Peter Gilmore trades Sydney Harbour for Tasmanian soil, eyes Hobart opening
Australia's most decorated chef has officially swapped the Sydney Harbour skyline for a 2.8-hectare farm in southern Tasmania, with Peter Gilmore confirming plans to open a new restaurant in Hobart by late 2027.
Gilmore, who closed his three-hat fine diner Quay on Sydney's Circular Quay in February after 24 years, took possession of the Flowerpot property, a 40-minute drive from Hobart. His tenure with long-time employer the Fink Group officially ends this month.
“I don't plan to stop cooking,” Gilmore told the Australian Financial Review (AFR), dismissing speculation he might step back from professional kitchens altogether.
The chef, who earned three chef hats every year for 23 consecutive years and twice won the Good Food Guide's Chef of the Year award, said his next venture would be deliberately scaled back from Quay's ambitious degustation format. “I want to open something really beautiful in Hobart that isn't too small to make money, and isn't too big to handle,” he said. “I think 30 guests would be the sweet spot, with two or three chefs in the kitchen and a couple of passionate people working front-of-house.”
A second, longer-term concept — a farm-to-table restaurant on the Flowerpot property itself — is also on the table, though Gilmore said it would require a financial partner or an existing Tasmanian property with accommodation to proceed. “It's been a dream of mine forever, but it has a longer timeline,” he said.
The move comes amid mounting pressure on Australia's fine-dining sector.
Restaurant & Catering Australia data shows 10.4 per cent of food service businesses closed in the 12 months to early 2026, with the body's president John Hart citing wages, energy, insurance, rent and compliance costs rising faster than businesses can absorb. Gilmore said Quay had remained profitable until the post-pandemic period, after which increased food and wage costs combined with rising port authority rent made the economics untenable. “In Australia, you can only charge so much,” he said. “For the equivalent dining experience in the United States or Europe, the bill would be the same, but it would be in euros or US dollars. Much higher.”
Tasmania's dining scene has drawn a wave of mainland chefs in recent years, including Analiese Gregory, who worked under Gilmore at Quay for five years before relocating to Hobart in 2017 and is now opening her own 10-seat venue, Lumachelle, in the Huon Valley. “Pete is one of Australia's greatest culinary talents and a master of reinvention,” Gregory said, adding that smaller-format dining suits the state's seasonal visitor patterns: “It's also about creating a community and a following of locals, because only they will support you through the winter.”
Tourism Tasmania chief executive Sarah Kingston Clark said the state was increasingly attracting high-profile chefs drawn to its produce culture, and predicted flow-on benefits for the broader dining scene. “Having someone of the calibre of Peter move here with his incredible experience can only inspire local chefs and increase their opportunities as well,” she said.
Rodney Dunn of The Agrarian Kitchen, who took 16 years to establish his New Norfolk venue, welcomed Gilmore's arrival but cautioned that commercial success in Tasmania requires patience. “Be prepared to go back to the trenches and do the hard yards,” he said. “It's not so much about chasing success here. It's about enjoying the process.”
Gilmore's Hobart restaurant remains in early planning, with a 2027 target opening.
Jonathan Jackson, 29th June 2026
