Ep. 29 Journalist Roundtable (Lee Tran Lam, Nick Jordan, Yvonne C. Lam)

Roots Hospitality

Ever wanted to ask those questions you've been asking yourself for years but had no-one from the field to talk to? Well, if you are in hospitality and curious about the perceptions of journalists in food media then you have come to the write place.
I've taken this opportunity to bring together some of the best journalists in the Sydney food writing scene at the moment doing some incredible things. With Lee Tran Lam's focus of bringing out a new range of diverse voices in food media (Also published a great book with Somekind Press which is available to order), Nick Jordan's honest and raw writing in regards to the current institution of food criticism (Which is how I found him and had to get him on the podcast straight away) and Yvonne C. Lam with an abundance of interesting perspectives and articles on how the pandemic affected various factors of hospitality whether it be Sydney's Chinatown early on or how a lack of international workers is creating a struggle for restaurants who rely on people with working visas to fill their team to continue their trade.
All of these guests provide a unique perspective to how food media represents a story that's more than just the food on the plates. As a chef I use this incredible time to ask the tough questions. We talk about the effect a food critic can have on restaurants, the concept of how different cultures determine certain foods to be weird and what that really means. We chat about Nick Jordan's article in Counter Magazine 'Restaurant Reviews are Dead: Long Live the Restaurant Review' and what made him decide to provide a critical review about a potentially outdated system. We dive into some of Yvonne C. Lam's recent articles which you can find on Gourmet Traveller Online.
All of these journalists produce fantastic content and writing. I'd highly recommend following them to see what else they get up too.
The Roots Podcast is proudly supported by Sydney Direct Fresh Produce. The fruit and vegetable providore, led by Luke Kohler; that has been supplying to Sydney restaurants for more then 20 years and still smashing it today.
Music by Charlie Fester.