EP.02 - BEHIND PODCAST - COLIN FASSNIDGE

yeah what do you think the big thing is for people not um coming into the industry like they were because it's it's it's it really is a [ __ ] job because there's the sound bite right there yeah [Music] because good morning good morning Colin good morning how are you good morning TK hello Pete how are you very well very well um to everyone that's going to be watching this Colin's just uh taking a little bit of a walk down the beach just to show us how amazing it is in Sydney uh with sunshine and coffee and all the delicious things that he gets to start his day with um and we do have with us Colin fnic welcome good morning or good afternoon or whatever this is going out are um mate we're just G to have a bit of a chat today and sort of see what you're up to I suppose um you know the idea behind behind the the podcast is to sort of discuss all things that and um the world of uh of good things food wine service all that kind of stuff um and I suppose it's also for us to sort of you know catch up we you and I don't see each other that much anymore that's for sure because you're busier than a blue ass what's going on in your world um yeah what is going on I'll sit up here I'm actually doing five shows this year which is unheard of which is good touchwood P bills yeah um so I'm in the middle of filming MK which pays the bills yeah um but that's three months of the year then I do H Food daries which we did Mongolia uh and the next it's a three-part series that so that's around the world so we do Cambodia and Japan next uh that's that's three shows can people watch that one Colin where's where where's that one stream through it's going to be we we're in charts with um not GI Netflix because some of the social some of the social stuff you posted about Mongolia was pretty hectic was it fun or was it as bad as what it looked uh I when we got off the plane the producer was like because one there's two producers me and and Rob he's like how fun was that I was like am I don't swearing this podcast yes you are yes you are I was like that was not [ __ ] fun it was it was an experience but it was two and a half weeks of pain like it was- 42 F hell it look cold as [ __ ] no no one eats vegetables they just eat meat like which is it is what it is what I mean like after a week like you haven't G to the toilet because it just meat and um most of the meat was horse so horse and camel it was a good experience and it's a good wake up call so you don't we actually really don't realize how lucky we are in this country yeah yeah I think and that's the thing it almost takes those kind of experiences people to actually go [ __ ] I can just go to the shop and get XYZ all year round whereas these people are living literally sort of day to day and you know you know you can only get to eat what you kill and all that kind of stuff yeah and and there's like there's no vegetables they don't eat veg because it's snow like for six months of the year yeah I don't know how I'd go how would you go without a potato mate you couldn't last too long without potatoes surely I I found some potatoes and I bought them in bulk and I stack stacked up our car out of the out of the Martian movie I'll grow my own potatoes potatoes and and 10 fish I was buying just to keep me moving yeah right wow stop at the uh the nearest not 7-Eleven get a prune juice just to sort of keep you happy yeah yeah yeah that was good but that that's and then have another show in September where me and Man car before we can you turn your phone to to landscape probably that yeah yeah yeah perfect awesome so we're uh me and Manu are going around New Zealand in a caravan Yeah you mentioned that to me I I don't understand why you do that I feel like that would be fun but also not so much fun I think that's the premise of the show you're right is is Al just arguing eating and farting in a van right and and it won't be like a new van it'll be an old battered caran yeah of course yeah as it should be yeah have you started shooting that yet or not no that's in September okay that's yeah so that's in September October yeah right that'll be fun though right I mean some of this stuff are you now at that point where you're doing things that are fun as well oh yeah like the um like food Diaries I wouldn't say Mongolia wasn't that wasn't fun not a great reference yeah but we picked it but we're doing Cambodia next that'll be fun yeah like as but we're not doing Cambodia where you go to a resort we're doing you go in the jungle we're doing stuff that just people want to see us get annoyed and eat stuff that it's based on No Reservations it's never going to be No Reservations but it's based on that sort of thing yeah and I it's great and why going back to Mongolia why did you pick or who who was the how did that come up was that just like a drunken barbecue [ __ ] let's go to Mongolia or uh Rob you're the producer um Rob roer he he I don't know man he said Mongolia and I said that sounds good let's do it the ass end of the world yeah Bo Mongolia and next thing I know I was on a mountain holding an eagle on a horse so I was like Yeah The Eagle the eag images is they're quite something that's for sure I mean you're not going to get that back either that's the thing right you're probably only going to get one shot to do that kind of thing yeah I mean it's it's I get to do stuff that are um life experiences now like I'm very lucky like I don't I know exactly where I am in life and I know how lucky I am that I get to do you know weird and wonderful things yeah so it's good are you are you more comfortable on the back of a horse holding an eagle or on a kitchen pass well I told the guy couldn't [ __ ] ride a horse and he said I said I can ride motor bikes and he said it's very similar that's it's not me um and then I went up a sheer Rock Mountain and I was like this is not this like if I fall off I'm gone bro um yeah I just but I seem to get myself in these situations you said luck do is it luck I mean it's you know you've had a this is a plan right like you you you haven't just stumbled upon you know doing five shows a year that's not just pure ass and timing there's effort and you know um you it's