Fed up of lugging heavy timber, I decided to swap the steel caps for a snapback and a role more suited to me.
Construction, although paying well, did not offer anything in the way of fulfilment. To the tradies of Melbourne, you are just another workhorse off the boat, ready to be pushed to exhaustion with no care for your wellbeing. Myself, being one to never really take to authority, being pushed around with no respect coming back my way was not going to last.
While living in St. Kilda, I made my way around bars and restaurants on the streets of the city suburbs, looking for a new job. One particular venue, at the lower end of Chapel Street, stood out from the start. In all honesty, I could hear it before I could see it! Old school hip hop tunes filling the street took me instantly. Above the door “Biggie Smalls”.
“…I wanna work there”.
Without a doubt, this was the best decision I made in Melbourne.
The food at Biggie Smalls
A modern edge on kebabs and American style diner grub. Don’t expect a donna here. We are talking cheeseburger kebabs with special sauce and bacon. Or my personal favourite, the “Piggie Smalls” which consists of crispy pork belly, crackling, chilli jam mayo, spring onion slaw and candied peanuts.
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The large array of sides include loaded fries, deep fried mac and cheese and jalapeño poppers. Drinks range from beers and cocktails to audacious milkshakes.
My Biggie Smalls experience
I had the privilege of joining the crew on the food truck for the most part. In addition to the two Melbourne restaurants, they operate “the big rig”. The Biggies truck goes to events all around the Melbourne area, including festivals, sporting events and private bookings.
The staff I worked alongside were just fantastic, making me feel like part of the team straight away. They were equally great with all customers and it was just such a great work environment to be a part of.
My role entailed dealing with customers and the cooking of food. It was great, being able to mix it up.
Biggies was started by TV chef Shane Delia, owner of hatted Melbourne restaurant Maha. Originally in Collingwood, the chain was expanded to Windsor and then the food truck.
Go check it out
If you are spending any time in Melbourne I would recommend stopping by either of the restaurant joints. Keep an eye on their Instagram page (@biggiesmallskbabs) to find where the food truck will be next and say hello to the crew.
And if you’re planning to work in Melbourne, why not see if there are any roles available? You might get lucky.
READ MORE: 7 tips for getting around in Melbourne
