The Stoveside Stories Podcast

Interview with Chef Joel Gray of Down Home Restaurant

Raised in Nova Scotia, Chef Joel Gray developed a lifelong passion for hospitality. He always finds joy in welcoming and providing a warm experience for others.

 

After a few years working in "traditional" restaurants, he and his now-wife Hannah Harradine started their first pop-up series called Sumac & Salt in 2019. They also acquired the property where the restaurant is currently located in the same year. Eventually, they decided to literally open their home for diners and so, Down Home Restaurant was born.

 

It is not merely a restaurant but also a farm project that provides Chef Gray with a big portion of his ingredients.

 

His love of the kitchen and gardening shows when visitors are first welcomed in the farm. Here, they share a few bites and while being introduced to the surroundings and the wonderful products from which they came from.

 

They prioritize sourcing from local suppliers whenever ingredients can’t be produced on their own property, while continually working to minimize waste wherever possible.

 

As proof of their hard work and laudable ethos, the restaurant has been named as a Michelin recommendation as well as a certified FeastON member.

 

In this episode, Chef Gray talked about vegetables' varying flavours at different times, chef traumas, the transactional nature of the hospitality industry and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Zach Keeshig of Naagan

As a member of the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation at Cape Croker Reserve, Chef Zach Keeshig was born in Wiarton and raised in Owen Sound, Ontario.

 

He started in the restaurant world at 17, then continued studying at the Georgian College for Culinary Arts. After that, he went on to work in various restaurants across Ontario with many of the top Chefs in Canada including Eigensinn Farm, Restaurant Pearl Morissette and Langdon Hall.

 

In 2020, he started a pop-up restaurant at the weekend farmers' market in Owen Sound. It fused Ojibwa cuisine with modern culinary techniques and ingredients.

 

And in November 2024, he opened Naagan, a brick-and-mortar restaurant in Owen Sound that continued his journey of exploring and presenting Indigenous cuisine through a fine-dining lens.

 

In this episode, Chef Keeshig talked about his idea of Indigenous cuisine, the roles that colonialism and tradition play in food, and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Nicola Roberti of Moretti Forni

Born and raised in La Marche region of Italy, Chef Roberti began his career in pastry making, and later worked in kitchens of prestigious establishments in Italy and abroad.

 

For six-years in Australia, he worked as the Executive Chef and consultant for several important Melbourne restaurants including Caffe e Cucina. Ultimately, he opened his own Italian restaurant. In 2017, he was named for the first time amongst the Chefs of the Year - Australia and placed top six in 2019.

 

He joined the pizza oven maker Moretti Forni and the MorettiLAB in 2022 as Corporate Chef, in charge of cooking consultancy, as well as sharing the importance of heat as an ingredient for all those who wish to learn more about this subject.

 

As part of his role, he travels the world to explain how to make the best pizza with consistency and precision in different locales.

 

In this episode, Chef Roberti talked about the different style of pizza, what makes their product stand out, the weirdest pizza he has seen traveling the world, and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Ana Roš of Hiša Franko

Born in Slovenia, very close to the Italian border, Ana Roš never considered cooking as a career. After trying her hand at being an alpine skier at a young age and a diplomat after university (she graduated with a degree in international and diplomatic science and worked for a period in the field), she met Valter Kramar, her ex-partner - and her whole life changed.

 

The two took over Hiša Franko, the restaurant that Kramar's parents owned. Situated in Kobarid, a rural part of Slovenia, it was rather isolated from other places. When the existing chef left the restaurant, she taught herself how to cook from scratch and became the head chef. Her hard work was rewarded by numerous well-deserved accolades and awards.

 

In 2016, Chef Roš was featured in Netflix's Chef's Table. In 2017, she was named world's best female chef by The World's 50 Best Restaurants. In 2019, Travel + Leisure named Hiša Franko one of the world's 30 best restaurants. The restaurant was awarded two Michelin stars in its first ever rating for Slovenia in 2020. And in 2023, Hiša Franko was awarded 3 stars by Michelin Guide and a green star for sustainability.

 

In this episode recorded in 2022, Chef Roš talked about her Slovenian heritage, how a culture defines itself, why is it so difficult to cook in a remote area, what challenges women face in the kitchen and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Rasmus Munk of Alchemist

Born in Jutland, Denmark, Rasmus Munk did not have any culinary history in his family. Purely by chance, he decided to attend culinary art courses at the Danish association Silkeborg. He started to fall in love with cooking, entered various student competitions for young chefs and went on to work at various kitchens in London, England and in Copenhagen, Denmark.

 

In 2015, he opened the first version of Alchemist. There, he created one of his hits, a lamb tartare that promoted the Danish blood donation campaign. He eventually closed it in 2017 and relaunched the much grander iteration in 2019. Situated in an old shipyard, it boasted 5 different rooms, each replete with its own audio, visual and sensual experience in addition to the courses (or "impressions" as they are called) served.

 

Just seven months after the new opening, Alchemist was honored with Two Michelin Stars as well as a Green Star. In 2024, it was ranked 8th by The World’s 50 best restaurants. Rasmus Munk was voted as #1 top chef by The Best Chef 2024 ranking. Recently, in 2025, Alchemist is ranked as the 5th best restaurant by The World’s 50 best restaurants.

