PLATED: Three food memories

Benjamin Law, writer and journalist

There's not much Benjamin Law doesn't succeed at...writing world-wide smash hit TV comedies (hello, Wellmania!), hosting radio and podcast programs, ordering dim sum, and making an epic pavlova. 

 

Hop in the wok with Benjamin as PLATED host Savva Savas laughs and grimaces his way around salted plums, yum cha, and the wonders of lactose free dairy. 

 

Ben's social cause is the Environmental Defenders' Office as he believes

the climate crisis can be significantly actioned in the courts.  Find out more at edo.org.au

PLATED LIVE with Michael Zavros

Michael Zavros is a leading Australian artist whose photorealism aesthetic moves through almost every medium you can imagine. 

Be that flick of paint on the wall as Michael shares his hyper-real musings on art, food, and life with host Savva Savas - as they explore Michael's artistic beginnings sketching his plastic animal collection, experimenting with the local produce in Catalonia, his Hellenic family ties, through fatherhood and beyond, alongside his retrospective at the Queensland Gallery of Modern Art.

Michael chooses Second Chance as his cause, an organisation his wife Alison Kubler is deeply involved with. Second Chance supports women in times of difficulty or uncertainty.

This live audience recording is with thanks to our friends, Space Furniture.

PLATED LIVE with Alice Zaslavsky

Host Savva Savas recently spent two evenings in conversation with writer, broadcaster and cookbook creator Alice Zaslavsky, in front of live audiences in Melbourne and Sydney (so please excuse the sound of plates and cutlery in the background...).

This episode is a mash-up of the two events, offering a taste of the good stuff: Alice’s three food memories from Melbourne, Georgia and beyond, as well as her social cause – food literacy.

You’ll also hear about Alice's MasterChef masterpiece in Italy and her hot tip for parents struggling with kids around the dinner table.

Natalie Imbruglia, singer

You know Natalie Imbruglia as the famous Aussie who took the song “Torn” and made it forever her own; off the back of it, her debut album – Left of the Middle – sold more than seven million copies worldwide. But host Savva Savas knew her when she was giving away her mum’s homemade sandwiches and getting in trouble for talking too loudly on the train. 

Discover the joy of their teenage years together and the meals that have shaped Natalie through her life – from her nan’s pasta in Sydney’s Lakemba to the creamy pistachio granita made on the island of Lipari, off the coast of Sicily, where her dad grew up And then there’s her hack on how to incorporate a breakfast cereal into meat dishes…

Natalie lends her voice to the charities supported by Flackstock Festival in the UK – the Charlie Waller Trust, Mind, Samaritans and Choose Love – and she feels incredibly honoured to have been able to perform at the festival, in celebration of the life of Caroline Flack.

 

This episode is produced by Weld Stories

 

Dr Karl Kruszelnicki AM, science communicator and author

Peace, love and mung beans (well, soy beans) – the incomparable Dr Karl covers it all in his chat with Savva Savas on this episode of Three Food Memories. 

He’s been a taxi driver, a hippie (his description), a steel worker and a roadie for rock and roll bands, but it’s his knack for making science and the wonderous world we live in seem accessible and exciting that has set Dr Karl apart.

Today an author of 47 books (yes, you read that right), Dr Karl grew up in Wollongong, NSW, the only child of Polish immigrants, with a huge garden that grew potatoes and had a chicken coup. 

His food memories connect to both the family he grew up in (he’s a lover of pierogi, or polish dumplings) and the family he has had. But there's also a throwback to the eight years he spent eating on the cheap while living in a squat in Sydney’s inner city suburb of Glebe. 

Dr Karl cares deeply about education. He's a vocal critic of the privatisation of education and the federal government's subsidies to private schools. Every Wednesday, he hosts a Q&A with a public school and has sent more than four tons of books and New Scientist magazines to public schools around Australia.

 

This episode is produced by Weld Stories

Thanh Truong, Fruit Nerd

It started as a nickname - 'Fruit Nerd' - given to him by his friends, but his love of fresh fruit made sure it would stick. The son of a fruiterer, Thanh Truong is now a produce expert and a big believer that eating with our eyes is a mistake.

Thanh reckons "food is an adventure" and he's committed to getting people to, quite simply, eat more produce. Which seems like an easy enough sell...until you hear that one of his favourite fruits is the very controversial Durian. Thanh's three food memories connect to family and heritage – and are guaranteed to make your mouth water (hello, mango and rice). 

