Tyler Preston is a passionate chef who discovered his love for cooking at just 12 years old in Wellington. After graduating high school, he moved to Melbourne at 18 to start his culinary adventure. With over 20 years of experience, Tyler began his career at the iconic Vegie Bar in Fitzroy, mastering the art of wok cooking. After a brief stint in music and audio engineering, Tyler returned to the kitchen, becoming Head Chef at Melbourne hotspots like Declieu and Seven Seeds and working at Chin Chin. In 2013, he and his wife opened Sir Charles cafe, which was shortlisted for Time Out’s Best Cafe. I first met Tyler and chatted to him on the podcast a couple years after that when he was at Dr Morse in Abbotsford and happily caught up with him again when he was in Byron Bay running Bang Bang. During COVID, he founded South East Canteen, offering Asian-inspired private dining and ready-made meals. In 2023, Tyler moved to Bali to join the Milk and Madu Group, launching Longtime, a modern Asian diner and bar. Tyler is thoughtful and articulate when he talks food and hospitality and we discussed the ups as well as the downs of the industry as a whole. There are definite ups where Longtime is concerned. This is an exciting project and Bali is firmly in the travel plans when Longtime opens in August.