 

In this episode, Chef Munk talked about his Holistic Cuisine manifesto, the difference between Alchemist and other restaurants, how he creates his dishes, the future of fine dining and more.

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Adeline Grattard of yam'Tcha

Born in Dijon, deep in the French wine region of Burgundy, Adeline Grattard started training at the School of French Cuisine at Ferrandi and worked under a number of master chefs like Flora Mikula, Yannick Alleno and Pascal Barbot. She moved from Paris to Hong Kong with her husband Chi Wah Chan for two years, where she worked alongside at creative restaurants like BO Innovation with Alvin Leung as well as a local spot that focuses on dim-sum. During that time, she also took a deep dive in exploring the culinary scene in China.

 

In 2009, the couple returned to Paris and together opened Yam'Tcha in the Les Halles neighborhood. They garnered their first Michelin star in 2010 and still hold that honor in 2025. They have since expanded to two other concepts - a tea house and restaurant that bears the same name, and Lai'Tcha, a casual bistro.

 

In this episode that was recorded in 2021, Chef Grattard talked about how the concept was born, what it is REALLY like working in Hong Kong, how the French and Chinese cooking styles work together amazingly that results in creative explosions, and more!

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Cristina Bowerman of Glass Hostaria

Born in Cerignola, Puglia, in the south of Italy, Cristina Bowerman grew up in an internationally minded family. She studied foreign languages at school, continuing her academic studies at university where she earned a law degree. A spell working at a law firm followed, before the pull of overseas travel became too much and she left for San Francisco in the United States. After completing a course at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Texas, she secured work in a series of restaurants.

 

After fourteen years in the United States, she returned to Italy in 2004 to work at Convivio Troiani in Rome, going on to become head chef of two restaurants including the Cuoco a Domicilio. In 2005, she met the owners of Glass Hostaria, a modern architectural gem in Rome, and soon took over the kitchen.

 

Although her time in the United States has influenced her style, she has all the ingredients and ideas of an Italian chef driving Italy’s food into the next era. 

 

In this episode that was recorded in 2021, Chef Bowerman talked about how the American way-of-life impacted her, how she creates new things from traditions (and walk us through her process), and even some common misconceptions about Italian food!

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Santiago Lastra of Kol

Born and raised in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Chef Santiago Lastra was trained in various institutes in Mexico and Spain, then began his career at different locations all over the world, including Mugaritz and the Nordic Food Lab.

 

He also worked through 27 countries, working at different venues such as The Tate in London and Hija de Sanchez in Copenhagen in different capacities. The turning point of his career, however, came as he worked as the Project Manager at Noma Mexico with René Redzepi for its seven-week pop-up in 2017. 

 

After the successful run, he returned to London to open his own restaurant Kol in 2020.

 

In 2022, Kol received its first Michelin Star, was named Number 15 in the OAD Top New Restaurants in Europe list and Number 1 in the UK, and entered the World's 50 Best at Number 73. In the same year, he was listed in Top 100 Chefs in the World in 'The Best Chef' awards.  In 2023, Kol entered the World's 50 Best Restaurants at Number 23. And in 2024, Kol climbed to Number 17 in the World's 50 Best Restaurants.

 

In this episode that was recorded in 2022, Chef Lastra talked about how he substitutes British ingredients for Mexican one (yes - including lime and avocado!), how the disparate regions in Mexico differ and even shared the truth of what real Mexican food is made of!

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Chef Norbert Niederkofler of Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler

Norbert Niederkofler was born in 1961 in Luttago, a small town in the heart of the Italian Dolomites mountains. Growing up with a family that runs a hotel impacted him greatly.

 

Despite the deep love for his home town, he studied to be a chef in order to see the world. So he left to work in Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, Milan and New York.

 

In 1993, he returned home. And before long was offered the chance to run the kitchen at Hotel Rosa Alpina in San Cassiano, at the base of the Dolomite mountains. He turned that old pizzeria into a fine dining restaurant and eventually came up with the Cook the Mountain philosophy. His commitment to the Dolomites meant he had to research extensively and build close relationships with the region’s farmers and producers. He also had to start using uncommon ingredients and new approaches.

 

In this episode, Chef Niederkofler talked about his big mistake in the beginning, how that inspired his Cook the Mountain philosophy, the inevitable slowing of great chefs and even dished on the similarities of the majority of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world!

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!

Interview with Professor Johan Nordensvärd

Professor Johan Nordensvärd, an associate professor in management and technology at Royal Institute of Technology and also an associate professor in political science at Linköping University, both located in Sweden.

 

He has lived overseas in multiple countries, including China, Great Britain, Germany and currently resides in Stockholm.

 

He published a comparative study about Covid-19's influence on food supply for cities that had different lock down policies - including Stockholm, London, Singapore, Sydney, Seoul and Wuhan - and looking at the resulting impact.

 

He is a fellow food-enthusiast and started a blog and Instagram account that chronicle the restaurants he visited during the pandemic as he felt that a lot of them were in danger of closing; so he wanted to create a virtual memory of these places.

 

In this episode, Professor Nordensvärd talked about experiencing new foods, the rise and legacy of "New Nordic cuisine", the current state of Swedish culinary and fermented herrings!

 

Don't miss these Stoveside Stories - and bon appetit!