A Lap of Caulfield Park Plus61JMedia and the Jewish Museum of Australia

At its peak, in the early 1990s, Smorgon Consolidated Industries was one of the largest and most diverse family businesses in Australia.David Smorgon estimates that there were 25 family members across three generations working in the business, whose origins can be traced to a kosher butcher in Lygon Street, Carlton, in 1927.On top of that, there were another 200 family members who didn’t work in the business, but who were nevertheless involved as direct and indirect shareholders.The company w...

On the final Lap of Caulfield Park podcast for 2021, Ashley Browne is joined by fellow journalist (and fellow The Age alumnus) for a broad discussion and occasional deep dive into the news and views of the day and the year.On the agenda are:- Memories of working for The Age and why she left.- The weekly column that Julie still writes for the newspaper.- COVID. Did 2021 become even harder to navigate than 2020? And w...

What is it like to be 34, having just had your first job, just starting your dream job and then having it all ripped out of your grasp by a shocking, life-altering event?In the latest Lap of Caulfield Park podcast, stroke survivor Paul Fink tells Ashley Browne of his journey over the last eight years, from bending over to pick up his son from his cot, to not setting foot inside his house for the next six months. Following his stroke, Fink underwent four brain surgeries and was in a coma ...

Talk to people in start-ups and one of the first questions is usually about the so-called ‘lightbulb’ moment. For Cara Davies, the fitness-obsessed CEO of Steppen, it was the regular trips to the gym, but then having no real clue what to do once she walked through the door.In the latest Lap of Caulfield Park , Davies tells Ashley Browne about the genesis of the app that is making fitness training more accessible than ever for young people. “I would walk into the gym and I had no ide...

What runs through the heart and mind of the owner of a runner in the Melbourne Cup?Brae Sokolski, the owner of race favourite Incentivise, walks Ashley Browne through what his lead-up to the 2021 Melbourne Cup race is likely to be. (Note: this interview was recorded prior to the Cup). “I’m actually fairly even-tempered (until) probably an hour before the race and then the nerves start to hit,” he said. “When the horses are in the mounting yard 15 minutes before the jump that’s when...

Anyone who has worked in hospitality will tell you running a restaurant or cafe is a tough gig. Margins are small, customers are fickle and competition is fierce. Add a pandemic into the mix – including mandated closures – and it's proved near impossible for many restaurateurs.Adam Faigen knows this better than most. For the past two decades, Adam has owned and operated several cafes and 'smart casual' restaurants in Melbourne's inner south. He's seen food trends come and go as well as the ri...