#217 Pieter Buijsse | Bar Carolina

I have a special place in my heart for Bar Carolina in South Yarra because I wrote about it for Concrete Playground when it opened in 2017 and I also had a Conversation with a chef with the chef at the time, Paolo Masciopinto. But I hadn’t been out the back before and when new head chef Pieter Buijsse suggested going out through the kitchen to his office, I was thrilled. Walking out through the action is my idea of a good time. Happily wedged into the tiniest office I have ever seen with a cup of espresso and a chef who started working in restaurants at the age of 12, I was hanging off Pieter’s every word. Pieter grew up in Holland, five minutes from the Belgian border, eventually working his way through a two and then three-star Michelin restaurant before meeting Aussies in South America and deciding Melbourne would be the next adventure. 10 years on with senior roles at Point Leo Estate and Jackalope under his belt, as well as being part of the 2022 Melbourne Food and Wine Festival’s 30 under 30, Pieter is firmly part of the Melbourne culinary landscape. This was a great chat. Pieter is articulate and knowledgeable and I had a lovely time.