Hello dear listeners! Today’s guest is a chef on her own terms. Anais van Manen is making her mark on the London food scene and redefining what a career as a chef can look like, without even having her own restaurant.  Anais is head of R&D for much loved Taiwanese institutions Bao and Xu and has a whole host of other projects she’s been involved in - helping her friend Freddie Janssen open Snackbar, cooking her style of Vietnamese food at supper clubs, helping social enterprise Kitchenette Karts set up their Vietnamese food truck and the list goes on. Anais was born in Paris, grew up in Vietnam and has worked and lived and cooked all over the world. London is home for now, and she happens to live two doors down from me so I headed over for coffee on her couch with her cat Audrey, and chatted about her background and career so far, her top tips for a secret country getaway in France (something to look forward to for when we can travel again), and what she loves about her colourful career in food.  *We recorded this episode two weeks ago, on the 14th March*

Food Tribe

Episode 37: Chef Anais van Manen

FOOD TRIBE IS BACK! Like many of us, I’ve become a lot more interested in the connection to our food, where it comes from, how it’s grown, the impact our decisions have on our food system and what that means for our environment.  So, this season I’ve decided to expand the guest list to include some farmers and producers and chefs leading the way when it comes to growing, producing and cooking in a sustainable way.  This episode I’m chatting to Tom Hunt - a chef, a food writer, co-owner of Poco restaurant in Bristol, a cookbook author, sustainability consultant and a climate change activist. Tom’s mission is to connect us to the true value of our food and where it comes from, and to teach a way of eating that prioritises the environment without sacrificing pleasure, and flavour. To do this he’s developed an approach of "Root to Fruit" eating which is a guide on how we can all support a better, fairer food system by the way we shop, cook and eat.  Tom has just published his second book Eating for Pleasure, People and Planet, which is really a culmination of his work in this space. So much more than a recipe book, it’s a modern guide on how to cook, shop and eat in today’s world. It’s a celebration of food, how it’s grown, the farmers who grow it, and how we can all make small changes to eat in way that’s good for us, that’s good for our environment and that’s ultimately delicious.  I headed over to Tom’s for coffee and a chat. We talk about his new book, his whole approach to food, and his background and why he became a chef on a mission...     

Episode 36: Eco-chef Tom Hunt - Eating for pleasure, people and planet

The last episode of season 3! A big thank you to all you listeners - I really appreciate your support and I hope you’ve enjoyed the episodes this past season.  So, to end, it’s not going to be an interview with someone in the food world but rather a lovely chat over lunch in Rome with one of my best friends.  If you listened to the travel episode I did on Cape Town earlier this year, you’ll recognise my friend Frances who's joining me again on the pod. She lives in South Africa, and her company FVH Mohair creates handwoven mohair rugs and knitwear made by women in remote areas of the country. She’s been over in Italy on a 6-week textile residency, gaining fashion and fabric knowledge from the Italian masters.  She’s one of my best and oldest friends from home so of course, I had to head over and visit her in the land of plenty. We met up in Rome last month for a long weekend with a couple of other friends where we wined and dined and talked and walked our way around this magical city.   Over many a glass of wine and bowls of pasta, we spoke a lot about what France has learned from living with locals in Italy, the parallels between food and fashion, and what we could all take away from the Italian way of life. So, on our last day, we had lunch at Trattoria Da Enzo in Trastevere where we sat at a little table outside and decided to put it all down in a podcast… This is an episode I absolutely loved doing, how could I not?! Glass of prosecco in hand, in Rome, with my best friend - and I couldn’t think of a better way to end the season.  For those of you taking a break over this time, I hope you have a happy holiday and I’ll be back with season 4 sometime in the new year - I’ll keep you posted on Instagram @the_foodtribe.  Okay onto the episode - I really hope you enjoy this one!  You can see a few more of our tips and recommendations for Rome here.  

Ep 35: Allora Roma! Featuring my friend Frances van Hasselt

Today’s guest is Julian Denis, a young guy from California who moved to London and started the vegan Chinese restaurant Mao Chow in Hackney. I love this place - it’s a tiny hole in the wall with around 14 seats, 10 of which are at one communal table all in the same space as the minute open kitchen. You’ve got neon lights, metal music playing, a couple of beers in the fridge, and some of the tastiest Chinese food in the city - and it’s super affordable. Julian opened Mao Chow under the radar around 8 months ago and the response has been remarkable! Mao Chow has also just won London’s Priceless Cities Best New Bistro award, a joint win along with Tayēr + Elementary. You can find out more about this new international food award in Episode 31 with Christine Doublet. I headed over to Mao Chow to meet Julian and hear his story and how this gem of a place came to be. He’s created something truly unique with Mao Chow and I think Julian’s story demonstrates that you don’t need to have gone to culinary school or have investors and a load of capital to make your ideas happen… I hope you enjoy this chat with Mr. Julian Denis.  *Julian’s favourite spots to eat Chinese food in London – X’ian Impression Sichuan Folk Baiwei Lanzhou Lamian Noodle Bar  

