Conversations & encounters.

I spoke with Johnny Di Francesco, founder of 400 Gradi and head judge of the 2026 Queensland Pizza Championships, about the food industry. Our conversation took a turn into cinema too: the story behind his 99-cheese pizza, inspired by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Johnny's Margherita won its world title in Parma in 2014. That same year, he turned the film's idea of a pizza with 99 cheeses into something people could eat, presenting it for the movie's DVD and Blu-ray launch. A small detail from a film became a story about what someone could make in a real kitchen.

I met Jamie Gannon on the show floor at Food & Hospitality Queensland, where he was head judge of the 2026 Queensland Professional Chef of the Year competition.

Jamie is Culinary Director at Feros Group. His career has taken him from cooking in the Royal Australian Navy to leading kitchens across Australian pubs and restaurants, including his earlier work with Laundy Hotels. Alongside that work, he has brought cooking to television audiences too.

I met Mindy Woods at Food & Hospitality Queensland in Brisbane. Mindy is a Bundjalung chef whose work at Karkalla brings native ingredients, culture and connection to Country together.

Her work includes Karkalla on Country, a culinary and cultural experience on Bundjalung Country, and Karkalla at Home, a cookbook celebrating Australian native ingredients.