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Welcome to the brand new season of Grilling in association with Weber Barbecues - the podcast in which Simon Rimmer speaks to the world's best chefs about their passion for food, cooking, and the hospitality business. And, in an exciting change from our previous series, we're not getting our guests to talk about what they'd make on a Weber Grill - but actually do it. First up is Yotam Ottolenghi. Born in Israel, Yotam is often credited with popularising Middle Easter cuisine, though he's far too humble to accept that claim. We discuss his journey from Jerusalem to London restaurateur, via a sleazy Amsterdam hotel. And you can watch him prepare his beautiful hasselback beetroot with lime leaf butter on a Genesis barbecue here, so you can impress your friends when they come round for a cook-up at the weekend ... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Born in Samoa, raised in New Zealand, and now firmly established as one of our most highly regarded chefs, Monica Galetti is supremely humble, but clearly fantastically gifted in the kitchen. Here she tells Simon about Desert Island Discs, barbecues on Polynesian beaches, representing Oceania in cookery competitions all over the world, getting her first job in the UK with Michel Roux Jr, and juggling the considerable challenges motherhood with the pressures of running of her first restaurant. We love her! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

When one considers global Australian icons, many spring to mind - think Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Peter Carey, Shane Warne, Elle Macpherson and, of course, Bouncer - but chef Bill Granger certainly belongs on any such list. A self-taught cook, like Simon, Bill now has a restaurant empire that spans globe, and is also a hugely popular face on our television screens. Here he reveals all about his culinary journey, which is spookily similar to our Simon's. It's a lovely sharing of yarns from the glorious industry that is hospitality, which we very much hope you enjoy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our latest guest on Grilling is one of the most charismatic chefs in the business. Richard Corrigan has led quite the life - and has plenty of amazing stories to show for it. Here he tells Simon about selling fags to his pals as a schoolboy, the sneaky way he guaranteed a great review from formidable food critic Fay Maschler, his love of George Orwell and nightly scuffles with drug dealers outside his first restaurant. Richard is great value - though ready yourself for some colourful language! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our latest guest on Grilling is a larger than life Italian, who has been a key player in bringing his native cuisine to British shores over recent decades. Born and raised on the Amalfi coast, Gennaro Contaldo started helping out in restaurants as a young boy, before moving to the UK in the late 60s. Initially, he worked in a fish and chip shop and then various London restaurants - including Antonio Carluccio’s restaurant on Neal Street. It was there he met Jamie Oliver, his protege, famously teaching him everything he knows about Italian cooking. Here we find out about chasing chickens, his loathing of bad British carbonara, foraging for mushrooms, and his profoundly significant relationships with Antonio and Jamie. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Having spoken to plenty of long-established types from the British culinary scene, Simon welcomes some young blood to Grilling this week in the shape of Tom Brown. Born and raised in Redruth, Tom cut his teeth under local luminaries Paul Ripley and Nathan Outlaw in his native Cornwall, before opening his own restaurant, Cornerstone, in Hackney Wick. Named by Harden’s as London’s best seafood restaurant, Cornerstone now has a Michelin star, cementing Tom’s reputation as one of our finest young chefs. Here they talk bang bang chicken, Arctic Monkeys, souped-up Vectras, barbecued lobster, and Tom’s bizarre phobia of baked beans. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We are in the company of cooking royalty on the latest episode of Grilling, as Michel Roux Jr joins Simon to discuss his illustrious career. Michel is the son of Albert and nephew of Michel - the brothers who revolutionised the restaurant business in the UK when they opened Le Gavroche in 1967. It famously became the first establishment in this country to gain one, two and then three Michelin stars, and is still going strong under Michel’s expert supervision. As we discover, he has literally been in professional kitchens since the very first day of his life, and has some fabulous tales to tell ... See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ever wondered about James Martin's remarkable collection of cars? Well, wonder no more, as the man himself gives Simon a VIP guided tour of his home garage in the latest episode of Grilling. We also discover what got one of Britain's best-loved chefs into the business, which came first, his supercar or his mortgage, and where all food winds up, Michelin starred or otherwise. You can imagine ... A truly joyous chat with, as Simon notes, the fellow who basically owns food TV in the UK. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our latest guest on Grilling is a truly inspirational woman, who spent 20 years as a barrister in child protection before following her dream and opening a restaurant. Nisha Katona launched Mowgli Street Food in 2014 and has not looked back since, opening numerous outlets up and down the country. Here she tells Simon about the racist abuse she experienced growing up in Skelmersdale, her mum’s curried crispy pancakes, dating the school rebel, loving the law and the secrets of Mowgli’s success. They also come up with an unlikely premise for a soap opera entitled Chippy Dynasty. Watch this space ...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In 1994, Michael Caines’s stock was high. Having worked under Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons and in 3 Michelin starred kitchens in France, he landed the job of head chef at Gidleigh Park in Devon. Then he lost his right arm in a car accident that not only threatened his career but also his life. Here he shares his remarkable story with Simon, from his culinary education before the crash to his memories of that fateful day and his remarkable rehabilitation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

One of Gordon Ramsay’s self-appointed Magnificent Seven - alongside previous Grilling guests Marcus Wareing and Angela Hartnett - Jason Atherton is a chef who’s made it to the very top of his profession through a combination of grit, bloody-mindedness and supreme talent. Here he talks to Simon about pole vaulting for England, running away to London with no money and no job, kipping in Angela's loft and not being able to find the kitchen, sleeping on a Spanish beach before blagging a gig washing pans at the best restaurant the world has ever known (right after he'd run one of Manchester's most successful ever eateries), and building a £50 million empire that spans the globe. It’s been quite the journey, beautifully recounted in this thoroughly delightful conversation. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The undisputed king of Indian cuisine in the UK, Atul Kochhar was the first chef from his homeland to receive a Michelin star. In this delightful interview, he tells Simon the secret to the perfect biryani, how to sauté your onions when preparing a curry, the subtleties of oils and spices in the regions of India, and the joys of cooking over open flames. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.