Ep 34: Julian Denis - Mao Chow

Today’s guests are on fire! They may have shot to London food fame with their Iberico pork katsu sando which has had more Instagram airtime than any other sandwich on the planet (rightfully so, it’s flipping delicious) but there’s a lot more to this TĀTĀ Eatery duo than a pretty pork sandwich...  Ana and Meng both come from art and design backgrounds, the kitchen came calling and they decided to become chefs. And that’s how they met, 10 years ago, working for the great Nuno Mendes in London.  Around five years ago they decided they wanted to do their own thing and so TĀTĀ Eatery was born. They’re completely self-funded and started out by doing street food, and then moved on to pop-ups and residencies around London, growing their brand and following, which culminated in the opening of their two semi-permanent spaces this year.  Tou at the Arcade food theatre in central London is their more casual offering, focusing on their sandos and rice bowls. Their other site is at the very cool Tayēr + Elementary cocktail bar where they’ve partnered with renowned bartenders Monica Berg and Alex Kratena. So, a bit about how dining at Tayēr works - there’s a bar menu where you can order their cult katsu sando and other delicious bar snacks and small plates along with some world-class cocktails. Then you have the real-deal four-seat counter where Meng prepares a five-course menu that changes daily depending on what produce arrives from the farmers and fishermen he works with. Meng is a wizard! It’s some of the most interesting, creative cooking going on in London right now. And then you have Alex looking after you on the drinks side of things with the option to do a special cocktail pairing – a magic combo which makes for a memorable, delicious evening out. Tayēr + Elementary have just won the award for London’s Priceless Cities Best New Bistro - so a big congrats to Ana and Meng, and Alex and Monica - it’s great to see them being recognised for what they’ve created at Tayēr. Ana and Meng, I think, at the core of it are artists - the way they think about and create food is fluid and expressive and it’s not confined to a single cuisine. They take inspiration from their travels, their backgrounds, and the produce they source, and the result is something Meng likes to refer to as ‘Modern London cuisine’. They’re so committed to and passionate about the art of cooking, feeding people and connecting with their diners and it’s amazing to see how they’ve grown TĀTĀ from a small pop-up concept to one of London’s most exciting and creative food offerings.  I hope you enjoy this wide-ranging conversation where we talk about the rise of TĀTĀ, their food, finding the balance between being chefs and growing a business, and future plans for this talented duo…  

Ep 33: Ana and Meng - TĀTĀ Eatery

My guest today is Mr. Phil Bracy, co-owner of Bright in London Fields and part of the four-man gang behind London’s game-changing wine shop come restaurant P Franco in Clapton. Following the success of P Franco, Phil and the team wanted to take their same comfortable, fun, effortless approach to hospitality that made P Franco such a hit and open a bigger restaurant. And so, came Bright. Chefs Will Gleave (one of P Franco’s first resident chefs and co-founder of Bright) and Peppe Belvedere (formerly head chef of Brawn) head up the kitchen. They focus on seasonality and work directly with artisan producers and farmers which informs their regularly changing menu. Bright is the kind of place you can pop into for a glass of wine at the bar, have a snack, or settle in for a long-haul, special occasion meal. The food is top-notch, the wine list, as you can imagine, is one of the best in the city, they play great music, there’s nothing conceptual or overthought or stuffy about it  - it’s a fun, welcoming place to go and hang out and enjoy great food and wine. For me, it’s everything I want in a restaurant. I wanted to hear the Bright story and how this group of four guys came to build their niche wine/food east London empire… So, I headed over to Bright to have a chat with Phil and we cover the whole timeline - from the early days at P Franco, the opening of Bright and earlier this year, their third restaurant Peg. Phil shares his story of how he came to be - I guess you could say - an accidental restaurateur. Not coming from a hospitality background, Phil worked in wine retail in Sydney up until only a few years ago, and now he’s a full-time restaurant man. And London is all the better for it!  Bright is in the final shortlist for London’s Priceless Cities Best New Bistro award, along with Mao Chow and Tayer + Elementary  - you can hear more about this new international food award in last week’s episode with Christine Doublet so check that out if you haven’t had a listen yet. Winners are being announced this coming Monday 25th November across London, NYC, Paris and Mexico City.  Okay now onto the episode with Phil... He’s a super cool guy, and I hope you enjoy this chat as much as I did.  

