Creating a chocolate company was the furthest thing from Raphael Dapaah's mind - he went into a career in politics, and despite cocoa being a huge part of his heritage, it wasn’t until reading a shocking fact on the industry in 2016 that led him to taking a trip back to Ghana to begin building his own ethical, sustainable craft chocolate brand. His two siblings Kwaku and Afia soon joined the company and in 2018 Dapaah Chocolates was born with a mission to uplift local cocoa-growing communities in Ghana, create new jobs, and pay farmers better, fairer wages. I’d heard about Dapaah because they won a Young British Foodie award last year, then I tasted their chocolate (which totally lived up to the hype) and I knew I had to get Raphael on the pod. The Dapaah story is an incredible example of a small food brand going against the mass-market status quo and standing for big, positive change.  I caught up with Raphael a couple of weeks ago to hear their story -  we chat about why he wanted to start the company, how he learnt to make chocolate, what makes their bars so unique,  and his long term dreams for the brand.

Food Tribe

Ep 48: Raphael Dapaah - chocolate with a conscience

Would you believe it - today’s guest is an actual scientist! As in Ph.D. from Oxford in Materials Science scientist who happens to also be a world expert in fermentation and uses his scientific powers to help chefs and bars make food more delicious, in thoughtful, sustainable ways. I first heard about Dr. Johnny because of the work he does with Doug McMaster at zero-waste restaurant Silo and with Mr Lyan at his cocktail bars and restaurant Cub here in London where Johnny heads up the fermentation cave. Yes, a real below-ground bunker dedicated to fermenting things.  Despite only working in the food world for the last 6 years, Johnny has done so much - from fermenting butter at the Nordic Food Lab in Copenhagen to making ramen noodles in Switzerland, to co-founding MOLD magazine which explores the intersection of food and design, focusing on how we’re going to create a sustainable global food system that can feed 10 billion people by 2050. So yes, Johnny is a very cool, fascinating guy who cares a lot about food and creating a better, more sustainable food system. We chat about Johnny’s career so far, some of the interesting, wacky projects he’s worked on, what set him on the path to directing his work more around sustainability, and some ideas on what the future of food and restaurants could look like… 

Ep 47: World fermentation expert - Dr. Johnny Drain

Farmer Abi Glencross is now head of Grains at Duchess Farms and is also one half of the Sustainable Food Story with her best friend Sadhbh Moore (you can listen to episode 30 to hear their story). Abi has had a rather wild career ride - she went from studying engineering to becoming a scientist growing meat in a lab, and then went to train under pioneering chef and sustainable agriculture advocate Dan Barber and his team at Blue Hill Farm in the US where she learned to farm. And it was there that she discovered her passion for heritage grains.  We talk about Abi’s journey from the lab to the field, what made her want to become a farmer, and she gives us the lowdown on heritage grains and why they’re better.  Abi is so passionate about what she does, and about doing it in a way that respects nature and our environment. It was great to speak to her again and I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did… Happy listening! *To help Abi and the team at Duchess Farms buy their new flour mill, visit their crowdfunder page here*

Ep 46: Farmer Abi Glencross

Today’s guest is the owner and founder of Modal Wines. Nic imports small-batch, distinctive wines from independent producers who all make wine in a way that works with nature, using as little intervention in the vineyards and the cellars as possible. Pre-Covid Nic only supplied directly to restaurants but given the times has had to adapt and now lucky for us, supplies directly to consumers. Personally, I just love all his wines and Modal’s whole ethos and everything it stands for - sourcing product made with care in a way that respects nature, always placing importance on flavour and quality, and transparent supply chains that are built on human relationships. We talk about Nic’s background and how he set up Modal Wines, what he loves about working in the industry, and we also do a tasting of one of Nic’s wines. You may notice some new tunes in the episode... Nic also happens to be a talented musician and used to work full time in the music biz, until just last year, so all the music in this episode was created by him. Wine is such a vast, nuanced topic and it can feel difficult to even know where to begin. What I really enjoyed about speaking to Nic is that he makes it so unintimidating, and really approachable. Nic is super passionate about what he does, I loved chatting to him, and I know you’re going to enjoy hearing his story… Happy listening!  

Ep 45: Nic Rizzi - owner and founder of Modal Wines

Today I’m speaking to Franco Fubini, founder and owner of fresh produce purveyor Natoora. Franco founded Natoora 16 years ago with a mission to revolutionise the food system. Natoora has always stood for sourcing and supplying food in a sustainable way. They source radically seasonal produce with a focus on flavour that’s been farmed in a way that works with nature, their supply chains are transparent, and farmers and producers are celebrated. Franco has been on the podcast before (you can take a listen to episode 22 if you haven’t heard it) where he shares the whole Natoora story, talks about their mission, and answers some big questions on our food system.  In light of this pandemic, I wanted to speak to Franco again about the impacts it’s having on our food system, and what opportunities he’s seeing for positive lasting change. Natoora has a pretty remarkable story of how they’ve adapted their business model, and miraculously increased their supply of food during this time - pivoting from supplying to restaurants which was 60% of their business, directly to people’s homes.  We chat about this shift the company has made, what trends they’re seeing, and then more broadly about what this crisis could mean for our food system, how it’s impacting farmers and consumers, and what we hope may emerge from it.

