Principle of Hospitality – Details, episodes & analysis

Leon Kennedy sits down with Mark Hannell, the chef and owner of Melbourne's latest hit, Reed House. In this episode, Mark reflects on his transformative journey in the hospitality industry, from his start in London to his defining roles at Three Blue Ducks and the challenging yet rewarding experience of opening and closing OMA. With candid discussions about mentorship, balancing personal life, and the highs and lows of being a business owner, this episode offers deep insights into the life and philosophy of a chef dedicated to his craft and community.

Please find our guest information here:

Website: https://www.reedhousemelbourne.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mark_hannell/

https://www.instagram.com/reedhouse.melbourne/

Please find us here at POH:

Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principle_of_hospitality/

Renee Buckingham interviews Dan Sims, a seasoned veteran in the hospitality industry. Sims, CEO and founder of Revel Global and chair of Wine Victoria, shares his journey from starting in suburban cafes to becoming a renowned sommelier. They discuss the essence of hospitality, the integral role of wine in dining experiences, and the evolving nature of the industry. Sims emphasises the importance of storytelling, care, and community in hospitality. The conversation also explores the significance of supporting local producers and the challenges currently faced by the hospitality sector.

Please find our guest information here:

Website: https://revel.global/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan_sims/

Please find us here at POH:

Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principle_of_hospitality/

Ep 277 - Mastering the Art of Culinary Precision: Aleksis Kalnins' Journey from Elite Kitchens to MOLLI.

Welcome to the Principle of Hospitality Podcast where we dive deeply into culinary arts with some of the most fascinating personalities. Join your host, Leon Kennedy, as he sits down with the elite operators of the culinary world.

This week, we explore all things 'cooking' and 'high-pressure kitchens' with Aleksis Kalnins, a distinguished chef with a rich history in high-pressure kitchens who began his culinary journey in London at 18. He shares his experiences from working in prestigious restaurants, discussing the challenges and pivotal moments that shaped his career. He delves into his methodological, almost scientific approach to cooking, influenced by high-efficiency kitchen environments in Europe. 

In this podcast, we discuss: 

- Aleksis's creative processes

- His journey through renowned kitchens like Dinner by Heston and Matilda

- Innovative chef techniques

- Plans for his new restaurant, MOLLI 

Please find our guest information here:

Website: https://www.molliabbotsford.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/molli.abbotsford/

Please find us here at POH:

Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principle_of_hospitality/

Mentioned in this episode:

Loaded

Now, if you feel like you can never get on top of your back-of-house ops, you’ll want to hear about our sponsor for this season - Loaded. Loaded's hospitality management software has changed the game for hospitality performance in New Zealand, and they’ve just arrived in Australia to help you do the same. Their everything-in-one-place platform helps you master your reporting and inventory, simplify your recipe and menu management, reduce your cogs, and becomes an epic central hub that immediately puts you in control. We've seen Loaded’s impact first-hand, and if you’re running a bar, Pub, restaurant or cafe you need to reach out to the team. Check them out at loadedhub.com

Loaded

Now, if you feel like you can never get on top of your back-of-house ops, you’ll want to hear about our sponsor for this season - Loaded. Loaded's hospitality management software has changed the game for hospitality performance in New Zealand, and they’ve just arrived in Australia to help you do the same. Their everything-in-one-place platform helps you master your reporting and inventory, simplify your recipe and menu management, reduce your cogs, and becomes an epic central hub that immediately puts you in control. We've seen Loaded’s impact first-hand, and if you’re running a bar, Pub, restaurant or cafe you need to reach out to the team. Check them out at loadedhub.com

Ep 195 - Creating a 6-venue group based on music, theatre and happiness in country victoria with Andy Pobjoy from Piano Bar



This week’s guest Andy Pobjoy is a singer, multi-instrumentalist, cruise ship entertainer, live streamer, father of two, and founder of Piano Bar.

Performing in church from age ten, weddings at age fourteen, and nightclubs from age sixteen, Andy has said “yes” to every gig imaginable, performing at conferences, events, resorts, and luxury cruise liners in six continents.

In 2015, against all “good advice”, Andy took the plunge into small business, opening the original fifty-seat Piano Bar in Geelong. The concept was an overnight hit, and since then, Piano Bar Group has grown exponentially, with six venues across regional Victoria and Melbourne, I feel very excited to have Andy on this week’s podcast.

In this podcast we discuss:

-How Andy got you excited about performing early on.

-Why Andy made you make the leap into being a venue owner.

-What Piano Bar did to survive COVID times and keep the revenue flowing.

-What changes have been made to the business since the first Piano Bar started, and how that has elevated the brand to another level and allowed them to scale to multiple venues.

-How he is feeling about the entertainment industry moving forward coming out of covid, and what exciting projects does the group have on the horizon.

