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Ollie is the head chef at Carousel, an award winning restaurant and creative hub in London. Growing up in Spain, he moved to the UK to study at Leith's, before spending two years in the kitchen at Moro. At Carousel, Ollie serves his own dishes during lunch and brings in guest chefs from across the world to cook unique collaborative dinners. During this podcast Ollie speaks about his decision to bring his team together and cook meals for the front-line workers in London as the city struggled with the first outbreak of COVID-19.

Charles started his career as a chef, studying at the Institut Paul Bocuse, followed by classical training in Michelin-star restaurants in Europe. He then decided to explore the power of food outside of the restaurant using food as an artistic medium to provoke, and communicate emotions, and build community. From his home in the French countryside Charles challenges us to ponder our resilience as humans. Are we too dependant on others for our produce and have we completely forgotten our agricultural roots? This is a wonderfully provocative podcast.

Tom Halpin is an Australian born Chef focusing on local and unique flavour combinations. He cooks primarily from the grill and uses his extensive knowledge through travelling for inspiration. Tom spent many years focusing on travelling and cooking in as many different countries as possible to gain knowledge before opening his own restaurant “Foreigners” in Moscow, Russia where he is exploring the vastness of Russia’s landscape through ingredients and technique. In our podcast Tom urges listeners to look outside our social media bubbles and realise the impact that COVID-19 has had on all creative industries and how he hopes in the long run it may make us appreciate them more.

Larger than life Danish Chef Umut Sakarya might be best known for his turns on Dancing with the Stars and for creating the legendary Beer Caviar but during our podcast his thoughts turn to the human impact of COVID-19 on the Food and Beverage Industry in his beloved Denmark. His message of respect for your friends and colleagues during times of stress and hardship will resonate with all our listeners.

Suzanne Devkota, PhD, is building a career at the convergence of her passions: food, health, and the bugs that live in our guts. Suzanne is director of microbiome research at the F. Widjaja Foundation Inflammatory Bowel and Immunobiology Research Institute and an assistant professor in the Division of Gastroenterology. A self-described adrenaline junkie, Suzanne brings that same disciplined, thrill-seeking, high-impact energy to her research. She also works very hard to make her research relatable and relevant and can often be found using her toy poo emoji as an ice-breaker! In our interview, Suzanne focuses on the importance of listening to the scientists and health experts during this ongoing pandemic and also stresses the importance of positivity as we wind our way through these crazy times.

Jean-Philippe Blondet is Executive Chef at the 3 Michelin starred Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester where he interprets Alain Ducasse’s artistry in London. Jean-Phillipe is also a young Dad and therefore very passionate about the planet and sustainability. Even a 3 Michelin star restaurant has to embrace this, and he does so wholeheartedly. He recently created a zero-waste dish of cauliflower with aged comté and black truffle which received great feedback. In our interview he speaks of the importance of looking after the planet’s resources and possibly changing our eating habits so the earth can keep giving us these amazing ingredients.

Mark Tuttiett from Carousel London has an esteemed list of Michelin star restaurants under his belt, including Alan Ducasse at the Dorchester Kitchen Table. His energy in the kitchen makes him a pure joy to watch and without a doubt that energy bounds through to his food, which is simply sublime. During his interview, Mark speaks about his commitment to giving back to the community and the unique opportunity provided by COVID-19 where he joined many of London’s top chefs to make and deliver thousands of restaurant-quality meals each week to the staff at hospitals across the city.

Growing up in Devon in the United Kingdom (a region famous for fresh ingredients) meant that Kirk developed very early on in his life a deep regard for premium produce and how they can be an essential part in transforming a dining experience. From harvesting homegrown organic fruits and vegetables, his interest in the culinary world was gradually shaped and formed in him a passion for quality produce which is so evident at his showcase restaurant in Singapore - JAAN by Kirk Westaway. In this interview, Kirk speaks about the growing global interest in the food scene and in particular the dining public’s interest in how and where their produce is sourced.

Chef and bread fanatic Matthew James Duffy exploded on the sourdough scene with over 77K social media followers. After fifteen years of international industry experience, from specialty bakeries to Michelin starred restaurants, Matthew is following his baking passion as a baking professor at Centennial College with online courses and consulting. In our interview Matthew talks about cooking from home – which so many of us have been doing this year – and delving into some of the important skills we may all be overlooking.