Australian Story on ABC – Over the next three weeks, Australian Story goes behind the scenes at some of Australia’s top restaurants, revealing the unique and deeply personal stories that have shaped owners Josh Niland, Shaun Christie-David and Kylie Kwong.
First course: Josh Niland
“Josh Niland is one of the most interesting chefs on the planet right now” – Jamie Oliver
It was a fear of failure that pushed young chef Josh Niland to wild experimentation.
“Everything was going to go to shit, and I needed a plan for how to get out of it” – Josh Niland
To save money, he began using the parts of the fish he’d been throwing away, making bold culinary concoctions – think ice cream from eyeballs – with stunning success.
“Some chefs do things that sound extraordinary, and you think, well, there’s a reason why people haven’t done this before. But when Josh invents something, you think why hasn’t everyone been doing this forever?” – Nigella Lawson
Josh is arguably Australia’s hottest chef right now and his ‘nose to fin’ approach has made a big splash worldwide. But he reveals the genesis of his drive and love of food: a life and death battle when he was just eight years old.
Producer: Winsome Denyer.
Second course: Shaun Christie-David, Monday 20th May, 8pm
Shaun Christie-David is an unstoppable force who runs a restaurant empire … with a difference.
He’s set up a string of successful restaurants and catering outfits that are all run by people who were deemed unemployable – asylum seekers, ex-prisoners or people living with a disability.
And it is all borne from his own experience of being a first-generation Australian: the racism, the guilt, but above all, the unifying power of food.
Producer: Vanessa Gorman.
Third course: Kylie Kwong, Monday 27th May, 8pm
After nearly 25 years at the top of the Australian restaurant food chain, Kylie Kwong reflects on her path to success and reveals what her next chapter is going to look like.
It’s all part of Kylie choosing to be present and purposeful in her life, as she turns unimaginable grief into something positive – not just for herself but for the wider community around her.
Producer: Sarah Grant.
Australian Story on ABC and ABC iview – Monday 13 May, 2024 at 8:00pm
Media Release – ABC
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Australian Story on ABC
