Beloved Lorne bistro Little Picket will close after just two years of operation. While it’s not uncommon to hear of regional restaurants shutting up shop amid rising costs and low guest numbers, chef Jo Barrett tells a different story.

Barrett, who opened the restaurant at the Lorne Bowls Club mid-2022, is shifting her focus to two new projects, including a partnership with Three Blue Ducks co-founder, Mark Labrooy, who left the Ducks at the beginning of 2024.

Named Wild Pie, the project will focus on turning native and feral animals into pies in an effort to introduce a larger audience to free-range, organic and ethically harvested food.

The partnership also includes Louise Daily of Oakridge and Little Picket, and Discovered Wildfoods. Discovered Wildfoods is an initiative that encourages licensed hunters to cull introduced deer with a single shot to the head for a swift and humane death.

The carcass is then quickly butchered and chilled, and sent to restaurants as-is, or made into pies. Traditional culling of introduced species wastes the meat, leaving the carcass on the ground after shooting.

Wild Pie will focus not only on venison but wallaby culled on Flinders Island, and soon, wild boar and goat.

Related story: Fair Game is the Aussie producer bringing sustainable wild-caught deer to dinner tables

The second project for Barrett tackles another huge hurdle in the food-waste sphere: the 456 million loaves of bread thrown away in Australia annually. In collaboration with the CSIRO, Barrett has been getting hands-on experience in the innovation lab, where she is planning on spending much of her time moving forward.

While the chef is busy saving the world, one pie at a time, Little Picket will enjoy the last of its days until the bowlo lease runs out at the end of April.

Related story: This overlooked source of protein is wreaking havoc on our natural wildlife