“We focus on sourcing the best local ingredients from small farms in our area. Along with the seasons, the ingredients dictate what is on the menu. We cook most things over fire in our large hearth, which is in the centre of the dining room.”

Grilled fish wrapped in sugarloaf cabbage with local chickpea miso; lamb leg à la ficelle with farro, cime di rapa, and anchovy salsa verde; and fazzoletto pasta with locally made buttermilk ricotta, sage, and brown butter.

Danielle Alvarez spent four key years cooking at Chez Panisse, the Californian restaurant that pioneered the farm-to-table movement, and her reverence for freshly unearthed produce inspires the rather beautiful open-hearth kitchen at Fred’s.

The Florida-born chef not only works with sustainable suppliers like Moonacres Farm and First Farm Organics, but also takes her staff with her to learn about plant cycles, organic farming, and sustainability.

Danielle’s cooking is deeply rooted in the seasons, and there’s a symbiotic relationship with downstairs bar Charlie Parker’s, whose cocktails benefit from Fred’s kitchen surplus and whose staff help tend the rooftop garden.

Saturday mornings at Fred’s see fresh produce boxes on offer from Sift Produce – another way of supporting small-scale farmers and making a connection back to the land.

“It’s a kitchen that chefs immediately want to work in and diners want to be near; how kitchens should be, how they used to be.”

–Terry Durack, goodfood.com.au