Page 13: Iain Hewitson fans flames on Guy Grossi spat

NO amount of olives will smooth a simmering food fight between two top chefs, Iain Hewitson and Guy Grossi, over a St Kilda restaurant.

NO amount of olives will smooth a simmering food fight between two top chefs.

Iain Hewitson has recently taken pot shots at everyone from “game show hosts” Manu Feildel and George Calombaris to “wanker” Gordon Ramsay. But his culinary crankiness is really directed at Guy Grossi of the famous Florentino. Huey is still bitter about being tossed out of his St Kilda restaurant, Tolarno, like a limp garden salad, only for good mate Grossi to take over.

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Guy Grossi and Mirka Mora at the new Tolarno restaurant.

Grossi took possession after Hewitson became embroiled in a very public spat with the landlords over rent increases and the need to renovate. More than a decade on, tensions are still at boiling point.

“Hewitsons are terrible haters,” the former TV chef said before turning up the heat on Grossi (pictured below with Mirka Mora at the Tolarno restaurant in 2007).

“I wasn’t very happy (with) how he behaved.” But Huey, ever the professional, gives Grossi his due. “He’s a terrific chef.”

Grossi says he took over the Tolarno as a vacant premises.

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