The 2011 Melbourne International Jazz Festival kicked off at the glamorous Palais Theatre with an opening night of jazz standards reinterpreted by a group of not-your-usual jazz vocalists – Tex Perkins, Paris Wells, Eddie Perfect and Kimbra.

The four singers rotated two or three songs over two acts, accompanied by the impressively tight Sam Keevers Trio (Sam Keevers (piano), Brett Hirst (bass) and Simon Barker (drums)). Tex Perkins was his usual louche self and growled his way through an unexpected Burt Bacharach number (not sure when Burt became part of the jazz canon but happy to go along with it). Eddie Perfect upped the beat of Lullaby of Birdland, bopping and weaving through some highly syncopated rhythms.

After the show my friends and I agreed that the female vocalists were much stronger. When I saw and heard Paris Wells the words ‘a sassy broad and a dame’ came to mind – in a sexy slinky dress she bantered with the audience and her warm, gutsy soul voice was reminiscent of an on-the-mark Amy Winehouse. Finally, the performance which was really a revelation and still sticks in my mind was by Kimbra, a New Zealand musician based in Melbourne. She looked slight and delicate in her strapless froth of a ballgown, but captured my imagination with her chameleon vocals, moving from sweet to soaring, smoky to brilliant (amazingly, apparently she’s never been taught to sing). Her version of ‘Catch a Falling Star’, using a taped loop of her vocals to build a childlike, nursery-rhyme rhythm and texture, is still with me. I think the audience agreed with me, as they gave her long enthusiastic applause after each of her numbers.

The 2011 Melbourne International Jazz Festival is happening until 13 June, with something for everyone, from free concerts to kids’ activities.

To read an interview with the program director of the festival, Sophia Brous, click here.

I first visited Genki‘s Cathedral Arcade shop when I arrived in Melbourne way back in 2003. I immediately fell in love with the tiny colourful shop and the adorable aesthetic of their clothing and accessories, especially their ‘I love….’ range of T-shirts (I still own a limited edition tee designed to commemorate the 2006 Commonwealth Games – ‘I love the Games’).

Fast forward to 2010 and I discovered that after a hiatus from the retail world, Genki was reopening with an online store. As I browsed through their collection I realised what was missing – ‘I love cycling’! So on a whim I contacted Chanie Stock, the owner of Genki, and suggested that she launch a cycling t-shirt….and when she did I would stock them in my online store selling stylish cycling accessories, CycleStyle.

So today’s HOT Chat is with Chanie, who’s not only one of my suppliers, she’s also worked in a big law firm like me, has a love of fashion, is a mother and is a delightful bundle of energy. Thanks Chanie!

Chanie, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start your store and label Genki?

I studied Arts/Law but my true love was always fashion. Even from a very young age I had a very clear aesthetic and dreamed of having my own label. My grandparents worked in the fashion industry so it must be in my blood, but unfortunately they sold the family business when I was just a baby. I got my first job at Portmans when I was only 14 and then continued working in retail all through school and uni and never tired of it.

I decided to leave my job as a lawyer after 2 years to pursue my dream to work in fashion and after a few years as a buyer, I decided to open Genki. Many people though I was crazy as there was nothing like it happening at the time and no one (except the first incarnation of Alice Euphemia) was in Flinders Lane. But I had such a clear vision for Genki – that it break away from traditional retail concepts and be something totally new. I wanted to create a space where it didn’t feel like you were shopping but more like visiting a friend.  When I discovered the Cathedral Arcade space I had butterflies in my belly, as I knew it was perfect and then with the amazing design by Six Degrees my dream became real.

I was inspired to sell all the things that I wanted to wear but couldn’t find locally (remember, this was 1998, well before online shopping). The original product mix was Japanese accessories, homewares and clothing, mixed with exclusive UK labels like YMC and US brands, Daryl K and Built by Wendy (which at the time were only available at Genki in Australia).   I also tested a few simple styles by the Genki home brand, which to my surprise really took off. So as time went by the Genki label developed into something very special with its own identity and great loyal following.

One of your most popular lines is the ‘I love…’ T-shirts. What’s the story behind how you came to develop that range and your collaboration with Beci Orpin?

This is a funny story which shows how even with a clear business plan things pop up along the way that you never expect.

I had a weird vintage t-shirt from when I was little that said ‘I love talking’ with the strangest illustration of a boy (like those oddball 70s tees that are NQR). At that time I had just started working with Beci, who I met through Misha Hollenbach (who designed the Genki logo and the graphics during the first year). The minute I met Beci I knew she was a kindred spirit. We instinctively understand each other’s language and working with her is effortless and always a joy.

So, back to the “I love..” t-shirts…. I went to Beci with the idea for an “I love talking” tee with a Genki character. It was an instant success. The rest just flowed from there. Soon they had a cult following and even now, 12 years later, people still love them.

Where do you turn to for design inspiration?

When I had the Genki shops, I used to get a lot of inspiration on my trips to Japan. It is a place that truly stimulates all the sense and is an aesthetic paradise. But it also gave me a break from the day to day so my mind would open up to new ideas.

Today I can’t travel as much as I did, but I find inspiration in the simplest of things. Food, nature, films, art, old magazines but mostly inspiring friends. There are some days when I wake up and feel fresh and clearheaded and I know something exciting will happen. I don’t want to get old, dull and boring so I need to keep learning and surrounding myself with innovative people.

You used to have very popular shops in the City and Windsor but now sell only online. What kind of challenges have you faced launching an online store?

Closing the city shop in 2009 was very difficult for me and while it was the right decision I still miss that part of my life. It was such a pleasure to go to work with fantastic staff and wonderful customers and do what I loved most. It wasn’t just about selling fabulous things. We laughed and chatted and built close friendships and a special community. My challenge with the online store is how to preserve some of that magic and create that warmth and familiarity in a virtual space.

It has taken some time, but since I turned the “Genki News” section into the “Genki Blog” so there has been a shift and I sense an online Genki community is forming.

What advice would you give to people wanting to start their own business?

The most important thing is really believing in what your business is about. Be it a product or a service, you must live and breathe it and know it inside out. Following on from that, it must be original and have your own fingerprint or flavour.

Assuming the passion and dedication is there the next step is good planning and discipline. A clear detailed business plan is essential and use the resources you have around you (for example if you have an accountant in the family or someone who has specialist skills). Never be afraid to ask for help.

What are your next plans for Genki?

I would like to develop the Genki Blog to touch on other aspects of life. Not just style, but food, hobbies and funny odd topics.

I will continue producing the “I love..” tees, the striped tees and the basic denim pieces as long as the demand is there. There have been many requests for our fleece hoodies and jumpers so I’m planning to bring them back for winter. My plan in the next 12-24 months is to reach new customers, especially the 18-25 year olds (the most popular age demographic back in the day).

Finally, what are your tips for HOT places you like in Melbourne?

