One Man One Pan | Milparinka Satellite Site:

23/03/2020 to 17/06/2020

“One Man One Pan is about connecting with people, doing what I love and creating memories.” 

“It's just nice to see faces or new faces or different faces coming through and sharing space.  Being able to hear sounds and witness interactions in the back unit has brought new life to the house”.

Interview with:

James Veneris, Owner of One Man One Pan

What’s your engagement within Moreland?

Coburg resident and we host of Milparinkas Satellite Sites.

What's the history behind One Man One Pan?

So a bit about myself. I’ve been a chef for over 25 years. Finally opened my own place back in 2003. Pretty successful. Renovated for three and a half months and opened up the doors six weeks later. Then I had a major accident, which put a hold on me working there anymore. So that had to stop.

In the years later I saw my life standing still. I realized that I couldn't work full-time anymore and that's what made me sell the business. Recovery was a good five, six years, and I got that out of the way. I then started working at an Italian restaurant on Lygon street for many years, however as a result of my injuries this was not sustainable. These days, things have to be a lot simpler. That's how One Man One Pan was born. After going to Spain, seeing chefs who were making paella on a massive scale, I thought why can't I bring this back to Melbourne? Being a person that loves socialising with people and is passionate about sharing good food, I decided I’d made this dream a reality.  While on holiday with my family in Europe, I put pen to paper, mapped out my vision and got things rolling as soon as I landed back home in Melbourne. 

Were there any types of projects that you were working towards before the pandemic with One Man One Pan?

There were no large scale projects that I was working towards, One Man One Pan was always going to be something that was intimate. Something that I could do to help out a friend, a family, a stranger, by creating memories. That's what I always say to people. One Man One Pan is not about making lots of money. I guess we all need money to survive, but I’m all about reaching out to people and making sure that the experience I give them is a memorable one, and that they will remember for years to come.  It’s because of these values that One Man One Pan continuous to be alive.  I'll do a function for you, you'll pass my name onto somebody else and the chain keeps going. I've never really advertised apart from Instagram and Facebook, which is realistically just a platform to showcase what I do.

Stage One restrictions were implemented on the 23rd of March. When did you decide to go into lockdown and isolation?  

Like everyone else, I didn’t have a choice. The week before the 23rd of March, I was booked for a 50th birthday in South Yarra. That night, guests were approaching for information about potential bookings, but unfortunately, these plans were never able to come to fruition. All jobs I had booked for April and May were initially postponed, but with time ultimately had to be cancelled.

How did it come about that Milparinka started using your unit as one of their Satellite Sites during lockdown? 

My partner Claudia works at Milparinka and it's a discussion we had. They needed a space through COVID, we had a space and it all just fell into place.  It's just nice to see faces or new faces or different faces coming through and sharing space.  Being able to hear sounds and witness interactions in the back unit has brought new life to the house.

For me every day is a new and different day having these guys here. Every now and then we will see each other in the backyard and relationships just develop naturally.  It’s just so natural.

What ways have you continued with One Man One Pan during this period? 

Just like everyone else, it’s been a really testing time. Given the unpredictable and sudden changing climate, it has become obvious that functions at home will be off the cards for some time. So, in the meantime, I'm looking at making paella hampers and dinner kits were all the ingredients and equipment is provided to allow people to experience the magic of good food and the intimacy that One Man One Pan is all about even though we can’t all be together at this time.

Interview and photos by Simon Aubor. Photographed prior to the 2020 Flourish: Arts Recovery Grant