Born from Francesca’s own serious nut allergy, The Proof began during lockdown as a nut-free dessert business and quickly grew beyond anything she had imagined – from hand-delivering cakes around London to supplying Selfridges, running major events and building a thriving online community.

But behind the success was a very different reality. Francesca opens up about saying yes to too many opportunities, losing sight of the business’s original purpose, the personal cost of relentless growth and the lessons she learned when it all came crashing down.

This is a conversation about ambition, failure, resilience and knowing when growth isn’t really growth.

🍽️ In This Episode, We Dig Into:

• How Francesca built The Proof from her kitchen during lockdown
• Growing from local cake deliveries to Selfridges, wholesale and major events
• Why saying yes to every opportunity ultimately diluted the business
• The dangers of being incredibly busy without being profitable
• How rapid growth affected Francesca’s health and family life
• The importance of mentors, networks and asking for help
• Making the incredibly difficult decision to close The Proof
• Why Francesca wants to challenge the shame surrounding business failure
• Rebuilding after losing a business you’ve poured everything into
• The lessons Francesca would take into building a business again

Key Moments:

• Biggest lesson: Get really good at your core business before trying to diversify
• Entrepreneurial reality: Being busy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re building a successful business
• Advice to founders: Be clear about what you want to build, and what you want your life to look like
• Looking back: Own the mistakes, but be proud that you tried
• What comes next: Turning her experience of failure and rebuilding into something positive

🎧 Why Listen?

Entrepreneurship is often told through the success stories. This episode explores what happens when things don't go to plan.

Francesca speaks candidly about the realities behind The Proof's rapid growth, from the excitement of major opportunities to the financial pressure, exhaustion and personal sacrifices happening behind the scenes. More importantly, she shares what those experiences have taught her about focus, profitability, asking for help and redefining failure.

For anyone building a hospitality business, chasing growth or feeling the pressure to keep saying yes, this is an honest reminder that sometimes the most valuable lessons come from the things that don't work out.

📢 Stay Connected

Subscribe to Dig In for new episodes.

Visit Wenodo to explore more from the podcast.

For Episode 4, host David Durban sits down with Bianca Tavella, founder and CEO of Fair Shot, the award-winning social enterprise using hospitality to tackle the 95% unemployment rate among adults with learning disabilities in the UK.

From turning an idea into a thriving charity and café, to overcoming fundraising challenges, building an inclusive team and changing perceptions across the hospitality industry, Bianca shares the story behind Fair Shot with honesty, vulnerability and unwavering optimism.

Filmed at Fair Shot Café in Covent Garden, this conversation explores the power of hospitality to transform lives, why great leadership starts with empathy, and how creating opportunities can have an impact far beyond the restaurant floor.

This is a conversation about purpose, inclusion and building a hospitality business that changes lives.

🍽️ In This Episode, We Dig Into:

• The inspiration behind Fair Shot and why Bianca knew she had to build it
• Why hospitality is the perfect environment for developing confidence and skills
• Breaking down misconceptions around learning disabilities in the workplace
• Building an organisation with both commercial and social impact
• Leading with kindness while navigating the realities of being a young founder
• How inclusive hiring can strengthen teams, culture and business performance
• Why employers have more to gain than they realise from embracing neurodiversity
• Fair Shot's vision for expanding opportunities across the UK hospitality sector

🎧 Why Listen?

This episode is a powerful reminder that hospitality is about people first. Bianca shares the remarkable journey of building Fair Shot, challenges long-held assumptions about disability in the workplace, and explains why creating inclusive opportunities doesn't just change individual lives. It transforms teams, businesses and communities. Whether you're a hospitality leader, employer or simply passionate about people, this is an inspiring conversation about using business as a force for good.

📢 Stay Connected

Subscribe to Dig In for new episodes.

Visit Wenodo to explore more from the podcast.

For Episode 3, host David Durban sits down with Nicholas Balfe - chef patron of Holm in Somerset and the chef behind acclaimed London restaurants Salon and Levan - to explore the journey from city restaurants to building a destination dining experience in the countryside.

From the challenges of leaving London and starting again, to creating a hospitality business that goes far beyond the restaurant itself, Nicholas reflects openly on leadership, resilience and why guest experience has become the driving force behind everything he does.

Filmed at the beautiful Holm in South Petherton, this conversation explores what it really takes to build a hospitality business in today's climate, why culture matters as much as cooking, and how meaningful experiences are becoming the future of the industry.

This is a conversation about reinvention, resilience and creating hospitality that people want to return to.