Being a mother of three I don’t get out as much as I used to, but I do have a few special tips to share:

I adore De Clieu (187 Gertrude St, Fitzroy +61 3 9416 4661), Seven Seeds (114 Berkeley St, Carlton+61 3 9347 8664) and Brother Baba Budan (359 Little Bourke St Melbourne). The best coffee in the world and most excellent treats.

I still love Ciccolina (130 Acland St, St Kilda +61 3 9525 3333) for lunch or dinner and the new Ilona Staller (282 Carlisle St, St Kilda +61 3 is just fabulous.

Kappaya at the Abbotsford Convent (1 St Helier St, Abbotsford +61 3 9416 0070) is a haven for me. It’s so beautiful there and the food is fresh, pure, tasty and simple.

The Beatbox Kitchen and new Taco Van. Delicious great quality food with heart and a great soundtrack-too good!

The NGV (International and Australia) and other local gallery spaces in Melbourne. What a perfect weekend outing for the whole family. My kids love it as much as the grown ups and it reminds me how lucky we are to live in this wonderful city.

Happy Monday! What did you get up to on the weekend?

My weekend was full of weddings. On Sunday it was my one year wedding anniversary and RM and I had our first baby-free evening out, although we still had dinner at the parent-friendly hour of 6:30pm. Thank you Kat’s Cakes for our unexpectedly large one year anniversary cake too!

And in a nice turn of events, on Saturday we attended the wedding of a friend which was held in the same location as our own wedding a year before, the Portico Balcony of Melbourne Town Hall. Melbourne turned out a gorgeous sunny day, the bride and groom looked very happy and the father of the bride teared up. Oh I do love a good wedding :–)

So today’s giveaway is well-timed, as I reflect on my wedding and weddings in general. Portobello Bride is a website and blog that features wedding suppliers who are cool, unique and interesting rather than the frou frou and once a year they hold a boutique wedding market. While I have a fear of bridal expos generally, I know what it’s like to work full time, have a busy social life and still try and fit in wedding planning. The Portobello Bride Boutique Wedding Market contains a curated selection of 30 or so stallholders in one place who will hopefully provide you with some creative inspiration beyond the norm.

For brides (and grooms) to be out there, I have 5 free tickets for the market on Saturday 26 March 10am-5pm which is being held at St Kilda Town Hall (cnr Carlisle St and St Kilda Rd). All you have to do is leave a comment below and the first 5 responses will win. If you miss out you can still purchase tickets for Saturday or Sunday here or at the door. Good luck!

Happy Valentines Day!

Nothing is more romantic than a movie under the stars, so today’s giveaway is perfect for all you lovebirds out there.

St Kilda Openair Cinema screens new release and classic movies on the rooftop of the iconic St Kilda sea baths. It’s a pretty special atmosphere as you watch the sun set and listen to the waves lap below you, then snuggle into your deck chair to enjoy the show.

I’m thrilled that St Kilda Openair Cinema are offering 5 free double passes for blog readers to see any movie remaining in the 2011 season, which ends on 26 February. The selection of films is pretty eclectic, from Gallic rom-com Heartbreaker, childhood favourite The Neverending Story to 80s classic Top Gun.

All you have to do is be one of the first 5 people to email shannon@australianopenair.com.au with the film you’d like to see. You’ll then be put on the guest list for that film and on the night simply check in at the door.

Good luck!

This is where new Melbourne-based shoe store CMUK Shoes comes in, because coupled with the HOT Chat with CMUK Shoes founder Steve Chambers is a giveaway for readers to win a pair of shoes! Thanks Steve.

Steve, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start  CMUK Shoes?

I’m someone who has always enjoyed change – I’ve taught in Aboriginal schools in the Northern Territory, worked with compensation programs for Holocaust survivors throughout Eastern and Central Europe, spent time in Banda Aceh with re-construction projects following the tsunami and most recently worked as barrister in Melbourne.

A couple of years ago I went to a friend’s wedding in South America, was in awe of their beach culture and love of colours and thought it was time for another change! CMUK Shoes is a St Kilda based company that imports its own sneakers focusing on style, comfort, bright colours and cost efficiency.

What makes CMUK Shoes different from other designer sneakers on the market?

I firmly believe that cutting-edge style doesn’t have to come with a lead weight for a price tag, so our sneakers retail for under $50.  CMUK Shoes are very lightweight and comfortable, which makes them perfect for a day at the beach, a walk in the park, a stroll down the shops or out for a bite to eat or drink with friends. They also dry very quickly in the sun so customers having been buying them for boating or for non-running activities at the gym as they can also be machine washed on a cold cycle.

You may also have seen in the Herald Sun last weekend that Miss World and her runner up, Miss World Africa, called in to pick up some CMUKs (check out the picture)!

What do you enjoy about the world of retail versus working as a barrister? What advice would you give to people wanting to give up their day jobs to start their own business?

Retail has been a fantastic way to connect with people so as listen to their input, find out what they like and don’t like and what they would like to see next. It is also really enjoyable to go to work knowing you’re going to be running into smiling people most of the day, as opposed to people who come to see you due to often extremely stressful and often unpleasant circumstances occurring in their lives.

My advice to people wanting to start their own business is plan well, get a good mentor, do your homework and then roll the dice. Life is too short to be left wondering!

What has been the most challenging issue you’ve faced starting up  CMUK Shoes?

Establishing relationships with suppliers has been a taxing process but when you are putting all the pieces of the puzzle together it is integral to the success of a business such as ours. Luckily I enjoy working with people and negotiation comes with the territory.

What are your next plans for CMUK Shoes?

We are currently having a new website built and pushing hard with SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) to focus on our online presence. To not do so would be madness. We are working on new designs, colour ways and researching new materials that comply with the global organic textile standard for our next range, so what you can see now is only step one. Stay tuned.

Finally, what are your HOT tips for where to take your CMUK Shoes around Melbourne?

Giveaway: Steve is kindly giving away three pairs of CMUK Shoes to three lucky blog readers! All you have to do is check out the photos from the CMUK Shoes website and write a comment picking your favourite style. Entries close 5pm Thursday 10 February and the winners will be drawn randomly and announced on Friday 11 February. Good luck!

Last weekend my bike obsession reached its peak at St Kilda Cycles.

While most of the hardcore cycling fraternity in Melbourne were battling their way through Around the Bay in a Day, I took the opportunity to visit St Kilda Cycles large showroom. As well as the expected racers, mountain bikes and sleek and shiny bike gear,  St Kilda Cycles specialise in more unique bikes like folding bikes and utility bikes. As far as I know they are the only stockist of Dutch-made Taga bikes in Melbourne.

