At a time when it didn’t seem feasible, Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters took an ambitious restaurant concept and expanded it even further. We dropped into the new Fed Square venue to find out how they did it.
By now, many Melburnians will be familiar with Farmer’s Daughters – the multi-storey CBD restaurant that sources all its ingredients from Gippsland farmers and growers. Following the venue’s success, executive chef Alejandro Saravia and his team opened Victoria – an expansion on the concept that takes in ingredients, fresh produce and drinks from all over the state.
Victoria is housed in a former function space at Federation Square. With expansive views of the Yarra River and Arts Centre, rotating ingredients from local farmers and residencies from Victorian artists, the venue is Saravia’s most ambitious yet. After several tough years of lockdowns and industry-wide staff shortages, the venue’s existence almost defies logic. But building a culture of progression and learning amongst the group’s staff and suppliers has allowed Victoria to flourish.
“You don’t feel like a cog in the machine here. There’s a certain level of calmness and comfort in the business that goes alongside this culture of learning and progression that we have,” says Jack Darby, Victoria assistant manager. Darby joined the group around two years ago at Farmer’s Daughters, and he’s quickly risen into one of the team’s leaders after showing plenty of promise.
“At the beginning, I was a casual section waiter. As I progressed, I was spending more time upstairs in the restaurant at Farmer’s Daughters, putting my hands in different areas of the business,” he says. “Once I went full-time, I became a supervisor and was running a floor by myself. When Victoria was opening, [management] tapped me on the shoulder and I ended up here as an assistant manager.”
Darby says being recognised for his hard work at Farmer’s Daughters was a key factor in landing a senior position at Victoria.
“Being asked to take on more responsibility here was as great kick in the butt to get me moving in my career and the enthusiasm from the higher-ups gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities,” he says. “I’ve been in other roles where I’ve worked just as hard and tried to apply myself but nothing has come of it, so getting that here is great. At Victoria, they see you pushing hard and reward it.”
Aside from investment from senior staff, Darby says the secret to forging a successful career in this field is to live and breathe hospitality.
“Go to restaurants, dine out and immerse yourself in the industry. There’s a certain level of passion you need to have that makes you want to do a great job, and finding that was the first step towards my progression,” he says. “If you’re willing to apply yourself, Victoria is a great place to be. If you’re looking for a family, we’ll be growing together for a long time, it’s a great time to become an integral part of the team.”
The family dynamic amongst the team at Victoria – according to chef Daniela Clavijo – stems from the kitchen crew.
“The kitchen team is super friendly and we’re all close – everyone is happy to teach everyone, the whole team helps out. There’s a feeling here that everyone is professional and loves their job, and they’re always willing to share their knowledge as a result.”
Clavijo has extensive kitchen knowledge of her own to share. Originally from Colombia, she moved to Australia seven years ago and began working as an apprentice chef at Peruvian restaurant Pastuso. Clavijo worked her way into a junior sous chef role before getting an opportunity to move into a leadership position at Farmer’s Daughers when it opened. Since then, she’s gone from strength to strength, and is now a senior member of a kitchen team she helped build at Victoria.
“Throughout my time here, whenever I was showing interest, [management] were willing to teach me stuff. If you show you’re committed to working and growing in your career, the team here will help you learn everything you need to do that,” she says. “I was always asking questions and showing a desire to step up in the kitchen, and that’s what got me to a position where I got to help build the team and the menu at Victoria.”
Clavijo says that aside from the investment in staff, the diversity of the kitchen team means there’s endless wisdom being shared amongst the crew.
“We work with people from anywhere in the world. You learn from so many cultures, every chef here has their own unique knowledge to pass onto the team,” she says. “That gives us opportunities here to express ideas, develop in our careers and apply our lessons to the best products in Victoria.”
The diversity in the team extends beyond the kitchen, though. Another staff member Victoria has invested time and training into is venue manager Giulia Venzo. Venzo made the move to Farmer’s Daughters right before the venue opened and has grown with the brand since.
“In my previous job, I wasn’t really happy, so I was looking for a company where I could learn more and improve my skills. I found an opportunity to join the team at Farmer’s Daughters, where I helped with the setup and got to manage the deli,” she says. “I learned how to run a large team, listen to my staff and how to work with them to help them develop in their careers.”
Following a successful stint at Farmer’s Daughters, Venzo’s hard work was recognised and she was put forward to help with opening Victoria. She says that on top of the training she’s received, the expansion of the concept from Farmer’s Daughters drew her to the new project.
“I come from a rural area in the north of Italy. I come from a family of farmers, so I know exactly what it means to be able to sell your products and build your farm to be sustainable. It’s great to be on the other end of that farm-to-table process now,” she says. “Being an immigrant, when you come to a new country or start in a new industry you need to be able to find a home, this is the perfect place to do that.”
Venzo’s now able to pass-on lessons she’s learned and nurture younger hospitality staff in the same way Victoria and Farmer’s Daughters have for her, something she finds rewarding.
“We allocate heaps of time for training here. New employees always get opportunities to sit down together, ask questions and learn new things. We always like to teach during service, but we’re ensuring that we’re retaining knowledge along the way,” she says. “If you’re green and you’re new to the industry, we love teaching people how to do things in our style.”
Venzo’s partner in venue management Triin Vink shares a passion for Victoria’s farm-to-table concept. Vink joined the team at Victoria after moving across from Farmer’s Daughters to help open the new venue. She says that even with 20 years of hospitality experience, the concept at Victoria was something that stood out.
“No one was really doing farm-to-table in Melbourne at the time. That concept –along with the opportunities to build a new brand and a new team – was what drew to me Victoria when we heard it was in the works.”
Vink says that meeting suppliers from all over the state and creating a broad range of dishes with their products has been an engaging element of her role.
“I’m living in the metro area, so working at Victoria has been great way to meet people from all over the state. There’s a much more focused approach here compared to other restaurants I’ve worked at,” she says. “Usually restaurants will have a particular cuisine that they offer, but here the focus is offering a range of cuisines from a particular region instead. That concept has been really interesting for me.”
Vink says that because of the wide range of connections that both Victoria and Farmer’s Daughters have built, there are countless lessons for new staff members to learn.
“There’s such versatility across the two brands, you’ll be able to find your spot whether it’s at Victoria or Farmer’s Daughters,” she says. “Depending on what you’re keen on doing, we can find the spot for you, work to your needs and make sure you’re learning the skills that are going to help you progress down the path you want.”
This article is produced by Scout Jobs in partnership with Victoria by Farmer’s Daughters.
Photography: Hugh Davison
