Justin Hemmes to open first Melbourne venue led by acclaimed Hong Kong chef
Hospitality king Justin Hemmes will open his first venues outside NSW after purchasing Tomasetti House on Flinders Lane in Melbourne for $43 million and the Lorne Hotel for $38 million.
Hemmes has hired Hong Kong chef Jowett Yu to take charge of the food at the Flinders Lane venue.
Tomasetti House will offer an Asian-inspired menu.
Taiwanese born chef Jowett Yu, grew-up in Vancouver but trained in Sydney with Merivale executive chef Dan Hong. He was one of the original team of the famed Mr. Wong’s in the CBD.
Yu left Mr Wong’s to open the acclaimed Chinese restaurant Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong.
“Yu is a wonderful talent and a beautiful man, and he’s come back from Hong Kong to do this with us,” Hemmes says.
“So Tomasetti House is going to be built around him. We are also designing it around the building [which dates back to 1853] as it’s so beautiful.”
The decision to open a restaurant in Melbourne was inspired by Victorian customers who would visit his Sydney and NSW venues but had to stop due to the continued lockdowns.
Hemmes would receive numerous emails asking when he was opening a venue closer to their homes.
“It just felt right, and I just felt we were in a position with our staff and our systems that we could afford to do it,” Hemmes said.
“Also, my staff encouraged me to expand as well, and I think it also came down to the passion for my industry, which was actually heightened by Covid.”
Irit Jackson, 28th March 2022