I won’t go on and on about Taga (you can read all about it here) so let’s just say that it’s a bike that converts into a pram and I have been coveting it ever since I found out about it a few months ago. I’m so enamoured of it that I confess I’ve watched the promotional video quite a few times – it makes me happy and excited :–)

Anyway, I pounced on the lime-green Taga as soon as I saw it and took it around for a spin in the spacious adjoining carpark. While the friendly young staff member who was with me didn’t know too much about how it worked (that’s ok, they don’t stock many of them and I expect it’s a very niche market), he spent a lot of time with me as we figured out all the mechanisms and quick-release adjustments together.

So after about 3o minutes of riding, pulling apart, putting back together, more riding and discussion, I found myself the proud owner of a shiny new bike! It retails for around $2400 and I got the floor stock for $1900 (eek! but we’re justifying the expense by not buying a car in the near future and it fits 2 kids).

Here it is neatly bundled up into the back of a small Honda Jazz Flexicar (More transportation love – honestly, the more I use their cars the more I love them.)

I was really happy with the service that I received from St Kilda Cycles and if they were near me I wouldn’t hesitate to use them for bike maintenance and other cycling needs, especially as they are open 7 days a week, unlike many local bike shops. My parents are toying with buying a folding bike and St Kilda Cycles stock Dahons and Bromptons (currently on sale) with interstate delivery for only $40 – I’ll be encouraging them to check them out.

Finally, I noticed that they also do bike hire, particularly handy I think if you have a lot of gear to carry around and can hire a cargo bike for $60 a day instead of investing in your own.

• St Kilda Cycles, 150 Barkly St, St Kilda +61 3 9534 3074

Now that RM and I finally have a place to call home (and from which we don’t have to move from a very long time) we’re starting to get mightily excited about furnishings.

Our new unit is a curious mix of Art Deco/21st century modern and so I’ve started haunting eBay for vintage items like old wooden desks, as well as shiny metal modern pieces like an Arco floor lamp. We’ve also morphed into middle-aged retired couple persons and taken to browsing vintage furniture shops on our weekend.

The strangely named The Bitch is Back is well-known in interior design circles as a shop stocking vintage mid-century furniture in excellent condition with some new, retro-inspired pieces dotted amongst the display. The front corner room was particularly exciting for me – lots of gasp-inducing statement lamps and chandeliers  (I have a real thing for lamps at the moment). As you pick your way through the first room the shop extends back to about three rooms, piled high with cupboards, wooden tables, smooth Danish designed chairs and bric-a-brac such as old scales, radios and vases.

While there was lots to love in the shop (and the friendly owner told us that their online catalogue changes with new stock all the time) in the end, RM and I agreed on only a single item that suited our needs and budget – a bird lamp for the nursery for $99.

For more retro furniture goodness, check out Lost and Found Market, Chapel Street Bazaar, 84 Smith Street and Angelucci. I’d love to know about your recommendations too!

• The Bitch is Back, 100A Barkly St, St Kilda +61 3 9534 8025

I’m still on Delicate Mayhem‘s mailing list, so I was quite excited to discover that some works from this London artist are now stocked exclusively in Australia, right here in Melbourne. While you can’t buy our wonderful Melbourne picture, you can buy other works from Delicate Mayhem and other artists in a gallery space/shop in Prahran called Signed and Numbered.

This week’s HOT Chat is with Jacqui Vidal, the 28 year old owner of Signed and Numbered. Thanks Jacqui!

Jacqui, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to start your business Signed and Numbered?

Everyone thinks I must have studied art history or be an artist myself but nothing could be further from the truth. Before I started Signed and Numbered I was an event manager and avid traveller. It was whilst I was in Paris that I stumbled across a little gallery that displayed photos in hard-backed sleeves that allowed customers to flick through the offerings. I fell in love with this hands on approach to art and when I settled down in my home town of Melbourne, I decided to open up a gallery that looked and felt a bit like a record store.

How you select the artworks you sell and where do you source them from?

We ask for exclusivity within Australia, so it was a matter of getting out there to art fairs, gallery openings, hopping online and picking up great publications like Wooden Toy and Semi-Permanent to source new artist to contact. We’re really happy with the line up, which includes the likes of Vexta, Twoone, Kareena Zerofos and Kelly Smith.

Where do you turn for art inspiration?

The laneways of Melbourne. The amount of great art that’s out there 24/7 for anyone and everyone to admire for free is a testament to Melbourne’s street art scene and the City of Melbourne for knowing enough about art to classify it as a public service rather than vandalism.

What has been the most challenging thing you’ve faced in starting up your own business? What advice would you give to a small business owner?

I think the saying ‘you’re your own worst enemy’ rings true for most of us. I’ve had many panic attacks and periods of self-doubt along the way but I’m glad I forged ahead and believed in myself. Confidence in self is the key to making thing happen!

What are your next plans for Signed and Numbered?

I’m currently developing a leasing proposition for local cafes and businesses. I’d love it if my local café had different artworks for me to look at every week.

Finally, where are your HOT places to visit or things to do in Melbourne?

The Astor Cinema (1 Chapel St, St Kilda +61 3 9510 1414) – the best choc tops in the world – especially the arctic banana one.

Fawkner Park (65 Toorak Rd, South Yarra) – the best off lead dog park in Melbourne.

A Shop Called Milton (153 Greville St, Prahran 3 9529 5649) and Urban Jungle (155 Greville Street, Prahran +61 3 9533 8844) – unique home wares and accessories.

Sunday Morning Rotary Market in Camberwell (Station Street, Camberwell) – the best bargain finds as long as you don’t mind an early wake up call.

Being a HUGE dessert fiend, I’ve been a fan of Philippa’s work ever since I moved to Melbourne and she was cooking at three-hatted est est est.

Her latest venture is taking over the reins at iconic café Il Fornaio (2 Acland St, St Kilda +61 3 9534 2922) as Executive Chef. Philippa has developed the mouthwatering breakfast and lunch menu (I have my eye on the country pie and her famous smoked salmon, pea and dill quiche) – but what I’m most excited about is that the dessert bar. Yes, a place to go where it’s ok just to order dessert!

Philippa is one busy lady so I’m thrilled that she’s taken the time to have a chat with me today. Thanks Philippa!

Philippa, tell me a bit more about your background?

My passion for pastry emerged early on, but it was during a stint overseas, where I worked at Le Gavroche, Est, Quaglino’s, Harvey’s and three-starred La Cote Saint Jacques, that I honed my dessert skills.

When I arrived back in Australia in 1996, I decided to focus on desserts at est est est, Luxe and Ondine, and all three restaurants collected three hats in The Age Good Food Guide.

In 2005 I was appointed Head Pastry Chef at Circa, The Prince, and then in 2009 I moved to Bistro Guillaume.

What’s do you consider to be your cooking philosophy?

Desserts are the nursery rhymes of eating. They are silly and frivolous, and no one ever died from not eating pudding.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in your years as a chef?

I feel like I’ve faced every challenge there could be. I have terrible wheat allergies to start with!

