#348 Raffaele Pelligra

#348 Raffaele Pelligra

From Conversation with a chef by Jo Rittey

April 12, 2026 · 41 min

About this episode

A conversation with Raffaele Pelligra about cooking, culture, and learning through travel.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Jo Rittey

Guest: Raffaele Pelligra

Topics covered

  • cooking
  • culture
  • creativity
  • community
  • learning
  • travel

Keywords

  • Raffaele Pelligra
  • cooking
  • Sicily
  • Melbourne
  • culture
  • community
  • learning

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Sicily, Melbourne

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