timing it is all that but it's it's so much more than that there's a lot of work that goes into that oh well I've been on the the receiving end of no shows year I I've been fired and we've all had the pandemic so when stuff comes up I sort of I may well like the food do is our own company we made that ourselves yeah so I I have to be busy I'm the sort of person who C just you know I'll chill out what do you what do you do like what's a day off if you do want to chill out I mean I know you've got bugger all days off at the moment because you're in the middle of shooting but you know when you do have a day off what's a what's a great day off for you well look around yeah but you got to talk to us idiots first that's that's not really a day off uh no I've actually got a I've actually I'll tell you what today's day off is I've a meeting because I'm bringing out a jerky beef jerky range with um the guy go boxing with so we have a meeting after that so it's not really a day off yeah um that man I go to the gym you got to go to the gym and keep your head good it's like whether I do boxing like I I I'd get bashed in a fight but I'm getting better at it so I've been boxing for a few years with a friend of mine who's like he's a proper World title and uh I find that's a good stress relief and a good you know what I mean keeps my head in the game and when I finish that I'm I'm I'm good do you I swim swim in the ocean a lot do you yeah winter spring summer everything just morning swim like the cold water dips yeah yeah I love it it was a bit of a funny one on your social media I don't know was this week at the end of last week where you gone from being the uh sitting around a milk crate smoking cigarettes and drinking beers to taking ice baths together I thought that nothing describes 2024 more than that I don't think this is coming from this is coming from someone who's just put a nice bath into his house so yeah I just turned off theater so it's cool exact exact same yeah because we the crew we used to go out all night like we were proper rock and roll and it was and we go out all night there like there's 100 crew and then now we're all like 50 and some of them some of the guys are all they're all like oh we're going for infrared in the morning infrared s and then a ice bath and I was like that sounds good yeah yeah and then we were all there go what happened us yeah yeah yeah that the my oh how the mighty have fallen but but it's not though I think that you know obviously things have changed in the industry in particular um with regards to people looking after themselves and obviously we're talking about this a lot more with that that magic word wellness and that kind of thing knowing you know you got into into the world of cooking young and you know in tough kitchens right when the like the old days when [ __ ] you know just the stuff that happened in those kitchens can't happen anymore it's just right um we don't need to talk about the microwave story because that's been mentioned a lot of times with with you and I do very angry yeah I mean I mean clearly he obviously said the wrong thing so that's on him but um you know the the world of of cooking in general has changed kitchens have changed hospitality's changed what's the the thing for you that I suppose you know seeing those positives of of people you know going to the gym instead of going to the PB you know what's what's the big sort of pluses there do you see well I think I I wouldn't change anything it was it was hard like but I I learned the crafts but the problem was the the adrenaline like is the is what what's that ly in heat is the juice something is the juice yeah like service we love like I was at the high end of cooking and service was amazing and I loved it and I loved being in a kitchen and then like we'd go all go out because you needed that buzz after and that's the problem people went out and stay out and I think this day and age the culture's changed I think the drinking culture's changed Everything's changed and it is about wellness and looking after staff and and back then there was like you were getting people beaten down your door to work for you there was so many people wanted to be shifts and and like from abroad and now no one wants to be a shi so if you've got good stuff but you've got to look after them yeah why do you think is it that that that is changing is it is it yeah what do you think the big thing is for people not um coming into the industry like they were because it's it's it's it really is a [ __ ] job because there's the sound bite right there yeah because it's a [ __ ] job but I love it like it's you're cooking on the weekends you're cooking at night well um mostly your all the friends out in Hospitality you don't really see them and um you're working in hot sweaty conditions and if that's for you it's a great job yeah do you miss it do you miss the buzz that service Buzz sometimes like you've got you know 20,000 things going on sometimes I think back and go remember when you were like a chef to party and all you had to do was look after a section like the the biggest drama today is who stole the cling film and I I miss that sometimes yeah I bet I mean that would be that that is quite a big drama though in a lot of kitchens I reckon I've seen fights over cing film before yeah hiding tea toils in the roof yeah yeah God coming in off days off who's been on my section yeah what you what I mean like now now I've got two daughters like two two um teenage daughters and um like my whole world's I wouldn't change it like they they made me a better Chef a better businessman better everything because in the early days as I said it was bit crazy it was like working in an asylum you just work 16 hours a day and if you got a bad review they Clos you down so that was the pressure like it's not no one gives a [ __ ] about the good food guy now I'm sorry like those guys willed so much power now no one gives a [ __ ] man like you know what I mean they they could close you down which is so wrong now you've got social median in you can find out what a place is like instantly you don't need to wait for some idiot on a Tuesday to tell you his view so yeah the pressure was huge and