Table for Two

Episode #20. 

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 #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.