Ep 44: Covid and our food system with founder of Natoora, Franco Fubini

 Today’s guest is going to takes you on a culinary trip to Indonesia… Chef and food writer Lara Lee has just released her beautiful debut cookbook, Coconut & Sambal – a collection of stories, images and recipes from this exquisite collection of islands. Lara is half Indonesian, half Australian and now lives in London with her husband Nick and baby Noah. After changing careers in her late twenties and training to become a chef, Lara went on a journey to explore her Indonesian heritage. She was mentored by Sri Owen, the leading figure on Indonesian cooking, and she embarked on a 6-month trip around Indonesia, which resulted in her new book.   Lara and I chat about her career in food, Indonesia and their food culture, and all things Coconut & Sambal.   Happy listening!

Ep 43: Chef and food writer Lara Lee

Today I have a special travel episode for you all about Marrakech. If you’ve been following the pod for a while, you’ll know I’m rather partial to a trip and love to share my experiences of a place and of course, what food and restaurants I enjoyed while visiting. Earlier this year I went to Marrakech for a long weekend so thought I'd give you a taste of the city. It’s such an interesting, bustling place filled with spices, colours, markets, tagines, flatbreads, rugs, leather, gorgeous terraces and plenty of fresh mint tea. I share some of my favourite spots and other general tips and recommendations which I hope you’ll find useful if you’re thinking of planning a trip there (when we can all travel again!). I‘ll also be speaking to a special guest - Willem Smit is the extremely talented designer and manager of the gorgeous boutique art hotel El Fenn. It was started by Vanessa Branson back in 2004 and after a chance meeting with Vanessa 10 years ago, Willem packed up his life in Amsterdam and moved to Marrakech to manage and take on the refurbishment of the hotel. El Fenn has become a bit of a phenomenon and it’s played a huge part in placing Marrakech on the map as a sought-after travel destination. Check out their Instagram account and you’ll see what I mean - it really is gorgeous, and they have an amazing Moroccan restaurant where we enjoyed the best meal of our trip. Willem and I chat about life in Morocco and what he loves about living there. He shares some of his local tips and we also speak about the growth of El Fenn and their plans for the future.   Names and links of places I mention: For a traditional lamb Tangia and flatbread lunch in the souks – Chez Lamine Traditional tagine lunch – Terrasse Bakchich Delicious lunch/dinner on the most gorgeous terrace - @lmidamarrakech  Dinner and drinks at @elfennmarrakech is a must (you need to book) – be sure to go in time to catch the sunset @nomadmarrakech @lejardinmarrakech @maxandjan and Atay café have beautiful terraces and are perfect for a tea/lunch break from shopping in the souks Terrasse des Epices is fab for a sundowner If you’re after something more upmarket I’ve heard Le Trou Au Mer or La Mamounia hotel are great for drinks/dinner If you want a break from Moroccan food, try Limoni (mostly Italian with a few Moroccan dishes on the menu)  

Ep 42: Travel episode - a weekend in Marrakech

Calixta is a farmer and the owner and founder of Flourish Produce in Cambridgeshire. They grow the most amazing vegetables, fruit, and salad and supply a lot of the best restaurants in London - the likes of Pidgin, BRAT,  Ben Chapman’s restaurants Kiln and Smoking Goat, Silo, and the list goes on. Calixta studied Sustainable agriculture and forestry in America and lived and worked there up until just over three years ago, when a series of extremely fortunate events, and a chance encounter with her two co-founders -  Comtois workhorses Bill and Ben, led to her moving home to the UK and starting her own farm.  Like so many people and businesses who work in food, Flourish has been impacted by this pandemic - as they grow their produce specifically for chefs and only supply direct to restaurants, they lost all their customers pretty much overnight. They’ve adapted and now supply their beautiful produce to consumers in London and Cambridge so you can now order yourself some of their delicious produce on their website. I was lucky enough to head out to Flourish early last month to meet Calixta and record the episode. We sat in her kitchen and chatted about what set her on the path to becoming a farmer and how she came to start Flourish. We talk about what it means to be a regenerative farm, her rare varieties of produce she grows which come from all corners of the world, Bill and Ben, and what life on a farm is like.  Calixta has such an immense love for what she does, and she goes about it with such grace, integrity, and heart. I know you’re going to love hearing her incredible story.