then when I had kids I I just changed my whole motivation was like not about you anymore and is your eldest is starting to work in hospit right now as well is that correct yeah how's that working out well I think she near got fired but anyway for for rolling her eyes at someone who I went who went to the vegan burger or something with with cheese or something she like she say she deserved it she's she's definitely your daughter there yeah a vegan burger with some sort of cheese she's like B um but she's sort of like me she sort of shows her but no no she's good she works the weekends she she's making money which is good yeah and she know like she knows the power of earning money which is is really good and um yeah so she's in the hospitality industry I don't think she's going to stay in it I think she want she's a bit more um I would say artistic a little bit like me um as it you need she needs to do stuff with her hands so I think she wants to make clothes and like that when when you were young I know that um you talked before about people you know not necessarily encouraging you to cook like it was probably the time when cooking probably seemed like a quite a lowly kind of job I suppose um and I know that you've mentioned before as well that one of the reasons why you wanted to sort of do it was to prove people wrong that said that you couldn't do it or you know it wouldn't be good and that kind of stuff if you could talk to your 12-year-old self that was getting into it and really sort of passionate you know s starting that what would you say to yourself I would say because I was quite I in school I hated school and I finished school and I did actually did all right um just because I was just put my head down but I used to panic in school because um I'm just [ __ ] out of it and I still have nightmares about school as a 50- year old man that's how bad it is like we went to Christian brother day we got bashed yeah um and it's not a way to instill into a kid learning um so when I said I want to be a shf they like sit down the back for five years and they'll talk to me um because chefing was the same as go join the Army and I'm not saying nothing about the Army but it was just like you can get into the army if you uh if you're crap at school you be a chef if you're crap at school um like you're not going to be an accountant or whatever that's basically their way the way they looked at it yeah um so they just weren't interested in us if you want to be a chef or whatever or anything artistic they' no interest in it and so I I the well what would I say to this I would say it's going to be all right and just stick to your guns and be stubborn and and a troublemaker keep going yeah I mean that Troublemaker sort of I suppose you you know I don't like using the word laran but you know you you've certainly probably played different personas and I know that when you first got into TV you sort of said that um you probably played a character for a bit of that and now you're probably more a little bit more authentic yourself like more authentically you and clearly that's resonating because was you know mkr last year was the highest rated ever is that right or of you know to that we beat the block is it that simple is just like it's like you know it's either it's either us or the block so you know we got to beat them well it's a very TV is a very fickle World um like if you're if you're not producing or well if you're not writing you're gone like it's it's very simple you can be up one year like you can do five shows one year and zero the next it's you think chefing and hospitality is by TV is worse they will note you in the back faster do you are you happier though now that you do get to be yourself and like you can just be authentically you and particularly I mean I think the the chemistry that you and Manu have together is is you know just is real you can see that yeah well I think we sort of last year mkr sort of went like I done Kitchen Nightmares remember I worked with you on that one yeah yeah um and that was like that was a tough gig like I thought we did the job quite well we didn't tear people apart but we we gave you know negative and then positives and and made it better but it was still hard because I knew I had to keep those negatives so the night before I was like you know what I mean I'm not looking forward to it tomorrow because you got to rip some with a new [ __ ] and then and then rebuild them though when we did mkr I got asked back to do it um I said man I don't want to be doing this negative Vibes like because people don't want to see that just after a pandemic as well people W positive yeah and I said to man look but we're about 50 um like let's just have fun because I'm I'm not really in the mood not to have fun like it's a long time on the road so I think him and me we just [ __ ] around man and they just they just filmed it and people liked it because it's just two blogs who are friends working together eating and you know and then there is other contestants I was going to say I think there's some contestants on there as well but but I mean we were like when they start to argue we'd be like M just calm down like you know you're cooking you know what I mean you're cooking a bit of lamb you're not saving the world yeah yeah did you know Manu through the industry before you started working with him on TV we we knew each other um 20 years ago and we hated each other why why what how did that how did that beef I think I call him a dick on Twitter or something like that you called you called everyone a I called everyone a dick on Twitter yeah I've had to do a lot of apologizing that's what one part of the 12-step program isn't it so so yeah and then and then we start working together and like TV I wasn't very good at the start and i' sort of walked into his Arena and he sort of taught me a few tips and things tricks and we became friends like the first time we work together that was 14 years ago yeah um so you know when you're young and dumb like young chefs you know is what it is I think um you know it's one of those things where TK you would have seen this along in kitchens as well you get to a point I think you see chefs where all of a