Deep in the Weeds - A Food Podcast with Anthony Huckstep · A Deep in the Weeds Production

Stefano Voltattorni (The Stinking Bishops, Sydney) - Home away from home

·28 min·1 clip

Stefano worked at the Ritz at 19 after interviewing through Google Translate.

The room comes first. Anthony Huckstep starts at The Stinking Bishops, the Sydney venue Stefano has taken on and is still making his own. Stefano does not dress it up. A small operation is hard, but regulars, good customers, and strong products give the place its pulse. Service sounds like the part he trusts most. He talks about wine, cheese, and that small hit of theatre when a souffle lands and a face changes. The work is practical, not lofty. When something goes wrong, he wants to know why, then fix the room around it. London put steel into that habit. Stefano remembers serving Rocco Forte at Brown's Hotel, seeing the queen, and meeting names he only understood properly later. At twenty, it was a blur. By thirty-three, he can see how rare those rooms were and how much they gave him. The lesson is discipline. For young hospitality workers, he points toward big European rooms where standards are visible every day. He is not chasing glamour. He means pressure, repetition, and learning from people who know the job deeply. That training stays with you. Whatever comes next, kitchen, dining room, or business, the standard has to hold. And for Stefano, love matters too. If he does not believe in the work, it will not last.

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