At La Cote Saint Jacques, being the first Australian in the kitchen in 25 years and the first ever woman who had worked there was a novelty for a while, but once I started to excel and eventually overtaking the skill levels of the male staff, things changed and they were not so nice. Of course the language barrier made working there even more challenging because once I began to learn French and understand what they were saying, they could now longer talk about me!

What advice would you give to someone who wants a career in the kitchen?

Say goodbye to your social life. Don’t become a chef unless you are really passionate. It involves a lot of blood, sweat and tears, literally.

I have to ask. What was it like being on Masterchef Australia? Was it just like we saw on TV?

It was very exciting and the producer and all the people involved where lovely and very helpful. It took a really long time to do such a short section and I was very nervous. I’d seen other chefs loose the challenge and I’m not so arrogant. I was scared. But I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Moving onto your latest venure, what approach have you taken with the new menu at Il Fornaio?

Fresh, seasonal French and Italian bistro food. It’s similar to what I did at Luxe (St Kilda) and I would describe it as things that I personally like to eat.

As Executive Chef, what are you next plans for Il Fornaio?

Purveying. As the weather warms up we will have picnicables, where you can come in and buy a baguette, some terrine or house smoked salmon, chutney, cheese and wine, plus a few slices of tarte. Instant picnic! We’ll also be selling ice cream. There’s nothing else like it in St Kilda.

Finally, you’ve worked around the world but you’re born and bred in Melbourne. What HOT places and things do you love about your home town?

As I live in Richmond, I love Victoria Street as a casual dining destination. My favourite would be the mud crabs at Pacific Seafood BBQ House.

I love all the hospitality regulars such as the Supper Club, The European and Siglo, because I’ll always see someone there I know.

Attica is a wonderful dining destination. I like Maze as it was special and very accessible. Lucky for me my son is a little gourmand so we always enjoy eating out.

Philippa’s daily-changing desserts and cakes will be available in the pastry case of Il Fornaio along with speciality coffee from St Ali. Il Fornaio will also offer a made-to-order cake service with 24 hours notice. I know where I’m getting my next birthday cake!

Images via Masterchef Australia and Philippa Sibley

Bec, tell me a bit more about your background and how you came to write Curious Kate?

There is certainly a random nature to Curious Kate‘s curiosities. We wanted to drop any pretence and find interesting and different things to feature. We like hearing from all sorts of people and if their event or product or website is relevant to our subscribers, then we’ll feature it. Harriet and I generally split the curiosities work load.

Carley, tell me a bit more about your background, how you ended up in Arusha, Tanzania and came to run the Ujamaa Hostel?

I first volunteered in Kenya in 2006 and loved the experience, but I went with large company, paid lots of money (none of which went to the project) and was disappointed with the level of support.

A year later I went to Tanzania to volunteer with an independent company, I intended to stay for about a month,  but I never left! I met my husband (who is Tanzanian) when I was volunteering in a town called Moshi, which is about an hour away from where I now live.

We decided to move to Arusha and set up the Ujamaa Hostel because we both love volunteering and helping other people. We also wanted to provide a cost-effective and safe way for others to volunteer in the local community.

What is the philosophy of Ujamaa Hostel?

“Ujamaa” is the Swahili word for “familyhood” and is based on the community working together for the good of the whole. Many of the big companies charge huge amounts of money to volunteer and none of the money goes to the projects. We wanted to change that. We believe that if you spend your money coming here and give your time to help others, then you shouldn’t have to pay to volunteer. And if you have extra money to donate, it should go directly to the projects, not to an off-shore company.

When you volunteer with us the only cost is your accommodation. We spend time sourcing reputable and worthwhile local projects where volunteers can spend their time and we provide them with a range of in-country support.

Your first project is the Ujamaa Children’s Home, which you started in conjunction with Melbourne lawyer Lucy Bradlow. What inspired you both to start this project and what is the purpose of the Ujamaa Children’s Home?

I have worked with and managed many projects over the years and have learnt a great deal from these experiences. I have always wanted to create my own project, but I felt that I needed to spend time on the ground here learning the culture and the language before I could effectively run my own project.

I met Lucy when she was working in Arusha at the Rwanda War Crimes Tribunal and she volunteered with us in her spare time. Our goals and beliefs were so similar we started working together and fundraising for different projects. We decided to create our own project after seeing others being mis-managed and we felt that we have the experience, dedication and commitment to build a successful and long-lasting Home for children in need.

Our relationship works really well because I am able to manage the Ujamaa Children’s Home on the ground in Tanzania and Lucy is able deal with the fundraising and legal aspects back in Australia.

What have you found to be some of the most interesting or challenging aspects of living and working in Tanzania?

Tanzania is different from many other African countries because it is socially and politically stable. There are over 120 tribes here and they all live together in harmony. They are proud of their tribe, but they are more proud to be Tanzanian. Tribal beliefs are strong and well-maintained and while Swahili and English are the official languages you can’t go a day without hearing many other tribal dialects.

The culture here is incredibly rich and interesting, but it is very different from Australia. First and foremost, there is “Africa time”. There’s no hurry in Africa and everything happens at its own pace. You really can’t force things to happen at a normal “Western” pace and if you do, you’ll just end up frustrated and things still won’t happen any faster. This also allows for setting your own work hours and relaxing into a lifestyle that can be reasonably stress free.

There is a lot that is available here, but nothing quite works the way you’ll expect it to, so everyday is an adventure…which is sometimes a bit tiring! There are regular power and water cuts, but generally I live a fairly normal life.

The scenery is incredible and I live just an hour away from Mt Kilimanjaro and a couple of hours from the world’s greatest safari parks. There are often monkeys around town too.

For the most part I feel safe in Arusha, however you cannot walk around at night and we do have Masai Guards at the house 24/7.

The poverty level here is high and there is so much need, but you just do what you can to help and you have to understand that you can’t fix everything.

What are your next plans for Ujamaa Hostel and the Ujamaa Children’s Home?

Ujamaa Hostel continues to expand and we are working with a range of different projects including an orphanage, a Nursery School and some Vocational Training Centres for disadvantaged youths. We love having our volunteers and are so lucky to be able to provide people with this experience. It really has a profound effect on people and it’s awesome that we get to be a part of that.

With Ujamaa Children’s Home, firstly we are looking to gain steady financial support so that we can take in more children. We currently have 5 amazing kids in the house and we’d love to help more.

Our next goal is to raise money to buy land and build a proper house for the Home. We’re currently renting a house which is fine for now, but we want to build a house that is designed specifically for our needs.

You’ve live in Tanzania for nearly 3 years but many of your family and friends still live in Melbourne. What are your favourite places to visit or things to do when you return to Melbourne?

I love coming back to Melbourne and visiting friends and family. My Mum’s cooking is always top of the list and I often spend a lot of time in the Supermarket, there just isn’t the same variety in Arusha.

