Some kids find trouble. Simon Sandall was very, very good at it. He starts on the streets of Rugby, England, where he was, by his own cheerful admission, heading nowhere fast. What pulled him back? Food. And forty-one years, a few broken noses, a life-threatening health crisis, and one extraordinary Valentine's Day later, he's the Executive Chef and Owner of Boronia Kitchen, cooking on his own terms, and loving every minute of it.
In this episode, Tawnya Bahr sits down with Simon for a raw, honest, and often hilarious conversation about the realities of a career in professional kitchens. The good, the brutal, and the deeply human moments in between.
Episode Overview (Ep #80) with Simon Sandall and Tawnya Bahr
What We Cover in This Episode
- From rat bag to rising star. How walking a dog led Simon into a vegetarian restaurant kitchen at age 14, and why his Welsh TAFE teacher's blunt words ("sort your shit out or f*** off") became the making of him
- The brutal truth about old-school kitchen culture. Simon doesn't sugarcoat it: the kitchens of London's elite hotels were aggressive, physically dangerous, and completely normalised. How does that compare to the kitchen he runs today at Boronia?
- The Ritz vs. Claridge's. How a 17-year-old Simon chose between two of London's most iconic hotels (he picked the one where he felt like a person, not a number) and what that decision taught him about culture
- Going gold at Olympia. Competing in culinary competitions at 17, working 48-hour stretches on cold masterpieces, and what ego-driven ambition looks like when you're young and hungry
- The world years. From the Greek islands to Mozambique (four years out of civil war), Lake Malawi, and navigating a continent post-civil war with nothing but instinct, biltong in his backpack, and a talent for banoffee pie
- Landing in Australia broke and long-haired. The story of arriving in Sydney on borrowed money, being knocked back for jobs because of his appearance, and flipping steaks at the Orient Hotel at the Rocks until the right opportunity opened up
- 17 years with Matt Moran. What this relationship taught Simon about craft, loyalty, friendship, and farming. Why Matt is now one of his closest mates, getting him up to the farm to forage pine mushrooms and collect fresh eggs.
- Valentine's Day, 2018. The moment that changed everything. Simon shares with extraordinary openness how necrotising pancreatitis almost took his life, how he said goodbye to his kids from a hospital bed, and how he signed the lease on Boronia Kitchen from intensive care. Nearly nine years sober, and no regrets.
- The Boronia Kitchen story. A passion project built on discipline, seasonal produce, a kitchen garden harvested twice daily, and a commitment to doing things properly on his own terms
- The cookbook. Self-published, coffee table-worthy but built to get greasy, and packed with seasonal recipes that define Boronia's kitchen
About Simon Sandall & Boronia Kitchen
Simon Sandall is the Executive Chef and Owner of Boronia Kitchen in Sydney. With over four decades in the industry, including time at the Ritz London, the Sydney Opera House, and seven years on the tools at ARIA Restaurant. Simon is one of Australia's most respected chefs. He is also the author of the self-published Boronia Kitchen cookbook. After a near-fatal health crisis in 2018, Simon rebuilt his life around his restaurant, his kitchen garden, his family, and nearly nine years of sobriety.
- Boronia Kitchen: https://www.boroniakitchen.com.au/
- Address: 150 Pittwater Road, Hunters Hill NSW Australia
- The Boronia Kitchen Cookbook: https://www.boroniakitchen.com.au/shop/p/the-story-of-boronia
- Instagram: @chefsimonsandall @boroniakitchen @cateringbysimonsandall
About Straight to the Source
Straight To The Source is hosted by Tawnya Bahr and Lucy Allon. We'd love to hear from you! Reach out, leave a review, and share this episode with someone in the industry who needs to hear it.
You can find us:
- Straight To The Source Food Podcast: https://lnk.to/jBCTBE
- Straight To The Source Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/straight_to_the_source/
- Straight To The Source Website: http://straighttothesource.com.au
Tawnya Bahr:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tawnyabahr/
- Instagram: @tawnyabahr
- Email: [email protected]
Lucy Allon:
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucyallon/
- Instagram: @lucy_allon
- Email: [email protected]
Keywords: Simon Sandall, Boronia Kitchen, straight to the source podcast, Australian chef, Sydney restaurant, Matt Moran, chef mental health, cateringbysimonsandall, hospitality industry, kitchen culture, farm to table Sydney, foodpodcast, sustainability, Australian food producers, chef sobriety, kitchen garden, Boronia Kitchen cookbook, necrotising pancreatitis, chef career advice
@straighttothesourcepodcast: https://www.youtube.com/
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