I often have to pinch myself that all these incredible chefs are happy to sit down and chat to me. I’m very lucky. Sometimes I contact a chef I’d like to talk to and then on the way to the chat, I have that whole imposter syndrome thing where I think, hang on a minute, this person is actually a really big deal, who do I think I am? That’s what happened on the tram on my way into the Melbourne CBD to talk to Joe Vargetto. He is a big deal. He represented Australia in the international Bocuse d’Or competition in 2001, has written a beautiful cookbook telling the story of his Sicilian heritage and how that fits within the Australian context, has two very successful and long-standing restaurants, he has worked with top chefs around the world and is, himself a top chef with seemingly boundless energy, drive and a love for hospitality. As soon as Joe came out of the kitchen, apart from the fact he was looking for a guy because of my name, the conversation flowed, and I felt as though I had made a new friend. With people like Joe around, Melbourne hospitality is in very good hands. I recorded this on Friday afternoon at Massi, Joe’s city restaurant. It was the first Friday Massi was open after a year of being shut down due to the pandemic and it had been a busy lunch. The background noise in this recording is quite loud, but an absolute testament to the fact that Joe’s guests did not want to leave and were very happy sitting around ordering more Campari and living life like it’s golden.