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation is Thanh's chosen social impact organisation, helping children understand where food comes from and develop a lifelong appreciation for seasonal, fresh and delicious food.

 

This episode is produced by Weld Stories

Melanie Tait, playwright, journalist and Big Potato heiress

Melanie Tait joins host Savva Savas as they discuss life, creativity, and her complicated relationship with food.

A feast of talent, Melanie is an award-winning journalist, author, radio broadcaster and playwright, and “one rip-snorter of a story teller”. 

She shares her journey from growing up in rural NSW in the shadow of “The Big Potato”, her life in London, travels in Portugal and her love of nostalgia. 

Through her poignant reflections, Melanie lends empowerment to those who may feel “different” and she does so with an abundance of wit and wisdom. 

As a playwright and broadcaster, Melanie knows the ups and downs of the entertainment industry. This is why she is a keen supporter of Actors Benevolent Fund which lends much-needed support to all those employed in the arts who have fallen on hard times through career lows.

 

This episode is produced by Weld Stories

Russell Torrance, breakfast presenter, ABC Classic

ABC Classic Breakfast host Russell Torrance joins Savva Savas for a chat from his home in the Adelaide Hills. 

Russell had a hard time choosing just three food memories. He's the guy who asks "what do you want for dinner?" while eating breakfast. The Scotsman and tuba player is not only obsessed with food, but also with his mission to make classical music a 'friendlier place to be'.

Find out why he believes soggy chips are superior, why both his late Gran's baked goods are the best in the world, how France features in so many food memories (to the annoyance of his Australian wife) and his weird 'hot-cheese' phobia. 

Open about his mental health challenges with depression and anxiety, Russell shares Lifeline (Call 13 11 14), as his social impact cause of note. He encourages people to remember that there's always something to look forward to and that talking through your worries to a kind ear will always help you feel better.

 

This episode is produced by Weld Stories

Robyn Matthews, Principal, Inner Sydney High School

Robyn Matthews, the Principal of Inner Sydney High School, shares her deep passion for seeing students grow, education and teaching, along with her three food memories with host Savva Savas.

Originally a 'food tech/home economics' teacher, Robyn takes us through memories growing up of baking, Sunday barbecues and a prawn cocktail; along with two unforgettable trips abroad to Vietnam and Italy. 

Robyn gives details on her early years of teaching and how sharing experiences of food from diverse backgrounds allows for connection and knowledge exchange among students.

Robyn's social cause is for more research and possible treatments of Mesothelioma. 

Three cheers for all of the awesome teachers!

 

This episode is produced by Weld Stories

Deborah Frances-White, comedian & writer

Deborah Frances-White joins host Savva Savas to talk about the fun side of feminism, her passion for the perfect pizza, and the cause that is dear to her heart.

Deborah Frances-White’s podcast – The Guilty Feminist – has 90 million downloads and a fan base – celebrites and lesser mortals - that just keeps on growing.

The Oxford scholar has cut a career in stand-up comedy, writing, public speaking and podcasting. She has been described by The Guardian newspaper as, “Hilarious, irreverent, eternally surprising, classy as hell, genius.” So it’s been quite a journey for a girl from suburban Brisbane.

Deborah’s husband, Tom Salinsky, who produces the podcast, is the one who takes centre stage in the family kitchen. But it was Deborah, whose role in the kitchen is more “bit part”, won Tom’s heart by sleight of hand. The crispy-crusted pies in ceramic pots she served when she invited him to dinner were a winner. But it was only later she revealed that they came from the local deli famed for its mouth-watering offerings guaranteed to please

Definitely a food lover, Deborah has been known to set out on an adventure trail to satisfy a craving – including two-and-a-half hours for a pizza. This particular offering has not toppings – just pizza dough and sauce. But what a mama mia! “It’s like angels are crying on my tongue,” she says.

But away from the laughter and fabulous food, there is an important cause that has her devotion. Choose Love is a global organisation that does whatever it can to provide essential support for refugees and displaced people. It provides everything from lifesaving search and rescue boats to food and legal advice – and Deborah, who is set to tour Australia and New Zealand in July – hopes you will support it, too.

 

This episode is produced by Weld Stories