If I’m eating out, I always go to Rococo (87 Acland St, St Kilda +61 3 9525 3232) with my brother, they have the most amazing salads, breads and pastas. I can never get Mexican food in Arusha, so I make sure I go to Amigos (7/478 Chapel St, South Yarra, +61 3 9826 1653) as well.

The food in Australia is great, because it’s always fresh and quick, but you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get it.

The London (92 Beach St, Port Melbourne +61 3 9646 4644) in Port Melbourne is my parent’s “local” so we always go there for a meal and a drink. Awesome steak sandwich.

If it’s summer, we’ll go to The Local Taphouse (184 Carlisle St, St Kilda East, +61 3 9537 2633) or The Railway Hotel (29 Chapel Street, Windsor +61 3 9510 4050).

I really love just walking around town and getting a coffee with friends. There are no shops in Arusha that sell new items, so I’m always stocking up on clothes and DVDs.

I also love to get some acupuncture at Vitality in Albert Park and to stock up on organic products (282 Richardson Street, Middle Park +61 3 9682 8866).

It was the perfect location for the Jetsetting Parents as they would be able to tell me whether the Chinese food was up to scratch. Jetsetting Mum also blogs occasionally for BNE: HOT OR NOT and this has sharpened her already finely-honed eating standards.

We rocked up at 630pm on a Sunday night and the relatively small restaurant was jumping. It seemed to be popular with large family groups, although we noticed that there were very few Asian patrons, a worrying signal for the authencity of the food. However, Lau’s Family Kitchen comes with an excellent pedigree – with his sons working the floor and the kitchen, I doubted that any venture that was remotely connected to ex-Flower Drum owner Gilbert Lau would be bad.

And I shouldn’t have doubted. The food was uniformly excellent. I think that the only reason there were so few Asian patrons because Asian families don’t tend to congregate in St Kilda and the prices are a little higher and setting a little more glamorous than the clamorous mega-restaurants of Box Hill, Doncaster and Springvale.

To start, deep-fried salt and pepper squid ($15). So tender, so light!

I had gone to Lau’s Family Kitchen with the sole intention of trying their Western Plains roast pork belly. However, I was disappointed to discover that they’d sold out when we arrived. The staff must have pitied the forlorn look in my eyes as they managed to rustle up a half serving, which was actually the right size for the four of us.

A selection of siu mai ($8 for steamer of 4) – one with prawns and one with scallops for each of us. Silken little pops of subtle seafood flavours. Probably some of the best siu mai I’ve ever had. It’s a shame they don’t serve yum cha.

An old family favourite, ma po tofu ($18). I make mine with semi-firm tofu and Szechuan pepper, Jetsetting Mum makes hers with lots of dou ban jiang (chilli paste) and silken tofu, and Lau’s version involves finely diced shittake mushrooms and red capsicum. Very moreish.

A traditional Cantonese steamed barramundi with soy, ginger, coriander, shallots ($30). With such simple presentation, it is impossible to hide bad fish and this barramundi was as fresh as could be, flaking off the fork easily. Like most Asians, the Jetsetting Parents are particularly fussy about their fish and they nodded in approval.

To end, a lovely twist on the complementary sliced oranges tradition – plump strawberries sweetened with sugar and with a hint of something alcoholic/acidic?

Even though I love to eat, I don’t often suggest eating Cantonese food for some reason – maybe it’s just too much like day-in day-out home food for me. However, if I was to eat Cantonese in Melbourne, I would cross the river to eat again at Lau’s Family Kitchen.

To read more reviews, check out Munching (in) Melbourne and Addictive & Consuming.

• Lau’s Family Kitchen, 4 Acland St, St Kilda +61 3 8598 9880
  

On Sundays lots of people like to relax by sleeping in, lounging around with the Sunday paper and maybe going for a stroll. On the other hand, I tend to have a lot of get-up-and-go on Sundays (my body just refuses to sleep in) but my one concession to slowing down is to enjoy a long lunch.

I’ve never been to Mirka at Tolarno Hotel but I thought a special Sunday lunch would be a good reason to cross the river and try it. The event was organised by Guy Grossi with special guest Stephanie Alexander as an opportunity to sample the rustic dishes from his upcoming cookbook Menus from My Mother’s Kitchen and Stephanie’s mother’s rabbit pie.

Mirka at Tolarno Hotel is a Melbourne institution because of Mirka Mora’s colourful murals adorning the walls. In fact, parts of the red and green mural are also on the cover of the Grossi Cookbook ‘My Italian Heart’.

We were seated in a prime position right by the large window facing Fitzroy Street and settled down to crunch on some homemade grissini and a loaf of crusty ciabbata with olive oil.

Glancing at the menu, I thought we were going to choose one dish from each course, but no, for $55 a head we received every single dish. If that’s not excellent value I don’t know what is.

First up, Farro e Fagioli soup, or cannellini beans with little pops of farro, an ancient grain I’d not come across before. There are no photos of this dish because it wasn’t particularly photogenic, but it was a rich and soothing way to start a wintery lunch. I did like how the soup was presented in differently patterned bowls of stripes and dots.

First course, Risotto Milanese which is typically flavoured with saffron, chicken or beef stock and grated Parmagiano-Reggiano. The risotto had a wonderfully creamy texture while the rice grains still retained a good bite.

Manzo Salmistratto, cured beef tongue with a simple salad of rocket and shaved Parmagiano-Reggiano. Beef tongue is something I would normally shy away for the yuk factor, which just goes to show that if you don’t know what it is, sometimes it’s worth tasting anyway and you might just like it!

Insalata di trota affumicata con patate e limon, a classic combination of flaked smoked trout, chat potatoes, capers, parsley and lemon.

For main courses we started with Mary’s rabbit pie. Stephanie Alexander introduced the dish by explaining that her family had a property down in the Mornington Peninsula but not much money, so her mum Mary learnt to be creative with rabbit, a meat typically associated with dull Depression-era food. This rabbit pie uses all the parts of the rabbit and includes the unexpected crunch of almond flakes. You can find the recipe here.

Seppie in umido con vino bianco, or cuttlefish braised in white wine. Again, no photo because it was presented in a large bowl and just looked like a big red soup. The cuttlefish was incredibly tender and the sauce tasted of the sea – one of my favourite dishes.

Pesce fritto, or fried fish, seafood and vegetables. Love the small detail of the muslin covering the lemon half.

Insalata di ceci e funghi saltati, two side dishes of chickpeas with tomato, parsley and olive oil and sauteed wild mushrooms which you can just spot in the top right corner.

We battled onto our dessert platter consisting of superbly moist and springy budino di arancia (steamed orange marmalade pudding) and torta di polenta (polenta and lemon cake), a little on the dry side for me, served with rich cream and chilled martini glasses heaped with homemade vanilla gelato.