sudden something Clicks in where it's not about them they kind of realize you know I know certainly from my point of view from a wine perspective one of the things I learned early on I'm really glad I did was someone telling me just remember there's the three most important things about being a similar is it's not about you it's not about you it's not about you and I think that a lot of people in in our industry get to that point sometimes by default sometimes they never get there but when they do there's like this light bulb moment of holy [ __ ] it's I got to remove my ego for this for a second and generally they end up becoming better Cooks yeah you do but you do need ego as well at the start like you need something to be pushing it but yeah the problem it's obviously everyone knows idiots that the ego just gets in the way I they're no longer around like this some someone wants a Stak and they want a medium well well done and then the guys like tring around the kitchen and I'm not doing that M it's their money yeah like they like if you if you want to be that sort of idiot and you can't pay your electricity bill well on your go bro yeah good for the people that's what we say yeah all the time absolutely yeah I mean that's that's what's going to pay the bills as well right at this day and age if you're an not if you're you know what I mean it's it's called Hospitality for a reason people are coming in to be some someone comes to your house andone so well like my old man eats lamb well done and Stak well done so you know what I mean if you if I go to a restaurant and then I got to look after him I'll never be back no yeah yeah tough game mate like it's uh you've got to start looking for the people and it is it's like a light bulb moment I reckon yeah um especially when you own your own business and that's that's the difference as well when when the when your money's on the line and you know that's when often a lot of people work it out because it's like I can't keep doing this [ __ ] because I can't pay my bills yeah exactly you do you have many young people coming up to you call and asking you for advice about Hospitality these days or is it more based around TV no I I actually get a lot of DMS on Insta of there was a chef the other day actually he was coming up from the hunter to do a trial in Bondi and he had to cook for the owners of this restaurant uh for a head Chef's job where he had to bring the food and cook and get the up and I was like M already alarm Bells Are Ringing it they're not going to even going to supply you the food and they're not going to supply you the the and he had to stay overnight whatever whatever doesn't sound like a good job to me yeah so that was one and some other guys and I get tips of how do I progress in in cooking or I want to open a restaurant what you and I'm like don't spend too much on the fit out like this is D find your feet so I I do get a lot of questions actually and then I did um I do a couple of podcasts in schools yeah for kids but because I've been through that and wanted to cook and I know what it's like obviously it's changed now and it's it's a it's a job that people want to do or well not want to do it's respected so it was good to tell kids you're the side of the story like you know go after your dreams and do it do you tell them that you it's not straight from school then you're a head chef cuz I think that's you know that's one of the things there a couple of steps missing I think for some people at the moment you're like well comy Chef doesn't exist anymore yeah basically it just doesn't yeah but when I when I worked for Raymond BR didn't matter what you were you went in as comei one so it was comei one two three and four then there was Demi shf shter party senior shifter party Junior suf Sue shf like and that was like in a kitchen of 40 shifts you just started at the bottom those those days at l manoir i mean that was you know you were probably there at that peak of that that as well right that was when it was just humming and heaving and it we how much fun did you guys have in that kitchen oh I wouldn't say we had much for we did a lot of cleaning a lot of polishing brass pots and stoves till 2 in the morning yeah we got our ass handed to us in that joint like that was hard like we didn't we didn't even eat we worked 16 hours a day we we look like skeletons was it Raymond Blanc giving it to you or was it one of these soldiers oh he used to one of his soldiers where he used to nail me he used to call me the Barbarian and like you don't like one day you don't you didn't you didn't shave properly and they make you shave with the [ __ ] razor that they shave the pigs with like this old big razor and your face is caught they they found that quite funny and you're like oh yeah on your G um it was like that was abuse Next Level abuse that joint I seen a guy get stabbed I've seen a girl have a breakdown they just put her in a fridge just left her there like it was next level of like if you can't handle it just get out there's someone else to do your job and like we've said before like obviously the world's changed and you just can't do that anymore but really it should never have happened like that kind of [ __ ] should never have happened I know that people say oh you know there's that people need to learn structure and they need to learn but it's like there's different ways of doing it and that's just not the way like it's so rare I think what happens when people rule like that you will only get maybe one in 10 people that will respond positively to that the rest of them will just be like [ __ ] you I hate this place I hate you I hate the industry and then become a teacher it seems so far away but because if if I didn't live that as well You' call [ __ ] on it but it's it's so real you know like it just we burn through people like it was and then the problem was you wore it like a badge of honor because you survived you know what I mean yeah and that's the thing that's like that that that's wrong yeah it's like a it's a military medal it's like yeah you turned up and you survived well done yeah you know I remember stast days and that's not long ago oh God that was like s in the morning until midnight yeah but that goes hand in hand with opening a new venue as well because that's not fun yeah yeah exactly but Al also kids need to learn as well like I understand you've got your so many hours a week but you've got to put in a little bit of extra graft yourself like even if it's on your own time and I used to go to other restaurants and see what they did yeah like on my own time and like to learn butcher and learn how to break down fish learn how to break down whole pigs sheep cows you know what I mean because I wanted to that was my craft like it's like anything you you're not going to learn everything in a 30 hour week no and my 15-year-old son's just started a school-based apprenticeship in one of our restaurants and he does every Friday he starts in the kitchen and I said to him if you want to learn more like he's really he loves pastry and I'm like that's really rare that you like pastry so lean into it and he's I said why don't you go and ask the chef if you can come in for an hour or two on Saturday for free just to learn and exactly you know and he's like oh that's a really good idea you think he will I said he be froing on the fact that you you've got the you've got the drive to do that because the only thing you've got right now is is knowledge you need to improve your knowledge that'll be Your Arsenal when you're when you're 30 you know so just feed it so you're a big fan of P3 oh P well you gotta you got to know your L um there P the pastry shfs for a reason yeah exactly and I'm not pastry chef um I I learned what I knew or well I cooked what I knew and did well when I had restaurants and then obviously I hired someone who could do pastry and then it went up a level um but yeah PTI a science like I just don't have the patience I would rather be breaking down a pig or like Butchery that's that's my little cab place it was at your um was at your wheelhouse when you're in the kitchen in balls deep was was it Saucier on the grill what where was where was you where was your most comfortable I I love prepping the meat in the morning just i' have my little just leave me alone section yeah I music on as well we we like I like kitchens with music before service because I don't I hate this no talking [ __ ] like what's the go to what's the sound track when you're breaking down a pig oh we've got rock man or heavy metal you know it's yeah it's not classical tell you that now I I pulled out the bank cookbook last night because I knew talking to you today and it's like a holly Grail on my bookshelf when Liam signed it one one year in Brisbane and uh I remember I went to bank the week before the Sydney Olympics for for a job interv C I was going to say you would have been there then wer you yeah you were there had you started you started just before the Olympics I just finished just before that I went so the best oh you met lame Lam's like yeah I I rolled in for the job interview and he came out of the kitchen covered in blood and sat in the restaurant he had an ash had a thousand cigarettes in it he was the most terrifying [ __ ] guy I've ever met in my life and he goes you'll do a trial starting tomorrow for two weeks and I'm like the Olympics is next week and he goes yes and I'm like I live in Queensland I need to move down here he goes you'll find somewhere to stay for two weeks and do a trial I'm like [ __ ] I couldn't do it yeah I just couldn't do it but then I look at that cookbook and I go some of the some of the greatest in Australia that's ever been worked and went through that place and they there at the same time that's the weird thing like it's really we that's the best kitchen I've ever worked in because there was 12 of us in a in a line who could all cook like yeah so when you C like I finished in the man war and whatever and come over here so and then Kempy was from the square wer was from Marcos Justin was from Le man war and someone else was from everyone had a pedigree so when you land in Australia you either went to like the tets you went to bank or was like ngg garage or rock and so they had the pool of talent and everyone could cook and they were a good man there's no weak links at all no if you no we just got rid of the weak links such a beautiful restaurant [ __ ] and it was a great team because everyone hung out front and back of house were all like once you're in that that family you were and then we'd all go out and hang out together it was a great team but L he was the only ship to make me cry in a kitchen how what did he what did he do what did you do [ __ ] that's what I didn't do H rolled his somebody I was on I was on the meat section he put he moved me from garnish to the meat it was his fault actually um I'm to friends Al so it's fine he moved me to the me section on a Friday Friday launch surprise [ __ ] man the beef forini I'd like 50 in order and then I'm KY was screaming and shouting M Kemp and wases me were on the meat say how many RIS you got got 10 he goes you got 50 on order mate and then I was like man like you just so far down this hole there's no getting out of it um you're dead like you're just dead you know pal are sweating right big big [ __ ] hands came over the pass and he pull me over the pass Lam's big black tarantula hand because he was hairy and he just [ __ ] I I just got just like nonstop nailed for a whole service and I just broken but but it made you a better person right that was the whole point of it let's say next Friday I was ready yeah never been more prepared for anything ever in your life he on plus Chef yeah exactly do you miss that kind of stuff that camaraderie I mean do you do you get that doing the stuff you're doing these days in some way shape or form well like a TV crew is exactly like a kitchen crew like cameram men are like chefs mate they have the same mentality like they're not right in the head um so like we we go away like when we we go around the country and we're touring like it's it's like a band like we're all on the same plane we're all on on a bus we're all on in the same hotels it's and we hang out together so it's it's a very uh you know they work hard as well so I I acqu it to a lot like chefing um and I think it's like if you're a good head chef you uh