#348 Raffaele Pelligra

When I first came across Raffaele Pelligra on Instagram, what struck me was his honesty. He was travelling, cooking, thinking deeply, asking questions, and sharing what he was learning and I really wanted to hear more. Now, I love a pull quote, those gems where people reveal their passion in such a perfect way. Honestly, every second sentence felt like gold in this chat, the kind you screenshot and save because it captures something bigger than food. Raffa had a lot to say about culture, creativity, community, and what it means to learn by doing. At one point, he asked me why I’d invited him onto the podcast at all. He said, “I’m not trained as a chef. I’m not a sous chef or a head chef.” And that is exactly why I wanted him here. This conversation isn’t about titles or hierarchy, it’s about perspective. It’s about what happens when you approach food as a traveller, a listener, and a human being who genuinely wants to understand where flavours come from and what food can do beyond the plate. This chat is a refreshing one. It’s about Sicily and Melbourne, tradition and fusion, adrenaline and meditation, stress and flow. It’s about learning in kitchens, markets, family homes halfway across the world and it’s about being open enough to change your mind along the way. Raffa is a young Sicilian traveller who loves to cook, and who is still very much becoming who he’s going to be. And I think that makes this conversation especially worth listening to.