Four hours later, we congratulated ourselves on a lunch well eaten and rolled home with some leftovers of the chickpeas and mushrooms (can’t let good food go to waste) and a bottle of Grossi’s extra virgin olive oil ($16).

On Sunday 27 June Guy Grossi will be hosting another lunch with dishes from Menu from My Mother’s Kitchen and with special guest Damien Oliver. It is being held at Grossi Florentino’s Wynn and Mural Rooms and costs $75. For bookings, contact Maria on 03 9662 1811 or maria@grossiflorentino.com.

• Mirka at Tolarno Hotel, 42 Fitzroy St, St Kilda +61 3 9525 3088

]]> http://www.melhotornot.com/hot-menu-mothers-kitchen-mirka-tolarno-hotel-42-fitzroy-st-st-kilda/feed/ 1 http://www.melhotornot.com/hot-chat-chris-howatson-tropicalhowie/ http://www.melhotornot.com/hot-chat-chris-howatson-tropicalhowie/#comments Sat, 10 Apr 2010 20:00:34 +0000 Jetsetting Joyce http://www.melhotornot.com/?p=7059 Do you know about Springwise? It’s a great website that scans the world for cool business ideas and it’s how I found out about tropicalhowie. The company’s unique, limited-edition laptop covers were featured recently and I was excited to discover that they were designed and sold right here in Melbourne.

Well, of course I had to track them down the result is today’s HOT Chat with Chris Howatson (he’s the one partying on the left!), the brains behind tropicalhowie.

Chris, tell me a bit more about your background and how tropicalhowie came about?

Hi Joyce, thanks for the chat. My background; I grew up in Brisbane and moved to Melbourne at the end of 2006 for work and to explore a different Australian city. Three years later I’m loving Melbourne and everything it offers.

During the day, night and too many weekends, I work in advertising at Clemenger BBDO/Proximity. It’s a job I’m delighted to do every day. I don’t work in the creative department, rather I’m a ‘suit’, but every aspect of the job is creative. Our every effort is focused on influencing and changing people’s behaviours and to do that well requires a creative solution. And similar to how I imagine architects feel, it’s a delight to come across your work in the course of your everyday life – online, on TV etc. Such visibility also motivates you to constantly do your best work – there’s nothing worse that seeing something you’ve been involved in that’s rubbish.

When I’m not doing any of the above, I spend my time on tropicalhowie. It’s my own personal creative outlet and an opportunity to execute idyllic business strategy being 100% accountable for success or failure. The initial idea for the laptop sleeve business came when I was on holidays a few years ago. I knew the business model I wanted to execute, I just needed to find an unmet need. I was packing up my Mac, sliding it inside a black laptop sleeve and thought, “That’s it. Why hasn’t anyone done this better?”. Macs, and the creative class that use them, are defined by aesthetic and the black sleeve hid all of that. With that idea, everything else grew from there.

What’s so special about tropicalhowie‘s laptop sleeves?

Since starting the business I’ve seen more and more amazing covers for laptop sleeves, so there’s plenty of choice out there. What I think is special about tropicalhowie sleeves, and the feedback I’ve had from customers, is a combination of a few things.

Firstly, the designs. All other selling points aside, people have to feel confident enough to carry them around. They’re all very energetic, which is a reflection of my own personality. The designs are originals. Some designs are photography lead. Others offer texture (the current example of this is a terry towelling fabric fused to the neoprene emulating the classic beach shorts and hat), where as others are more vogue style prints.

Ensuring the designs are scarce is also important. Each design is limited to 750 units, which once sold to customers around the world, means you’re unlikely to run into someone on the tram with the same sleeve.

And finally, inside each sleeve is printed a short story that offers context to the experiences behind each design. These stories are all real in that they are experiences from my own life or the writers who write for tropicalhowie. We actually design from the story rather than match the story to the design. We don’t overly promote the story as we like it to be a surprise to people when they buy the sleeve.

Who designs the skins and where are they manufactured?

I designed every sleeve here in Melbourne. This is the part of the job I enjoy most and I have the next two limited edition ranges (12 designs) sampled and ready for production when the time is right, hopefully later in 2010.

The sleeves themselves are manufactured in China. This process itself was an excellent learning experience. When I was initially sampling the product from different companies my emphasis was always on quality but their default was low cost and therefore low quality. I want my sleeves to outlast my customers’ computers and therefore I worked really closely with the manufacturers to use the best printers, neoprene, zippers and stitching. And I’m really pleased with the final product – the quality of the sleeves is often the first thing people say when it’s in their hands.

Why do you think people feel it’s important to decorate their computers?

My belief is that our computers are the vaults of our personal expression. They store our music, photography, writing and designs. For me, this was the insight from which my whole business is based – that if inside the computer is full of self expression, why shouldn’t the outside be too?

You started out as purely online store – why did you expand to bricks-and-mortar sales?

I started out as a pure online retailer but quickly discovered my product has three buying moments: people seeking laptop sleeves; an impulse purchase often as a gift; and as part of a computer purchase.

Those seeking laptop sleeves come though the website.  To cater for the other buying moments, I now sell through a deliberately small collection of retailers to maintain the brand’s exclusivity and to target these moments. You can find tropicalhowie at Design A Space (a great supporter of Melbourne designers), Australia’s first Lonely Planet store (at Sydney International Airport), Mac1, EnRoute, SoundStream and a design store in both New York and Berlin.

On a different note, what things or places would you consider HOT in  Melbourne?

Melbourne’s a fantastic place when it comes to living life well. A few of my favourite things include:

• Watching foreign films at Palace Como.
• Eating Asian cuisine – as often as I can. My two favourites at the moment are Coda which serves French Vietnamese fusion (141 Flinders Lane Melbourne +61 3 9650 3155) and Ichi Ni (12 The Esplanade, St Kilda +61 3 9534 1212).
• Running through the beautiful parklands – Fawkner Park, The Tan and Albert Park.
• And looking forward to the new football stadium AAMI Park opening so we can get more Rugby Union games in Melbourne!

Thanks to tropicalhowie I’m now the proud owner of the 17″ Taxi sleeve – and I can attest to the manufacturing quality, from the neoprene to the stitching and the hardy zips. The vintage wallpaper-esque pattern and short story on the inside of the sleeve is a special, eye-catching touch. The 15″ Taxi sleeve is now sold out, but the other sizes (13″ and 17″) are still available.

For more chats with interesting Melburnians, click here.

Hi Dave, tell me a little bit about your background and the story behind Melbourne By Foot?

Hi Joyce! I studied business and worked in a variety of industries including hospitality and tourism. Having spent a few good years aimlessly wandering the globe I often found myself telling strangers how great Melbourne is. Inspired by the almost compulsory nature of walking tours in European cities I wanted to share a similar experience with visitors to our city.  It’s no secret that the best parts of Melbourne are hidden. When you arrive in any foreign city the best thing you can do is grab a local and get them to show you around.