Ep 41: Farmer and founder of Flourish Produce - Calixta Killander

 Hello listeners! Marco Mendes and his business partner and good friend Jake Kasumov are behind one of the most loved new additions to London’s food scene over the past two years: the buzzing Portuguese restaurant Casa Do Frango in London Bridge, and they now have their second Casa in Shoreditch which opened at the start of the year. The duo’s restaurant group MJMK is also behind the much-anticipated Mexican fine dining restaurant Kol which (when this is all over) they’ll be opening with the brilliant Mexican chef Santiago Lastra. Marco and Jake met in London around 10 years ago, became good friends and decided to leave their corporate careers in their early twenties to start their own company - first doing music events, which led to bars and now restaurants. Marco is half Portuguese and grew up spending summers in the Algarve. He realised that Londoners were missing out on the real-deal piri-piri chicken and other food from this region of Portugal, and so, inspired by the chicken shacks he grew up eating in, Marco and Jake opened Casa in 2018. It’s good, honest tasty, affordable food with a big focus on using the best ingredients, both from the UK and Portugal. I met up with Marco back in February at their site in Shoreditch to hear the whole Casa story and what they have planned for their next restaurant Kol. The launch has of course been put on hold for now but it’s going to be something very special when it opens. Marco and Jake’s restaurant group is definitely one to watch. They have some ambitious and exciting plans up their sleeves, and I know that once this crisis has settled down, they’re going to be bringing a whole lot more to London's restaurant scene.

Ep 40: Restaurateur Marco Mendes

Today’s guests are the wonderful Templeton brothers, Ollie and Ed, who along with their cousins Will and Ana, are the owners and founders of, what some would argue, is the most unique restaurant in London. Carousel is like a stage in reverse - a hub where chefs from the UK and all over the world come and showcase their food to a London audience.  The calibre of chefs they’ve had through their doors is incredible - some of the ones from the UK that you may recognise are Romy Gill, Olia Hercules, Santiago Lastra, Jeremy Chan from Ikoyi, Tom Brown from Cornerstone and the list goes on… Since opening their doors 5 ½ years ago, they’ve collaborated with more than 160 different chefs from 30+ countries and 50+ cities.  Carousel is not your typical restaurant – it feels like the best special-occasion dinner party where you’re sat at communal tables, there’s an open kitchen, the chef introduces the menu every night and you have the opportunity to be up close and learn more about them and their food.   Carousel is this amazing platform for so many of our favourite chefs who’ve gone on to open their own restaurants. It’s such an important part of not only London's, but also the global food community, so I was very excited to have the chance to speak to Ed and Ollie and hear a bit more about their story. I headed over to Carousel back in Feb to record the episode and we chat about how they started it, some of the amazing chefs they’ve worked with and the most memorable meals they’ve had (of which there’ve been plenty), their whole approach to dining and creating experiences around food, and what they love most about working in the industry.   I had so much fun with the brothers, and I hope you enjoy the chat as much as I did.   *This episode was recorded in February 2020*

Ep 39: The Carousel brothers - Ed & Ollie Templeton

Today it’s all about the delicious creamy treat most of us love a little too much… chocolate!  Chocolate has become something we don’t think too much about, it’s always available, wherever we go, in every grocery store around the world. But do we ever stop to think about what goes into a bar of chocolate, how it’s made and what we’re endorsing when we buy chocolate? Despite cocoa only growing in a few countries, predominantly in Africa, it’s become this massive global industry worth over $100 billion, and a huge part of our food industry.  But like many things, our beloved choc does have a dark side…  You just have to watch the Rotten episode on Cocoa on Netflix to realize that things are not what they seem - a lot of clever marketing and a few very profitable companies have done a great job at selling us the chocolate dream when in reality it’s causing a lot of harm to entire societies and our planet.   But it’s not all bad - there’s a new wave of craft chocolate makers creating delicious, real chocolate in a fair, ethical way which means we can still enjoy chocolate without supporting the damaging side of the industry.  Today I’m speaking to Spencer Hyman who started the UK based company Cocoa Runners – and what they do is travel all over the world and find these makers and farmers and select the best bars so they can supply craft chocolate to people.  I met up with Spencer at his office here in London to talk more about the industry, get the lowdown on craft chocolate and why it’s better, hear the stories of some of these artisan makers, and a whole lot more interesting info about chocolate. I know you’re going to find it super interesting and I really hope it makes you think about and reassess what you buy, how you consume chocolate and the impact these choices have.  Spencer is offering £10 off your first order of craft choc so you can head to cocoarunners.com and enter the code FT10. And yes, they deliver…    

Episode 38: The Cocoa Runner - Spencer Hyman

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*

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

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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