🍽️ In This Episode, We Dig Into:

• Moving from London to Somerset and the realities of starting over
• Why opening Holm was a much steeper learning curve than expected
• Building a restaurant around people, place and community
• How guest experience has become just as important as the food
• Creating a team culture that delivers genuine hospitality
• Diversifying the business with rooms, events and experiences
• The importance of resilience in modern hospitality
• Why human connection will always be hospitality's greatest strength

⚡ Quick Fire Highlights:

• Most underrated chef: Will Gleave (Sargasso, Margate)
• Most underrated ingredient: Potatoes
• Three traits every chef needs: Humility, compassion and creativity
• Current restaurant admiration: Forza
• One change he'd make to help hospitality: A reduction in VAT for the sector

🎧 Why Listen?

Nicholas offers an honest look at what it means to adapt as both a chef and business owner. From relocating his family and reshaping his business model to building a restaurant rooted in community and experience, this episode is full of thoughtful insight for anyone passionate about hospitality, leadership and creating something built to last.

📢 Stay Connected

• Subscribe to Dig In for new episodes
• Visit Wenodo to explore more from the podcast

In Episode 2 of Dig In, host David Durban sits down with Kurt Zdesar, the visionary founder behind Chotto Matte , to uncover the story behind one of hospitality’s most recognisable global brands!

From transforming London’s dining scene with contemporary Nikkei cuisine to expanding internationally, Kurt’s journey is one defined by ambition, creativity, and an unwavering belief in his vision.

This teaser is just a glimpse into a fascinating conversation covering the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, the realities of growing a hospitality brand, the risks that come with thinking differently, and the lessons learned along the way.

Whether you’re a restaurateur, hospitality professional, or simply curious about what it takes to build a brand that stands out on a global stage, this is an episode you won’t want to miss!

🍽️ In This Episode, We Dig Into:

• How Kurt’s early passion for food set him on the hospitality path
• Learning the business behind world-class restaurants at Nobu
• Helping build Zuma and Roka into global restaurant brands
• The moment Kurt decided to create Chotto Matte
• Introducing Nikkei cuisine to London and beyond
• Why design, energy and atmosphere are just as important as food
• The realities of launching ambitious restaurant concepts
• What it takes to scale a hospitality brand internationally

⚡ Quick Fire Highlights:

• Favourite ingredient: Fresh seafood
• Comfort meal after service: Simple pasta
• Chef he admires: Nobu Matsuhisa
• Mantra: Create experiences people remember
• One hospitality trend he’d ban: Style without substance

🎧 Why Listen?

This episode goes beyond the typical restaurant success story to explore how global hospitality brands are actually built. Kurt shares the lessons learned from working at the very highest level of the industry, and what it takes to create restaurants that people don’t just visit, but truly remember.

📢 Stay Connected

• Subscribe to Dig In for new episodes
• Visit Wenodo to explore more from the podcast

For our launch episode, host David Durban sits down at the bar with Ollie Dabbous - Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur and one of the most influential figures in British dining - to dig into the moments, risks and decisions that shaped his career.

From early kitchen jobs in Florence to the intensity of Le Manoir, from opening his first restaurant with his name on the door to redefining what fine dining could look and feel like, Ollie reflects with honesty, humour and clarity on the craft of cooking, leadership, creativity and resilience.

Filmed at the incredible Encore Bar, under Toum Rotisserie, Maddox Street, London

This is a conversation about earning your place, backing your vision, and why hospitality  (done properly) still matters more than ever.

🍽️ In This Episode, We Dig Into:

• Falling in love with food, and why Ollie nearly became a pastry chef
• Learning the hard way at Le Manoir: pressure and hard graft
• Why kitchens are meritocratic, and how work ethic beats talent
• The loneliness and resilience required in elite culinary training
• Opening your first restaurant with no safety net and everything at stake
• Raising funding, bluffing confidence, and betting on yourself
• The reality behind overnight success and critical acclaim
• Why hospitality is ultimately about welcome, kindness and human connection

⚡ Quick Fire Highlights:

• Favourite ingredient: Fresh produce (and perfectly prepped artichokes)
• Comfort food after service: Cheese on toast
• Chef he admires most: Raymond Blanc
• Mantra: Love it. Change it. Leave it.
• One ingredient he’d ban forever: Barbecue sauce

🎧 Why Listen?

This isn’t a polished success story, it’s an honest, behind-the-bar look at what it really takes to build something meaningful in hospitality. Whether you work in food and drink, lead a team, or just love great restaurants, this episode sets the tone for what Dig In is all about: real stories, real craft, and real perspective.



📢 Stay Connected

• Subscribe to Dig In for new episodes

Visit Wenodo to explore more from the podcast