What can a person expect when they come on a walking tour with Melbourne By Foot?

At Melbourne By Foot we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We want you to walk away (pardon the pun) with a knowledge of how Melbourne was and how Melbourne is. Guests on the tour can expect a healthy dose of early history blended with Marvellous Melbourne’s modern elements including public art, music and sporting culture. It’s a great introduction for first time visitors who will no doubt find places they will want to return to on their visit.

Melburnians however, shouldn’t feel left out. Sure, you know where to get a good coffee and know which rooftop the hipsters are frequenting this summer. But! Do you know anything about our founding fathers Batman & (Robin) Fawkner? Did you know Melbourne was once called Bearbrass?

Why do you think Melbourne is best explored by foot?

Have you tried using the bus or bike lane in Centre Place? By nature, Melbourne’s famed alleyways make for a nice stroll and we like to take you to some places that you can’t access by bike, bus or tram. Walking is also healthy for the heart and the environment – you don’t have to feel so guilty about the carrot cake consumed en route.

What are your next plans for Melbourne By Foot?

Perhaps taking one or two tours out of the city. There is some great history in places like St Kilda and Fitzroy.  Visitors will definitely experience more of the ‘real’ Melbourne if they venture out of the bounds of the CBD. Does Frankston By Foot have a nice ring?

What advice would you give to other people who are starting their own business?

Go for it! Do as much research as possible. Look at competitors and see how your product/service differs from theirs. Business Victoria (www.business.vic.gov.au) is a good place to start. There is a wealth of information on starting your own business which includes grants, licenses, workshops, tax etc.

Finally, what are your tips for what’s HOT in Melbourne?

Mountain Goat Brewery (Corner North St & Clarke St Richmond +61 3 9428 1180) In an age of micro brewery madness this Richmond staple stills serve up a healthy splattering of tasty brews. Mountain Goat Brewery open their warehouse/brewery to the public on Wednesday and Friday nights for beer tastings, tours and delicious pizza. Dave and Cam (the brewers) are often testing out one off beer batches on the Goat crowd so you may find yourself tasting the next big thing. Beer can’t get any fresher! Our summer pick is the Indian Pale Ale.

Georgia Fields at Pure Pop Records (221 Barkly St, St Kilda +61 3 9525 5220) Melbourne songstress Georgia Fields has been the darling of the local pop/indie scene for the past few years. Her infectious songs marry mature lyrics with quirky instrument arrangements and draw inspiration from the likes of Angie Hart, Clare Bowditch and Imogen Heap. With an album due for release shortly, you can catch her each Sunday in January at Pure Pop Records in St Kilda (the only licensed record store in the world). She’s onstage in the courtyard at 6pm and this may be one of the last times you will see her in an intimate venue like this!

Federation Square street theatre – Although their shows are quite identical in content, I would challenge anyone not be entertained by the performers who take up a residency each weekend outside the Melbourne Visitors Centre. The main event (their show) is nothing on the street theatre they use to build a crowd. There is lots of crowd interaction and jokes played on unsuspecting passer bys. Be careful not to get caught out yourself! Donations welcome.

Thanks to Melbourne By Foot, I’ve been invited to go for a walk around town with Dave, Batman and Robin. You can read all about my experience next week.

Stop Press: Baker D Chirico is re-opening Tuesday 9 February Wednesday 10 February until Thursday 1 April (before Good Friday). Tuesday to Fridays, 8am-6pm. Hurrah!

A baked goods bomb has just exploded in Crossley Street.

That was my first impression when I stepped inside Baker D Chirico’s Alice in Wonderland inspired pop up store, the walls zinging with comets of pastries, cakes and bread against the night sky. The groaning counter of delectable sweet treats by pastry chef Louis Vaussenat was reminiscent of the maddest Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and even the staff were storybook cute, dressed in grey servant-girl cap sleeved dresses.

The fitout, packaging and uniforms have been specially designed for the temporary store by previous Baker D Chirico collaborators, husband and wife team Perks and Mini (P.A.M). Mischa Hollenbach (Perks) is responsible for the graphic design of the crazy/delicious wallpaper and mince pie boxes, the recycled cardboard and gold embossed nougat boxes and wacky Monty Python-esque panettone containers. Shauna T (Mini) designed the cute uniforms with an air of French whimsy to them. Patrons of Baker D Chirico’s St Kilda store might notice that the staff’s P.A.M aprons are screenprinted with the same design as the wallpaper of the St Kilda store. Look carefully and it’s images from a vintage  hairdressing magazine combined with pictures of bread! So ‘baguette’ is a curly set hairstyle with a baguette intersecting the mouth, ‘pagnotta’ is a pagnotta loaf with a mass of curls over the top and ‘epi’ is a stylish updo with a croissant top and an epi tendril falling down one shoulder. These wonderfully quirky aprons are available to purchase along with tote bags bearing the same designs.

I took a picture of lovely, sweet (but photo-shy) Emily in her apron because I’d also noticed that she’d added her own little Alice in Wonderland touch to her outfit – a silver ring set with a rabbit’s head, perky ears at the ready.

Daniel Chirico has been looking for a city location for a while, and his first venture into the CBD sells baked goods prepared in St Kilda and transported to the city. Breads and pastries are delivered first thing for the 8am opening and then petit fours and other afternoon tea fancies are delivered in the afternoon and sold until closing time at 7pm.  Just a tip – if you’re planning a visit on a Monday, be aware that the store may not necessarily open on the dot at 8am and the bread selection is not as comprehensive. That’s because the St Kilda store is not open on Mondays, so instead of six bakers there is only one (Daniel Chirico) producing the bread, and he decides when and what is available on the day.

Every time I’ve visited the store I haven’t been able to resist the large salted caramel macaron ($4.50). Apparently macarons are the most popular item on sale and the salted caramel version is a beautiful indulgence,  a breathy sugar hit (but not tooth-numbingly so) with a slightly moist interior encased in eggshell delicate coating. The mince pies ($3.50) are equally delicious, with just the right sweetness in the fruit mince and a moist short pastry that’s neither gluey or crumbly. And of course there’s the famous custard-filled bombolini!

For Christmas I’ve pre-ordered a panettone ($45) and a calico wrapped pain d’epice ($18). I highly recommend the panettone in particular, which comes in fruit or chocolate as well as miniature sizes, as Baker D Chirico is one of the few bakeries in Melbourne that undertakes the laborious three day process to make fresh panettone (with no preservatives).

For the sake of my sweet tooth, I hope that Baker D Chirico decides to stay in the city. But in the meantime, you’ll need to get in quick – the pop up store is only open until 24 December.

Baker D Chirico’s pop up store was part of my Search for the Perfect Mince Pie. And I can confirm that the pannetone was a hit of Christmas morning, lightly toasted and served with ice cream.