Ep 32: Hospitalian Phil Bracey

Today’s episode is a little different - we’re going to be talking about a new international food awards programme. A collaboration between Le Fooding and Mastercard, Priceless Cities Best New Bistro launched earlier this year and they’re doing things a little differently to the likes of Michelin and Worlds 50 Best. The PCBNB awards shine a light on a new generation of chefs and restaurateurs, recognising the cool innovative new places that have opened in the last 12 to 18 months, that don’t require you to book a year in advance or mortgage your house to dine there.  By recognising these recently opened independent places, this awards programme is current, accessible to a lot more diners, and it’s up to date on where the interesting stuff is happening in food today.  For this first year they’re starting with four cities - Paris, London, New York and Mexico City. The shortlist for London (out of around 25 places selected) includes Bright, Mao Chow and Tayer + Elementary (with the brilliant TATA Eatery in charge of the food offering).  So why am I talking about this food award?  In the upcoming episodes I’ll be interviewing the three shortlisted spots for London so as a prelude I wanted to find out more about this new awards programme, why it’s different and why us diners should care. My guest today is the lovely Christine Doublet, the head of editorial at Le Fooding in Paris, and the lady in charge of this new awards programme. Christine has such a great knowledge of the global dining scene, so it was great to pick her brain and talk all things food. We cover what the new awards programme is all about and go into some of the shortlisted restaurants, a bit on Le Fooding and what they do,  what trends are happening on the international food scene, and  Christine shares a bit of her background in food, and how she came to have this dreamy job flying around the world to dine out at the coolest new spots. She also lets us in on her personal list of favourite places to eat at in 2019… Winners are being announced across all four cities this Monday 25th November. You can see the full list for each city at bestnewbistro.com. Recommendations from Christine - places mentioned in Paris: Café Pimpin  Les Arlots  Billili  Places mentioned on the French Basque coast: L’Antre (Bidart) Maitenia (Ciboure) Elements (Bidart)  

Ep 31: Christine Doublet - Le Fooding

For many of us (especially those of us living in a city where everything is so readily available), there’s a big disconnect to our food and it’s easy to forget what a precious resource it is. We can walk into a store and buy pretty much anything, without giving much thought to where it’s come from, how far it’s travelled, whether it’s in season, and the impact its production has had on our environment.  That’s where today’s guests come in… This powerhouse duo, Abi Glencross, an ex-synthetic meat scientist turned farmer, and Sadhbh Moore, a forager and eco-chef, now studying her masters in Global Health and Nutrition, joined forces and founded The Sustainable Food Story, a roving supper club with a mission to start conversations around these issues and connect people to where our food comes from. Abi and Sadhbhb are so much fun and I had a blast chatting to them. We cover everything from the girls’ backgrounds and how they came to start TSFS, to some of the topical issues around food and sustainability.   We live in a time where we can’t ignore that our food system has a very real impact on the world. I hope this conversation gives you some food for thought and helps to make us all a little more aware of some of the issues we face in our food system.  

Ep 30: The Sustainable Food Story

He may have only been cheffing for just over 6 years but ex-Som Saa chef John Chantarasak is cooking up some of the tastiest, most innovative Thai food in London. John cooks under the name of AngloThai, where he marries traditional Thai recipes and flavours with seasonal British ingredients, and his wine-expert wife Desiree, pairs his sensational dishes with natural wines. What isn’t there to love?! Over the past year, John has taken AngloThai on the road – doing residencies and pop-ups both abroad and here in the UK. Luckily for us Londoners, he’s back in the city and planning something a little more permanent… I caught up with John at his home in London where he shares his story – from being a musician to a banker and now chef – it’s been quite the ride. I hope you enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with the awesome and talented John Chantarasak. Follow Food Tribe on Instagram @the_foodtribe Find out more about AngloThai and their upcoming events: https://www.anglothai.co.uk/  

Ep 29: Mr AngloThai - John Chantarasak

FOOD TRIBE IS BACK!  Over the summer I was lucky enough to visit the magical Coombeshead Farm - a working farm, five-bed guesthouse, restaurant and bakery in Cornwall created by chef and farmer Tom Adams. What Tom and his team have created is a truly special kind of hospitality. The farm is an idyllic bubble that lets you forget the real world, slow down, and savour the most delicious seasonal food that’s grown and reared around you by the chefs who prepare your meals. I stole Tom away from the kitchen to find out how he and his team make the magic happen. We sat in the garden and talked about Tom’s sustainable approach to farming and cooking, his career so far and how Coombeshead came to be... Follow Food Tribe on Instagram @the_foodtribe  Find out more about Tom and Coombeshead Farm: https://www.coombesheadfarm.co.uk/

