Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted by renowned food writer Jess Ho, explores how migration, memory and politics shape what we eat – and challenges us to rethink what “Australian food” really is.

Across the six-part series, Ho speaks with local chefs to unpack the stories behind the dishes served in some of our most-talked about restaurants, examining how culture is expressed, challenged and reimagined on the plate. 

From the impact of migration on regional cuisines to the pressures of cultural expectations, Ho digs into the tensions that shape the food industry – including the challenges of bringing high-end ‘ethnic’ cuisine into fine dining spaces long dominated by Western traditions.

“I made For The Culture because I wanted to explore identity through food in a deeper way. So often these conversations are overlooked for light, lifestyle pieces and listicles, but food carries histories of migration, memory and resistance. This series creates space for immigrants, and children of immigrants cooking today, to talk about how culture is actually lived and reshaped on the plate,” said Ho.

Each episode examines the intersection of culture and cuisine, featuring conversations with chefs that question the myth of authenticity and other food fictions we feast on:

• Episode 1 – Fusion or Regional Expression? Ho examines what Cantonese food means to the global diaspora with Flower Drum general manager Jason Liu and food writer Francis Lam, separating regional tradition from fusion and challenging the idea of authenticity
• Episode 2 – Not Mauritian Enough? Mauritian-Australian chef Nagesh Seethiah of the restaurant Manze explores the tension between cultural expectation and creative expression.
• Episode 3 – Redefining Filipino Cuisine: How does one ingredient come to symbolise an entire culture in the West? Award-winning chef John Rivera reimagines Filipino cuisine though a fine-dining lens without losing its heart.
• Episode 4 – Who Gets to Experiment? Chef Eun Hee An, owner of Moon Mart Ho, discusses why some local chefs are lauded for cooking cuisines they have little to no personal connection with, while migrant chefs are told to stay in their lane.
• Episode 5 – Balancing Acts: Chef Lorcán Kan of restaurant Etta discusses how his Malaysian-Chinese and Irish heritage informs a playful, experimental approach to cooking that challenges the boundaries between tradition and creativity.
• Episode 6 – Food Without Borders: Chef and author Helly Raichura explores regional Indian cuisine, the politics of representation, and how honouring heritage can help shape a more thoughtful future for food in Australia.

The six episodes of For The Culture will drop weekly from tomorrow. Listen on the SBS Audio App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, LiSTNR, SBS On Demand or wherever you stream your podcasts. Check out the trailer here

For a pdf copy of this media release, click here.