like you get on with everyone your apprentices everyone because that's and it's the same like people think the the host of the TV show is is whatever like we're all the same team you know what I mean yeah and we all respect each other and that's why it works but the I'm I'm sure you've either seen or heard of um that sort dver aspect that does come into TV we all know a few of them yeah um and yes uh I think you know one of the things and I know you've talked about it before is like that just that just can't keep doing that it just doesn't it's not good for anyone that kind of behavior why are certain people on a show one year and then they're replaced the next year yeah they don't like the people ain't interested in working with idiots divas and people who want their own you know makeup teams and their own ever like I do they don't play ball you're M the present is the smallest Cog in the wheel yeah that's that's what they don't get like there's people in hours before you like hours before you doing a lot more work and you turn up and do your little and then leave and then someone has to break it all down so don't think you're the the center of the universe I think Cory's sitting here in the background just nodding his head going yep yep no exactly what that looks like three hours of prep this morning we we finished the 4 dur T night filming and I was like looking at the uh the runners and I was like man they've got to break everything now they're not going to finish the [ __ ] half six yeah like I'm already complaining it's four but they not GNA finish till half six yeah what on on those long shifts what gets you through is it is it coffee or is it Whiskey it used to be it used to be whiskey a lot of whiskey and like too much whiskey me and man were on the road for eight months last year in two countries cuz we did MK twice in um New Zealand and MK here then we did other stuff uh and whiskey was huge and then Manu stopped drinking he hasn't drank in six months and so and out of respect obviously I don't sit there and drink whiskey my own because then you'd have a real problem that's a very different conversation yeah um so it's good because it's I don't drink when I'm with him now and um and we actually drink tea like that's were on the plane the other day we were drinking tea I was like we used to be rock and roll yeah what's happened what happened to tea red light sers in a [ __ ] ice yeah exactly yeah dare you to ring Liam up and tell him that now I had a nice tea night this morning yeah out a tea um so I'll get you through um man you just what you do is do a said you got to go to the gym you got to keep your head clear like and when we know we have a long shoot we SL like you start at 4 right we religiously like we will have something to eat for lunch or whatever every day and then we're like all right two o'clock I'm going to bed for an hour yeah afternoon that because then you know you start at four you're not going to finish the four yeah I think it's it's it's one of those things where you know and I would hope that most people have understand that there is a lot of work that goes into those kind of TV shows it's not just turn up and and talk a bit of [ __ ] but the effort like you said from the team that has to put that thing together is just remarkable and when people haven't seen it and then you do you sit there and you see what goes into making some of these shows you really do understand how much effort and what these people go through and the love that they have for it as well like even like the you know you said at all levels across the board if it's the EP or even down you know down to the the lowly showrunner that is just doing all all the [ __ ] work that no one else wants to do these people love it yeah well it did it's like the career like I think people this TV sometimes I used to use it go as well and then I got into it realize hey it's actually hard work yeah yeah yeah and think that glamour doesn't isn't anywhere near what people think it is but even like the show we did in Mongolia like the cameraman made there was there was only well there was only four of us um we were all sleeping in the same room and sometimes we're in the same bed like in hotels and to save money just so keep production costs down just like broken sleeping all together in a little bed yeah that's pure glamour there that looks that sounds fantastic where do you think the food scene's going in Australia colum like what you know you you've seen The Reincarnation of I suppose five or six different sort of styles coming through between you know the demise of fine dining to you know Gourmet Burgers and you know where do you think it's going this 2024 now I think Margaret's doing really well in Sydney he's killing it like where do you think it's that Neil Perry arms us street now yeah doesn't he um I don't know it's it's [ __ ] man it's so hard they looked two restaurants closed yesterday uh he machine groms place closed two down um they dropping like flies at the minute it's just because and that's that's it's cost to living it's killing everyone like my mortgage has gone up two grand a month on top of what I already pay and I don't know people just want they want affordable food um which is not there is no affordable food anymore because the the weather here is selfing out of control like the food's going through the roof yeah I was in perk other day and I was in a shop and blueberries were $13 and I put on my insta I was like what the [ __ ] I was I was in a market the other day it was $12.90 for one cauliflower but I seen a salc for $12 a little salar and I was like no one's going to buy it it's going to go into Landfield like I don't know what like how the you know what I mean what the problem is cuz it's yeah I think restaurants are hard now like food people want cheap and affordable I think the the places that do really well at the middle places like really cheap fit outs and just really great food we like and like if you can afford the Margarets of the world and what those fit outs and like if you're justtin HS and you can drop 12 million on mimies on you go mate but the rest of us didn't have a rich daddy so um you know those kids borrow them from their parents they open little restaurants but they just got to be careful yeah it's you know what I mean because it's so make money it's so like to I was told someone who's got a deal is making money just out off the food I was like well there there's not a lot of you know margin for profit here you need to be everything else the food I think um what what types of food is more ethnic coming through I you know what I mean I think that's in a country that's getting more racist the food's getting more ethnic so that's good yeah slightly missing there isn't there I think middle Eastern's it's it's on fire at the I'm loving all the Middle Eastern in Sydney yeah um uh yeah I think that's the way it's going like I think less it's less about Burger shops now which you know everyone's into making [ __ ] sandwiches now like you know like we haven't made a sandwich in our life but now it's the new best thing just a bit of fukatu of Mortadella is the new thing wow that's that's 50 thanks very much where's where's the go-to for you and your family have you got a local favorite that you I go to a I go to a Vietnamese in um in H Market called pork fat it's run by a family um he's got a chef hat now they ruined it they G them a chef hat now everyone wants to go there he a beautiful family and they all a restaurant called pork fat and I actually like it's small little place but he's great I just love him and I actually booked a table and he's like I'm full I'm full mate and I go you need to give me this table on Thursday night for four people he's like I can't call him can't P I said I'm [ __ ] telling you get me the table and you'll see why don't make me tell you who's coming he moves around he gets to the table and I rock up with my Jella Lawson and he's like oh and then I said B she's going to love it because I only bring her places that that I know she love I said she's G to post about it and then you assorted you're done and she fing fell in love with this place she fell in love with the family he posted like like she just writes essays he's like oh my God the good luck getting the table in [ __ ] that for told you no you've just ruined it for yourself though as well yeah it should be a table there for you now I just want good people to do well do you know what I mean yeah and I think that's the thing is like that idea of supporting good people and um you know finding those places and you know again I mean the name of this podcast is behind it is that about support as well and I think that you know that can be in so many different ways you know whether it's like in the kitchen literally looking after the the people that are next to you the floor staff whatever it may be or going and supporting the the market and supporting your friends and their restaurants and and going out and putting some dollars through their till um you know people talk about you know what can we do it's like go out go and spend some money you know talk about the place like you said like even if people have only got you know 12 followers on Instagram it's still 12 people they're going to tell if they had a good time and the idea these days and I know you again you've spoken heavily before about you know nameless and faceless eggs and numbers on the internet that just talk [ __ ] but it's funny that the the nature of the industry in terms of people going into places and talking about it online they only talk about the negative like the amount of people that don't that they go have an amazing time and they don't say a [ __ ] thing it's like just just do a positive every now and then yeah yeah yeah yeah because everyone everyone's it's one of the only Industries where everyone's a [ __ ] hero online who knows how to cook better than you but like the I I get stuff about stuff I cook and it's probably from some [ __ ] guy eating a TV dinner who hasn't burnt a calorie in [ __ ] two years and can't even you know bought an egg he's telling me Oh [ __ ] I am and I'm like you know that's the world we live in the only indust it's like like be like me G to a garage and telling the guys doing the engine wrong like you know what I mean yeah it's I mean that's the thing it's it's it is quite unique in that way and you know the socials are a double-edged sword obviously you've kind of used them to your advantage in the last couple of years I know that someone told me to go back to Ireland today did that like if you I said something about some dish someone put corn flakes on a dish like as as a main M sprinkle the with corlex and I said that's [ __ ] man like that's like it's that that is a [ __ ] dish I said if you if I was judging you on a show you'd be gone yeah and then one of the little followers was like well if you don't like it [ __ ] off back to your own country and I'm like well because I don't like corn flakes on my dinner see you and the person was 24 I think and I've been in the country 25 years than they have [ __ ] um that kind of stuff like that must be hard sometimes to sort of B bite your tongue I know that and because you I'm even though you don't always bite your tongue sometimes I'm guessing you do more than you don't yeah my manager she's like she's I think she's going to have a stroke cuz she says to me sometimes like May what why did you reply to this person I'm like well sometimes it's just a sit and duck that I just set up and yeah she's got a job sort of control like I just don't have time some of the times but sometimes people need to be taken down a pig yeah I don't think anyone's gonna disagree with oh this guy I've got a great story for you this guy said he said who like your sing [ __ ] you're this you're that you're this go back to wherever you come from and I was I was like uh okay so I said to my daughter watch this to watch this so I found them on LinkedIn linkedin's great you can easily find trolls on LinkedIn and because it was private on on his insta but he was firing off all these comments and direct messages comments and then um I found out who he was and he worked for a media company that was to promote people in media and positive whatever whatever uh and he he' actually worked for done some warts ad and he worked for a university and so I contacted his boss