Ep 28: Chef and farmer Tom Adams

Season 2 is going out with a bang! Nicholas Balfe, who’s behind the two treasured neighbourhood restaurants in London; Salon in Brixton and Levan in Peckham, is on the pod today.  He’s a chef and restaurateur I really admire - not only because I love his restaurants and style of food (which he describes as seasonal, refined but relaxed) but also because he’s gone about it all in his own unwavering, under the radar kinda way. Nick started Salon on his own as a pop-up around 7 years ago and has slowly grown the restaurant from there, learning and perfecting how he runs and operates his business, and waiting 6 years before opening his second restaurant. He’s stayed true to his style, his food, and his restaurants continue to be relevant, he doesn’t compromise on quality, and he’s not about doing things for trend's sake, and it’s paid off… I headed over to Levan to hear Nick’s story and nuggets of wisdom on food, restaurants and growing a business in this volatile industry. And that’s a wrap on season 2! I’m taking a break for the rest of the summer, so I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with plenty more stories about the people and places shaking up the food scene. You can follow Food Tribe on Instagram @the_foodtribe

Ep 27: Chef and restaurateur Nicholas Balfe

From working as a fashion designer in Mumbai to being one of the UK’s most loved Indian cookbook authors, it’s been quite the career ride for today’s guest. Chetna Makan moved to the UK around 14 years ago, and after entering Great British Bake Off in 2014, viewers fell in love with her exotic bakes and Indian twists on British classics, and the rest, as they say, is history. Chetna is now known for more than just her delicious cakes; she’s published 3 cookbooks, her latest, Chetna’s Healthy Indian, came out earlier this year and is filled with delicious, homey and super easy home recipes that you can whip up in no time.  I met up with Chetna for coffee a couple of weeks ago when she was in London to hear more about her story and how she’s created her dream career in food.  Follow Food Tribe on Instagram @the_foodtribe

Ep 26: Cook and author Chetna Makan

Ben is the designer turned chef and restaurateur behind the much-lauded London Northern Thai restaurants Smoking Goat and Kiln. Surprisingly, Ben only entered the restaurant game around 6 years ago at the age of 28 - he taught himself to cook, took a lease out on a corner place in Soho no one wanted, and opened his first restaurant. For me, and I know plenty other London diners, Ben’s restaurants seem to have the X factor – yes, the food is top-notch, the music and service is just right, and you’re not going to break the bank, but there’s the extra bit of magic you can’t quite put your finger on.  So just how does this designer turned restaurateur apply his creative mind to the world of food and restaurants? You’re about to find out…   Follow Food Tribe on Instagram @the_foodtribe

Ep 25: Designer, chef and restaurateur Ben Chapman

Today’s guest is the lovely chef Marie Mitchell who’s bringing a taste of the sunny Caribbean to London. Marie started Island Social Club with her best friend Jo Pilgrim as a way to explore their Caribbean heritage through food and drinks, and creating a space where people can come and enjoy warm island-style hospitality. Marie is a self-taught chef with a whole lot of heart. Her story talks to the power of food and how it’s so much more than just a dish on our plates - that it can be a way for us to explore our identities, connect with family and make new friends.  After listening to this I hope you’ll get yourself down to Island Social Club, tuck into a roti, one of Marie’s delicious curries, a rum cocktail and leave all your problems at the door… Happy listening.    Follow Food Tribe @the_foodtribe

Ep 24: Chef Marie Mitchell - Island Social Club

One of London’s favourite American chefs is on the show today…Chase Lovecky spent 5 years with Dave Chang’s Momofuku group, first in NYC and then Sydney, before moving to London in 2015 to work under Isaac Mchale at the Clove Club. After two years as head chef, Chase decided to move away from fine dining and open his own restaurant - so with backing from the Clove Club group, Two Lights opened in Shoreditch last year. What Chase has created at Two Lights is exciting and I think, unlike any other restaurant in London. Chase takes inspiration from his childhood, and the world-class kitchens he’s worked in, to bring modern American cuisine to us London diners. Chase is a chef with laser determination and such a clear vision of how he wants to express his food and the experience he wants to offer diners.  Two Lights is an extension of Chase - warm, fun, hospitable, all about a good time and serious about serving up great food. In this episode we talk about Chase’s career, important lessons he learned working for the great Dave Chang, what food means to him and of course all about his new baby - Two Lights. Follow Food Tribe on Instagram @the_foodtribe  

Ep 23: London's Modern American - Chase Lovecky

Food Tribe is a weekly show that explores the stories behind the people doing cool things in the world of food. Join host Georgie Creaven as she sits down with chefs, restaurateurs, food influencers, stylists, and cookbook authors to talk about their food journeys, where and what they love to eat and what it’s really like building a career in the industry. You’ll hear it all from the tribe of foodies at the top of their game...

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Food Tribe

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