Iconic Tasmanian restaurant to be sold

The owners of one of Tasmania’s best loved restaurants are preparing to sell.

Port Cygnet Cannery owners Paul and Michelle Gilding will step away from the iconic 85-year-old venue having opened in 2019, just three months before the pandemic struck.

The Gildings paid tribute to their team at the cannery and its sister enterprise, Gardners Bay Farm, praising them for their tireless work and ability to create a warm and inviting atmosphere for customers.

“They all bought in to the passion and purpose of showing how food can be produced and presented,” he said. “We are so proud of them,” Paul Gilding told The Mercury.

The Gildings said it was time for new owners to come in and continue the history, while keeping the magic alive.

“Like many hospitality businesses both locally and around the world, we have struggled through this [pandemic] period, trying to find an approach that delivered on our purpose and values while being commercially viable,” Gilding said.

“But that is all in the past for us now.”

Michelle Gilding, who oversaw the renovation and launch of the cannery has retired, while her husband is writing and works as a global sustainability expert.

The venue has been operating on reduced hours and will close its doors on Sunday, 5 March after its last farm lunch.

Jonathan Jackson - 31-01-23