Demelza

A life spent around food

Demelza cooks modern world food, drawing on influences from around the globe: Middle Eastern flavours, raw and plant-based cooking, old-school techniques and a whole lot of herbs, spice, citrus, vegetables, texture and big, punchy flavours.

She's a big believer in keeping things fresh, seasonal and as close to the real thing as possible. No fancy tricks, nothing ultra-processed, just beautiful ingredients, cooked well and put together in a way that makes you want to go back for more.

Food was always at the centre of Demelza's upbringing. With an Austrian mum, cooking, baking and gathering around the table were simply part of everyday life. Her love affair with food started young, baking in the kitchen and finding any excuse to be around it, and it wasn't long before she realised the kitchen was where she belonged.

That led to her apprenticeship in fine dining French cuisine, followed by Italian cooking alongside Nonna Manfredi and Stefano Manfredi on the pasta section at Belmondo. She went on to qualify in both Western and Eastern commercial cookery.

In 2000, Demelza moved to London and worked at The Sugar Club with chef Peter Gordon and David Selex, opening the door to a world of food and hospitality that would shape much of her career.

From there she moved into catering, working for some of London's most highly regarded catering companies, including Urban Caprice and More Please. She cooked and toured with artists including Coldplay and Lenny Kravitz, worked with fashion photographers Mert & Marcus, and prepared food for Jane Campion's film Bright Star.

She has cooked in some extraordinary places, including the remote island of Parrot Cay, where she worked in the raw food section alongside Jill Pettijohn, Donna Karan's private chef. Back in London, she ran her own wholesale bakery before opening her first café while raising her young children. Fred & Fran was born from that chapter, and so was her famous chorizo dish, which is making its way back onto her menus.

After relocating to Bondi in 2014, Demelza returned to catering and private cheffing, later working at Orchard St and Lox, Stock & Barrel. She went on to become Head Chef and consultant at Paperbark Camp, and cooked for yoga retreats and wellness events, bringing together her love of food, wellness and nourishing cooking.

Demelza and her family then relocated to the Northern Rivers, where she took time to renovate, settle in and put down roots, including strengthening her gardening skills and creating a rather abundant veggie garden.

Now she's back in the kitchen doing what she loves most: cooking, feeding people and making a bit of a fuss over good food.