Nomad owner to take over Grossi venues, eyes ‘fun dining’ plus pizza and gelato
Edition Hospitality which operates Reine & La Rue and Nomad Melbourne (and the original Nomad in Sydney), has agreed to acquire five Bourke Street venues from the Grossi family, including the landmark fine-diner Florentino. The off-market deal is one of the most significant shake-ups for the “leafy end” of Melbourne’s CBD dining in years. “When this [deal] did pop up, I think I wrote back within two minutes,” Edition chief executive Rebecca Yazbek told The Age.
The flagship upstairs dining room will be preserved, while the street-level offer is in for a refresh. Yazbek plans to revive the ground-floor Grill with contemporary energy and a new name — Cafe Florentino — by 2026. “Like any business that has been running a long time, it has its good days and bad,” she said. The team will spend months listening to regulars before committing to changes. The multilevel site currently comprises Florentino upstairs; Grossi Grill and Cellar Bar at street level; Venetian-leaning Ombra next door; and laneway bar Arlechin at the rear.
Edition will retain the venues’ Italian DNA, though the precise culinary direction is undecided. Culinary director Michael Greenlaw and executive chef Brendan Katich will weigh whether to sharpen a regional Italian focus or pivot elements elsewhere. Design and service upgrades are a priority, and Sunday trade is under consideration, with a clearer split between “that beautiful, beautiful room upstairs” and “fun dining” downstairs.
Ombra is set for the most playful reimagining. As Yazbek puts it: “I’d really enjoy having some fun with that and putting our stamp on that, making [it] a really fun pizza and gelato place.”
Continuity is part of the plan: 80 Grossi staff — 40 full-time and 40 casual — are expected to transition to the new ownership across front and back of house. Addressing workplace culture, Yazbek says, “We deal with complaints pretty rigorously through our people and culture team, and we’re hoping to build that within what the [Florentino] team already has.” She added, “Hopefully, with any sort of cultural issues, there’ll be a line drawn under them, and we can move forward”. Many existing staff will remain, but the new owners hope that “any sort of cultural issues, there’ll be a line drawn under them, and we can move forward”.
The sale price remains undisclosed, but Yazbek noted there was “a lot of interest” with industry chatter placing it in the $800,000 to $4 million range. The Grossi family offered no specific reason for selling, stating: “As our family looks to the future, this is not about stepping away but embracing a new chapter.”
Yazbek, who shuttles between Sydney and Melbourne, is keenly aware of the city’s competitive landscape. “[Florentino] is already a place that is so loved and cherished.
People went there with their grandparents. I’m really hoping to listen to the clientele before coming in and ripping it all apart and serving it on a shiny new platter.” As for local diners, “They love quality, and they’re very loyal,” she adds.
Settlement is slated for November, pending liquor licence transfers.
Jonathan Jackson, 23rd October 2025
