How have things gone since opening the restaurant at the beginning of the year?

The first couple of months have been an absolute roller coaster, opening my mind and giving me a whole new level of understanding about what it actually takes to run a  successful business. The response from the locals has been quiet positive and the criticism has been great and has made us stronger every service.

Tell us about your approach to local produce.

My ethos has always been to be in an area where you have to use what’s around you to create tasty food and to give that to people in a way that they wouldn’t expect. I try to keep it quite simple while also showcasing great cooking techniques.

Pakenham has truly amazing produce and that’s something I wanted to showcase to the locals. Nearly 80 per cent of our produce comes from the area. We’re using amazing potatoes from Warragul, Balmain bugs from Lakes Entrance, O’Connor beef and lamb from Gippsland. We’ve created a menu that allows people to pop in and have two courses and a glass of wine for under $60 or lash out and have our amazing tasting menu.

Giving them the option was a must. We didn’t want the locals to feel pressured into something they didn’t want to do.

Is there a sense that the Lakeside Mill is actively contributing to the community in Pakenham?

Yes. We actually did a function not long ago for Pakenham Rotary Club. That was awesome. Tapping into the local community was great and it was good to break the barrier down. The Lakeside Mill comes across to some people as this primo venue, but really we’re not. We want to be a restaurant for the locals more than anything.