Please find our guest information here:

Website: https://www.pianobar.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pianobargeelong/

Please find us here at POH:

Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principle_of_hospitality/

Thanks to our supporter for this season - Mr Yum

https://www.mryum.com/split-and-pay

Mentioned in this episode:

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

Ep 194 - From pop-up store to Australia-wide delivery doughnut empire with Phillip Kouch from Goldelucks

At only 28-years-old our next guest Phillip Kuoch, founder and CEO of Goldelucks, has built one of Australia’s most fun and successful bakery businesses, pioneering the future of the baked goods and gift industries. 

He is a keen and passionate entrepreneur, harbouring innovative and forward-thinking marketing strategies for business growth. Proud to be an Asian-Australian, Phillip hopes to inspire younger Asian kids

of immigrant/refugee backgrounds to know their worth and follow their intuitions in business.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw Goldelucks pivot from bricks and mortar to an online dessert delivery business. While maintaining its storefronts in Melbourne, Goldelucks has now expanded around Australia with next-day delivery available across the country. 

So I know we are going to learn so much from our guest this week, Phillip Kuoch.

In this podcast we discuss:

-How the business started out and what was the initial driver for it was.

-How he leveraged social media to grow the business.

-How he handled the demand that was coming from social media.

-The success from their first donut festival against his mum’s advice.

-The story of the $20 gold donut.

-How Phillip comes up with new ideas for the range.

-The importance of customer reviews in shaping the identity of the brand.

-The advice Phillip would you give to people who are running family businesses

-How he has been able to scale the delivery side of the business nationally and not just locally.

-Exciting projects that he is working on in 2022.

Please find our guest information here:

Website: https://www.goldelucks.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldelucks_au/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@goldelucks

Please find us here at POH:

Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principle_of_hospitality/

Thanks to our supporter for this season - Mr Yum

https://www.mryum.com/split-and-pay

Mentioned in this episode:

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

 Ep 193 - A health-conscious cafe that still delivers on that unique Melbourne feel with Georgia Mackie from Seedling Cafe

We are big fans of Seedling Cafe as they believe in similar principles as we do, that is to use whole foods to create delicious meals for everyone to enjoy. With everything from their classic acai bowl to their amazing bulletproof coffee, Seedling really are about healthy eating done right so today we feel very lucky to sit down with Georgia Mackie the Director of Seedling Cafe based here in Melbourne. 

Ash Ellis hosts this first podcast with us here at POH for this episode!

In this podcast we discuss:

-What got Georgia into this venture to begin with.

-What was it about Seedling Cafe that drew her in as an employee first.

-How approaching this lifestyle benefited Georgia over the years.

-If she has seen the healthier eating scene develop over the last few years since taking over Seedling.

-If there are any new food trends that she is excited about.

-What’s next for Seedling Cafe as a brand.

Please connect with Seedling Cafe here:

Website: https://www.seedlingcafe.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seedling_au/

Please find us here at POH:

Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principle_of_hospitality/

Thanks to our supporter for this season - Mr Yum

https://www.mryum.com/split-and-pay

Mentioned in this episode:

Principle Design and Open Pantry Consulting

And if you don’t know us at POH, Sash has a design studio called Principle Design and is one of the best design agencies in Australia, so if you are looking for Strategy, Branding, Digital Design, Wayfinding & Graphic Design then find them Shaun has Open Pantry Consulting for anything to do with recruitment, training and systems and processes to make your hospitality business run smoothly.

Ep 192 - How joy, passion and humour have developed Melbourne's most iconic modern Indian and Asian restaurants with Adam D’Sylva from Tonka, Coda and Boca Gelato

He really needs no introduction. His name is synonymous with amazing venues in Melbourne such as Coda, Tonka, Boca and W Hotel’s Lollo and Culprit Cafe. He’s won The Age Young Chef of the Year award in 2008 and is a regular guest on Masterchef Australia.

He is also our next host Kay-Lene Tan’s boss, welcome Adam D’Sylva to this week’s POH Podcast.

In this podcast we discuss:

-How his journey started in hospitality.

-What inspires him about food.

-He shares his progression from becoming a chef to a business owner.

-How he feels the pandemic has changed the hospitality industry.

-What else he likes to do when he is not cooking.

-What his advice is to anyone who wants to join the hospitality industry.

Please connect with Adam D'Sylva's brands here:

Website-Tonka: https://www.tonkarestaurant.com.au/

Website-Coda: https://codarestaurant.com.au/

Website-Boca Gelato: https://www.bocagelato.com.au/

Instagram-Tonka: https://www.instagram.com/tonkarestaurant/

Instagram-Coda: https://www.instagram.com/codamelbourne/

Instagram-Boca Gelato: https://www.instagram.com/boca_gelato/

Please find us here at POH:

Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principle_of_hospitality/

Thanks to our supporter for this season - Mr Yum

https://www.mryum.com/split-and-pay

Mentioned in this episode:

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

Principle Design and Open Pantry Consulting

And if you don’t know us at POH, Sash has a design studio called Principle Design and is one of the best design agencies in Australia, so if you are looking for Strategy, Branding, Digital Design, Wayfinding & Graphic Design then find them Shaun has Open Pantry Consulting for anything to do with recruitment, training and systems and processes to make your hospitality business run smoothly.

