Luke Stringer is one of Melbourne’s most experienced front-of-house managers. He was part of the opening team of “ezard” before returning home to Noosa Heads to manage “Berardo’s”. Melbourne called him to return to “ezard” as Restaurant Manager and he later took up the same position at “Circa”. Luke was the 2006 recipient of The Age Good Food Guide’s “Service Excellence” award.

Head Chef and part-owner Joseph Vargetto served his apprenticeship at Melbourne’s Florentino Restaurant. He then worked in Northern Italy at three-star Michelin restaurant “Gaultiero Marchesi”. In Australia he worked at Langton’s as Philippe Mouchel’s number 2 and more recently at Crown as executive sous chef in charge of 15 different restaurants and 250 chefs. He has achieved many awards including the prestigious “Bocuse dor” as Australia’s representative in France in 2001.

Frank Wilden provides hospitality consultancy advice and has owned restaurants over the last fifteen years. His restaurants have included Coast and Manta Ray in Sydney as well as The Duck at Crown Casino and The Venetian in Melbourne. He is a member of the executive council of The Restaurant & Catering Association of Victoria, the Melbourne City Council Hospitality Advisory Board, and the Tourism Victoria Wine & Food Council. He has figured prominently in wine and food circles for the last 25 years and is a self-confessed Grand Cru Burgundy tragic.