The Winnings Food Experience Stage

Back for another year, The Winnings Food Experience Stage at The Little Food Market is your front-row seat to culinary creativity. Hosted by food journalist Dani Valent and Turnip Media’s Hilary McNevin, this year’s program brings together some of the country’s most exciting chefs, producers and flavour-makers for a weekend of live demonstrations and delicious ideas.

From handmade pasta and modern pastry to bold, flavour-packed dishes, fermentation techniques, wine insights and cheese know-how, the program celebrates the craft, creativity and stories behind great food.

Expect practical tips, thoughtful techniques and plenty of inspiration to take back to your own kitchen - with complimentary tastings included in every session, so you can experience the flavours first-hand.

Presented in collaboration with Winnings, the stage is a celebration of the people, produce and passion behind every dish.

The full schedule is coming soon.

2026 Speakers

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Julia Busuttil Nishimura

Julia Busuttil Nishimura is a cook, author and presenter known for her warm, produce-driven approach to food. Her cooking is shaped by her Maltese heritage, the rhythms of the seasons, and her time living in Tuscany, where she developed a deep appreciation for the simplicity and generosity of Italian home cooking.
Julia is a regular columnist for Gourmet Traveller and Good Weekend, and the author of four bestselling cookbooks including Ostro, A Year of Simple Family Food, Around the Table and Good Cooking Every Day.
Based in Melbourne, Julia brings a thoughtful, family-focused perspective to the kitchen, celebrating everyday cooking with elegance, ease and a strong sense of place.

Gareth Whitton is the founder and head pastry chef of Tarts Anon, the Melbourne-based bakery known for its refined yet approachable take on classic and contemporary tarts.
With over 18 years’ experience, Gareth has worked in some of the world’s most acclaimed kitchens, including Pier, Quay, Oud Sluis and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, honing a style that balances technical precision with bold, flavour-led creativity.
Launched during Melbourne’s lockdowns, Tarts Anon quickly built a cult following and has since grown into a multi-site business, celebrated for both its signature classics and ever-evolving seasonal offerings. In 2023, Gareth was named the winner of Dessert Masters, cementing his place as one of Australia’s leading pastry talents.

Gareth Whitton

Nick Ryan

Nick Ryan is one of Australia’s most distinctive voices in wine. After a short-lived stint at university in Adelaide, he moved to Sydney and landed a role with one of the city’s leading wine merchants — before realising writing about wine was far easier than lifting it.
Now based in the Clare Valley, Nick is the senior wine writer for The Australian, a columnist for The World of Fine Wine, and a contributor to Halliday Magazine and The Robb Report. He’s a seasoned wine show judge and an in-demand presenter at events around the world, known for his sharp, witty take on everything from classic varietals to emerging styles.
In 2024, Nick was awarded Best Wine Communicator in Short-Form Writing at the 67 Pall Mall Global Wine Communicator Awards in London.

Sharon Flynn

Sharon Flynn is one of Australia’s leading voices in natural fermentation and the founder of The Fermentary, a Melbourne-based producer of small-batch, wild fermented foods and drinks.
Driven by a deep interest in gut health and traditional food practices, Sharon has spent over a decade exploring fermentation across cultures, with research spanning Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. Her work brings together ancient techniques and modern understanding, championing fermentation as both nourishment and food sovereignty.
Sharon is the author of Ferment for Good and Wild Drinks, and teaches in the Masters program at the Basque Culinary Center. In recognition of her impact on Australia’s food landscape, she was named a Melbourne Food & Wine Festival Legend.

Tom is a classically trained chef with a passion for honest, ingredient-led Italian cooking. Raised in Wales, Tom began his culinary career in some of London’s most respected kitchens — including Michel Roux Jr’s Le Gavroche and the acclaimed Salt Yard Group — where he honed his technique and discipline.
Drawn to his Italian roots and the simplicity of regional Italian cuisine, Tom made the move to Melbourne and took on the role of Executive Chef at D.O.C. Gastronomia Italiana. Here, he fuses precision with soul, celebrating provenance and traditional flavours with contemporary flair. His menus are a love letter to Italy’s rich culinary heritage — from handmade pastas to thoughtfully sourced local produce — always guided by seasonality and authenticity.

Tom Jones-Davies

Nick Haddow

Nick Haddow is one of Australia’s most respected figures in artisanal food, known for his work as a cheesemaker, producer and agri-food entrepreneur. He is the founder of Bruny Island Cheese Co., the acclaimed Tasmanian business that has become synonymous with premium cheese and immersive food tourism experiences.
Nick’s career began in the Adelaide Hills, where he developed a passion for cheesemaking while working as a chef. That passion took him around the world, with time spent working in the UK, Japan, France, Italy and India, before ultimately bringing him to Bruny Island, where he established his now-iconic business in 2003.
Under his leadership, Bruny Island Cheese Co. has earned multiple accolades, including Gold Medals at the World Cheese Awards and the prestigious Telstra Australian Business of the Year Award. Nick is also an author, with his book MilkMade receiving a James Beard Award, and continues to play a leading role in Australia’s food and tourism landscape.

Sandra Seah is the chef and founder behind Six-Eyed Scorpion, the Melbourne-born brand known for its cult-favourite crispy chilli oil.
With a background in some of Naarm’s most celebrated kitchens, including Transformer, Smith & Daughters and Riso, Sandra brings a bold, flavour-driven approach to everything she creates, often drawing on her Singaporean heritage. What began as a small community project has grown into a multi-award-winning brand, beloved for its punchy, addictive edge.
Through Six-Eyed Scorpion, Sandra champions creativity, culture and unapologetically big flavour — transforming everyday dishes with a signature hit of heat and personality.

Sandra Seah

Tommy’s Booze is the creation of Melbourne hospitality duo Tom Giurioli and Dan Leuzzi, born from a bag of lemons, a Nonna’s recipe, and a period of lockdown experimentation. What began in the kitchen of Freddy’s Pizza has evolved into a modern take on traditional Italian liqueurs.
Crafted with real fruit and minimal ingredients, the range honours classic methods while bringing a fresh, contemporary edge. Rooted in heritage but shaped by Melbourne’s hospitality scene, Tommy’s Booze celebrates good times, bold flavour and doing things properly.

Dan Leuzzi & Tom Giurioli

Dani Valent is one of Australia’s most respected food communicators. She is a longtime freelance journalist and restaurant critic, award-winning cookbook author and host of the Dirty Linen food podcast.
Dani is a frequent media commentator on hospitality issues and an in-demand event host and guide. She was named a Legend by the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival in 2022 and was honoured for her Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality in the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Awards 2023.

Dani Valent

Hilary McNevin has more than 15 years in the hospitality industry and 18 years in food media.
She is a Melbourne-based food communicator, writer, speaker, facilitator, and founder of Turnip Media. She contributed to Epicure in The Age and goodfood.com.au for 12 years, writing the weekly news column ‘Espresso’ for six years. She has also contributed to The Guardian, James Halliday Wine Magazine, Delicious Magazine, The Weekly Review, SBS Food Online, The Australian, Winestate Magazine, and Broadsheet Melbourne, among other publications.
Hilary founded Turnip Media in early 2017, where she creates digital content, connections, and events for food producers, winemakers, growers, purveyors, and the hospitality industry.