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

Ep 191 - Talking drivers of success and work/life balance with one of Melbourne’s best restauranteurs Rene Spence from Uncle Restaurant and Pollen

Over the years our newest host Leon Kennedy has been able to call this week's guest a peer, a co-worker and most important of all, he's been able to call him a friend.

He is an icon within our industry… the co-founder and driving force behind Uncle, the owner of the recently launched Pollen in Kyneton… we are sitting here with the one and only….. Rene Spence on this week's podcast.

In this podcast we discuss:

-What is Rene's ethos for service and hospitality.

-Recalling any defining moments that helped define that ethos.

-Taking a brand that is in the 2% of the competition, what are some of the factors that contributed to this success, in a market where so many others have failed? 

-What is generally some of the trade-offs that attach themselves to success, and what they have been for him.

-If he believes that work/life balance is achievable at this level of hospitality entrepreneurship.

-His number one tip for people opening a hospitality venue.

-How does he describe the industry at the moment, what he is apprehensive about, and what he is excited about.

Please connect with Uncle and Pollen here:

Website:

http://www.unclerestaurants.com.au/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/unclerestaurants/

https://www.instagram.com/pollen_kyneton/

Please find us here at POH:

Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principle_of_hospitality/

Thanks to our supporter for this season - Mr Yum

https://www.mryum.com/split-and-pay

Mentioned in this episode:

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

Principle Design and Open Pantry Consulting

And if you don’t know us at POH, Sash has a design studio called Principle Design and is one of the best design agencies in Australia, so if you are looking for Strategy, Branding, Digital Design, Wayfinding & Graphic Design then find them Shaun has Open Pantry Consulting for anything to do with recruitment, training and systems and processes to make your hospitality business run smoothly.

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

Ep 190 - The importance of storytelling in the design of your hospitality venue with Eid Goh the Director of Architects EAT

ARCHITECTS EAT believes in finding new solutions to the every day, and is run by a talented team of passionate, considerate and detail-oriented architects and interior designers.

They believe that great design is for the long haul, not just a fad, and aim to tirelessly find new and creative ways to push design boundaries.  So I feel very fortunate to speak with the Director of Architects EAT, Eid Goh in this week's podcast.

In this podcast we discuss:

-How Eid started out in the industry.

-How Eid got interested in design in the first place.

-What does the term 'good design’ means for him.

-The communication between a designer and client in the process.

-The importance of storytelling in a space.

-How pop-ups are treated as an experiment in design.

-How can venues re-use items from an old fitout when they open a new venue, rather than just starting from scratch.

-The blend of technology and great design in spaces.

Please connect with Architects EAT here:

Website: https://eatas.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/architectseat/

Please find us here at POH:

Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principle_of_hospitality/

Thanks to our supporter for this season - Mr Yum

https://www.mryum.com/split-and-pay

Mentioned in this episode:

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

Ep 189 - One of the founding fathers of Melbourne's burger scene Dani Zeini from Royal Stacks

On one trip to the US many years ago, our next guest Dani Zaini visited more than 30 burger venues on his 34-day stay, and the idea for Royal Stacks began.

Fast forward to 2016 and Dani opened his first Royal Stacks venue in Collins Street, right in the centre of the Melbourne CBD and office sector.

Since then, the Stacks kingdom has grown into a family of unique stores, with 3 new stores opening in the last 6 months, each bringing their own version of Royal Stacks magic so I feel very lucky to be talking with Dani today on this week’s episode.

In this podcast we discuss:

-How Dani started his hospitality career.

-How did the idea for Royal stacks come about?

-Why he started his first restaurant in the outer suburbs instead of the inner city.

-How he developed his confidence in building great venues.

-How they came up with the name and branding for Royal Stacks.

-How was it opening Collins St Royal for the first time.

-How did you get so much excitement at the first venue.

-How he kept the venue's individual as he grew the number of sites.

-How he handles so many different formats of the brand.

-The importance of his team as he grows the brand.

-How he keeps a menu simple but exciting

-What’s next for Dani and for the brand.



Please connect with Royal Stacks here:

Website: https://www.royalstacks.com.au/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/royalstacksau/

Please find us here at POH:

Website: https://principleofhospitality.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/principle_of_hospitality/

Thanks to our supporter for this season - Mr Yum

https://www.mryum.com/split-and-pay

Mentioned in this episode:

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!

Mr Yum - Split & Pay

Split the bill, pay the bill - their way Allow guests to quickly split the bill by a percentage, item or custom amount and make payments their way including credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Afterpay and use partial cash payments and vouchers. Simple!