Dale Kemp began his cooking career back home in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Although he had always been aware of and interested in the fact his grandmother was a great cook - she had a huge garden and grew fruit and vegetables throughout the year – he didn’t think about becoming a chef until he got an after-school job at 16 as a dishwasher at the Boat Shed Café in Nelson. He loved the sounds, the aromas, and the adrenaline you get from a busy service. This was at the Boat Shed Cafe in Nelson, New Zealand. After working there and at other venues around the South Island, as well as completing his qualifications, Dale moved to Melbourne when he was 18 and began working at Hammer and Tong in Fitzroy under Emma Jeffery and Simon Ward. After Hammer and Tong, he worked at Little Big Sugar Salt on Victoria Street in Abbotsford as sous chef before starting at Terror Twilight also as sous chef. A few months later, he took over the head chef role and five years on he is executive chef of the group with 4 venues and a thriving catering kitchen. I sat down with Dale at Convoy in Moonee Ponds on a chilly Melbourne morning and had a really great coffee. It’s a beautiful space with white walls, pale wood and a lot of lush plants on the huge deck. The menu is no run-of-the-mill café fare offering a very popular Turkish eggs dish as well as cinnamon scroll pancakes, a king prawn roll and a steak frites sandwich amongst other delicious options. Convoy turns one this week and they are offering free coffees on Friday. But I reckon you are in for a treat any time you go. And if you like great music, the other venues, Terror Twilight and Hifi spin vast amounts of vinyl as well as producing tasty wholesome food.