with his screenshot and I said is this promote in the industry and the guy got nailed so I I emailed his boss with his comments I'm like so your employee thinks he can just dou D dou about whatever and you're in our business and the guy was ringing me texting me and I was it's too late and I said to my daughter I showed her everything she's 14 and social media as we know can kill people espe young kids I said you can e you can easy take down a bully yeah yeah and I think it's that accountability I think people think they're they're invisible and they you know that no one's going to find me but it's like they you it's pretty bloody easy these days to find people it's [ __ ] hard to read it mate like how do you do did you ever go through a stage Colin as you as you got more and more famous through all your all the work you've done on TV the negative comments has it ever got to a stage where is it it's affected you I've been to the police I've had Jes I've had um or rape your wife or burn down your house where I'll take you kids on a date like these are men Jesus Christ and that's over what is WR something you said on a cooking show I'm like and the police are like well there's nothing we can do you're like okay bro I and I actually said to the police at the time so if I find this person it's not going to end well I tell you that now if my kids get brought into something it will I I'll I'll do the time for what I will do to some so to my kids yeah the cops like are you saying violence I said 100% yeah like and as not a parent in the country would disagree with it um so yeah like when we started MK the say was two million watched it in the he so was a million liked it a million hated you so if you're anyway bad like depression or any way like that like it's a it's a killer it's a slippery SL I'm good I'm glass full sort of person but I always tell all the the people who come on the shelves or whatever like don't read social media if you're that way inclined because you're not you're not so one day you're just Jo so the next day there's people telling you to go jump off a bridge like it's a very hard you need to be schooled in as well they don't school people in it which they should yeah absolutely one of the things you talked about before as well Faz is the um the idea of like failure being really important for people and and particularly kids and and in the our industry that that people you sort of have to fail to learn and it sort of sets you on a certain mindset generally you don't want to feel like that again so what's your biggest failure do you think loads fire fired H um I actually got fired from Bank five of us got fired we had at once five yeah yeah think it was more I think it was eight eight or five it was we stayed back one Saturday and we had a we had a session down in the wine bank and we cooked and we stayed there with with the uh with the bids or the bar you don't call them bids bar bar what do you call them bar bers bartenders back then they were like we were we we were going out with the girls behind the bar so we cooked them dinner we all we got nil man like that like imagine that whole crew standing back and getting on it like like drinking and went [ __ ] crazy that was a [ __ ] up a failure it was oh just lost audio you got a call a couple of months later bank went BST yeah yeah hello can yeah just lost you got you back is that because of the bottle of Lou Trey you drank behind the bar that night yeah bank went bust a little while after that so it was sort of and I was on the sponsorship ship but I managed to move my sponsorship so I was lucky I I actually did get fir you what I mean yeah good because otherwise I would have been uh out of the country and then what else I think I've lost Chef's hats you know like at the time it's the biggest thing in the world you go home and have a cry as grown man having a cry because you lost Chef's hats you know we I think as an industry I think we and I think you you s of mentioned at the start as well the fact that it's not necessarily as relevant as it used to be like that idea of um you know we Chase these false Idols for so long that don't actually make sense and you're generally going to make less money when you're chasing hats yeah but you don't like it it it was good to um do but then you sort of you it's something you've done and you move on and you grow up you know what I mean it's like I remember we got two chefs hats the forign hands a pub there was people in uproar they You've Got Two Chefs Cuts in a pub I cop so much grief which is just so ridiculous when you think about like some of the great Michelin s the world have like seat 12 people like and you know just doing one dish and it's like why what's the problem yeah and I will log in on this podcast the sun hang on mate you're just covering your mic there for a sec the first ever um to get two hearts in Australia make sure you log that in okay we we we'll make sure um that how even though it's not well hang it's just been sold again hasn't it or uh well it's been sold a few times it's that that whole area was just amazing all the fs and the the food now Josh n's taking over the grand Nation but that's going to be amazing that's great yeah absolutely um mate if you had to give one piece of advice to kids who are trying to work out what they want to do in the world and and potentially thinking about Hospitality as a career what would you say um I would say well what I say is if you go to work in the morning and you hate your job like you hate it like physically makes you sick [ __ ] don't do it leave it do something else yeah because I know too many people who think they have to work in a certain place or work for a certain person and they just they just hide it and it messes with their heads like CU there there's always something else out there that's my that's my advice actually yeah good advice very very good advice all right mate we'll wrap it up thanks so much for coming on really appreciate it great to chat thanks coming appreciate it good luck with all the TV here it sounds exciting thank you absolute pleasure and good luck with the podcast thanks mate we'll talk chat thanks boys see you mate bye see you mate bye bye see