• Baker D Chirico Pop Up store, 24 Crossley St, Melbourne +61 3 9639 1624
  

• Tony Wheeler, the co-founder of Lonely Planet, is speaking at The Hive at The Order of Melbourne on Tuesday 24 November. Read my review of a previous The Hive event here;
• The Rockwiz Christmas special is coming to The Palais, St Kilda, on Wednesday 25 November;
• Preview screening of Steven Soderbergh’s political comedy The Informant! on Thursday 26 November;
• Going shopping from Williamstown through to Footscray with Melbourne Op Shop Tours on Saturday 28 November. Read an interview with Jessica from Melbourne Op Shop Tours here; and
• I’m going ‘In Search of the Perfect Gelati’ with Lin Tan from Trespass Mag on Sunday 29 November….
• …before popping into a street party to close the Bicycle Film Festival on the corner of Peel Street and Cambridge Street, Collingwood on Sunday 29 November 12-5pm.

Unfortunately there’s only one of me, which means I’ll be missing these other great events on this week:

• Suzuki Night Market opens at Queen Vic Markets on Wednesday 25 November;
• Magnolia Square pop-up market is open from 26-28 November at Malvern Town Hall. Check out my review of the previous Magnolia Square market here;
• Northside Makers Markets are open at Northside Uniting Church, 251 High Street from 10:30-3:30pm on Saturday 28 November.

Less than a month till Christmas!

Gretha, tell me a bit more about your background and the story behind Half A Teaspoon?

In 2004, I arrived in Australia with Willem, my husband, after we finished a 10,000km pushbike journey through South America raising funds for Oxfam. It was an amazing experience and we met wonderful people who had very little, yet were so generous and welcoming and who would share their food with us. This changed my perspective on life and made me want to do more to help people and the environment. Now I have a business Half A Teaspoon and I spend my time designing and developing products that make it easy for people to do the right thing for the environment. Our first product was the Showerwatch, a stylish 4 minute shower timer.

You’ve just launched a product called 321 Water. How is it different to other reusable water bottles?

321 Water is the first reusable water bottle that gives people all the benefits of bottled water. The plunger mechanism contains a filter that removes any chlorine, unpleasant tastes and odours, leaving you with fresh, filtered water. It’s a beautifully designed, practical accessory and as an added bonus it’s environmentally friendly. We don’t feel that being green should mean that you have to compromise on style.

Now that 321 Water has won the People’s Choice Award on ABC TV’s New Inventors, what are your next plans?

We are using crowd funding to get 321 Water to market. Basically, we need to pre-sell 10,000 321 Water bottles to raise the funds to start manufacturing and we have around a thousand pre-orders already. We’re aiming to have the product available by March 2010 but we need everyone’s support to make this happen – go to 321-water.com and get on board!

Can you give some easy suggestions for people who want to live a more eco-conscious lifestyle?

Yes! Keep It Simple. If you can walk or ride a bike instead of driving, do it. If you can buy food with less packaging that’s grown locally, do it. Rediscover simple pleasures. They’re usually cheaper and kinder to the planet.

What challenges have you faced starting your own business and how have you dealt with them?

The usual challenges I guess; time, money, resources and connections. I’ve found that it’s well worth spending time cultivating good working relationships with people you trust. Also determination, creativity and perseverance play a huge role – it’s vital to keep an eye on the bigger picture when the going gets tough.

What are your tips for what’s HOT in Melbourne?

• For Breakfast: Lawson’s Grove Shop (1 Lawson Grove South Yarra +61 3 9866 3640‎).
• Shop: Clothing and accessories from Filly & Mare (15 Armstrong St, Middle Park +61 3 9686 5500‎)
• Girl’s Movie Night: $5.50 Pizza at The Banff (145 Fitzroy St, St Kilda
  Get Directions
• +61 3 9525 4113) on Monday and Tuesdays and then a movie at the Palace George Cinema (133/137 Fitzroy St, St Kilda +61 3 9534 6922)‎
• Great café near playground for two little ones: Little Captain (353 Inkerman St, St Kilda East +61 3 9527 5207)

To find out more about Gretha and 321 Water, go to 321-water.com. You might also be interested in this article on Bundadoon, a small town in NSW that decided to be the first town in the world to ban the sale of bottled water.

Of note was the cute plasticised animated style used in Mutt, a story about a farmer, his cow and his dog who just wants to play fetch, and the suburban menace of a Jewish assault victim’s dad in Close Distance.

A close second was Hell’s Gates, a dramatisation of the true story of eight convicts who escape from Macquarie Harbour only to find themselves at the mercy of the Tasmanian wilderness. The cinematography, especially the saturations of forest greens, really stood out for me as it gave an already gruesome story a terrible eeriness.

The one film which literally had me falling asleep was Royboys, about the Fitzroy football club. I admit I don’t like football, but I don’t think that automatically prejudiced me against the 27 minutes of loosely cobbled-together scenes of fans cheering, fans singing, footballers cheering and footballers singing. With the exception of a couple of black and white photos and some facile fan voxpops, I don’t think it differed from anything you’d see on an average Saturday afternoon on Channel 7 (but thankfully a lot shorter).

St Kilda’s favourite artisan chocolate shop Cacao has sprouted more branches since I was last in town, which is a happy indicator of Melbourne’s ever-expanding appetite for beautiful handmade chocolate treats – even at $1.95 a mouthful.

Cacao’s chocolates are made with the finest Belgium couverture (naturelement) and I like their brightly decorated avant-garde designs. The photo of my personal selection through the crinkly bag doesn’t do the bright hues justice, but I can vouch for the amazing flavours of the Safran – a pop of citrus caramel ganache and milk chocolate ganache infused with saffron, then dipped in dark chocolate.

• Cacao Fine Chocolates and Patisserie, 52 Fitzroy St, St Kilda

Daniel Chirico’s small brightly-lit bakery/cafe has been producing quality sourdough for Melbournians for many years, but today was my first visit. The apron-clad staff looked happy, healthy and like they were in love with bread. After a bit of discussion, I decided on the $6 raisin loaf (light, white, organic sourdough packed with juicy fruit) rather than the fruit loaf (a denser sourdough with raisins as well as figs, dates and apricots). I personally preferred it to the loaf produced at the Natural Tucker Bakery, whereas RM came to the opposite conclusion. Potatoes, potartoes.

• Baker D Chirico, 149 Fitzroy St, St Kilda +61 3 9534 3777‎

Unbeknownst to me initially, the first session I chose to attended was a schools session of twelve short films made by various secondary schools and TAFEs. As expected, the standard varied from yawn-inducingly amateurish to surprisingly sophisticated. I particularly liked the music video RUN – I thought the sharp jumpy editing of the hand drawn images and photographs was very well suited to the repetitive and racy techno.