Ben John is the chef behind BistroX at The StandardX in Fitzroy. He trained in Aotearoa New Zealand, came up through some of Naarm’s most exacting kitchens, and has led teams at places where standards are high and pressure is constant. At BistroX, he’s building something deliberately more relaxed: a neighbourhood bistro inside a hotel that doesn’t really feel like a hotel at all. We talk about suppliers and seasons, teaching young chefs properly, breaking down whole animals, and what leadership looks like now compared with when he was coming up. We also talk about balance, longevity, and how to stay generous in a demanding industry. I really enjoyed this conversation. Ben is thoughtful, grounded and deeply committed to the craft.
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Ben John is the chef behind BistroX at The StandardX in Fitzroy. He trained in Aotearoa New Zealand, came up through some of Naarm’s most exacting kitchens, and has led teams at places where standards are high and pressure is constant. At BistroX, he’s building something deliberately more relaxed: a neighbourhood bistro inside a hotel that doesn’t really feel like a hotel at all. We talk about suppliers and seasons, teaching young chefs properly, breaking down whole animals, and what leadership looks like now compared with when he was coming up. We also talk about balance, longevity, and how to stay generous in a demanding industry. I really enjoyed this conversation. Ben is thoughtful, grounded and deeply committed to the craft.
When I walked into Aegli in South Melbourne, the first thing I noticed was the light: soft, golden, everywhere. Then I met Ioannis Kasidokostas, and it makes even more sense. Aegli was a goddess, Yanni tells me: elegant, dazzling, radiant, and that’s exactly what he’s built here. The space, the food, the feeling. Yanni doesn’t see hospitality as a job. He calls it a culture. It’s about philoxenia, the Greek art of making a stranger feel like they’ve come home. It’s there in how he talks about his team, the way he refuses to rush a service, and the stories woven through every dish. We talked about patience, trust, and what it means to build something that glows from the inside out. We talked about a raw prawn and nectarine dish that started as a lesson from his fisherman grandfather, a 90-day kopanisti that’s worth the wait, and a philosophy that Greek cuisine doesn’t need to reinvent itself, it just needs to remember where it came from. Aegli means light, but it’s also warmth. And I think that’s exactly what Yanni is serving. This was a wonderful conversation and I feel all the better for having met Yanni and chatted with him.
Conversation with a chef
Ben John is the chef behind BistroX at The StandardX in Fitzroy. He trained in Aotearoa New Zealand, came up through some of Naarm’s most exacting kitchens, and has led teams at places where standards are high and pressure is constant. At BistroX, he’s building something deliberately more relaxed: a neighbourhood bistro inside a hotel that doesn’t really feel like a hotel at all. We talk about suppliers and seasons, teaching young chefs properly, breaking down whole animals, and what leadership looks like now compared with when he was coming up. We also talk about balance, longevity, and how to stay generous in a demanding industry. I really enjoyed this conversation. Ben is thoughtful, grounded and deeply committed to the craft.
