alexander, chef and writer

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

What would a birthday or a wedding be without cake? Celebration cakes are a signifier of occasion, sometimes requiring superhuman effort to bake and decorate. We explore the surprisingly recent history of the celebration cake, uncovering the role of the British royal family, The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book, and our evolving relationship with time itself.

Guests: 

• Christopher Thé, founder of Black Star Pastry and Hearthe, author of Modern Australian Baking
• Alysa Levene, food historian and author of Cake: A Slice of History
• Pamela Clark, co-author of The Australian Women's Weekly Children's Birthday Cake Book
• KC Hysmith, food writer and historian

The interview with Pamela Clark was recorded by Tall Story Films.

This episode was originally broadcast on June 7, 2025.

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.

The chef behind Denmark's famous Noma restaurant is the latest hospitality figure to be accused of mistreating staff. It seems that many in the food industry too often face overwork, underpayment and intimidation in the workplace. It's a familiar story to Lucy Ridge, author of Fed Up: A Chef's Adventures in Food, Farming & Feminism. Burnt out, Lucy left the chef life behind and, with the help of women farmers and makers, forged a path towards a more meaningful relationship with food and feeding.

Guests: 

• Lucy Ridge, food writer, former chef, author of Fed Up: A Chef's Adventures in Food, Farming & Feminism
• SJ Pienaar, owner and head cheesemaker at Second Mouse Cheese Co

Get in touch:

We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]

This episode of Every Bite was produced on the lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation.