Brigitte Hafner grew up cooking alongside her Hungarian/German mother who opened a restaurant in the Gold Coast hinterland. Her restaurant experience includes stints at Wokpool, Jacques Reymond Restaurant, O'Connells Hotel and Gross Florentino, building a cross-cultural repertoire that is reflected in all her cooking now.
After finishing her apprenticeship Hafner was promoted to head of the Grossi Florentino Grill which lasted about a year before she was head hunted to take on the role of Head Chef for Stefano de Pieri’s Cantina and Riverboat. Following 18 months in Mildura, Hafner opened the Gertrude Street Enoteca with James Broadway which was open from 2004-2020.
In the last 12 months Hafner has opened her dream restaurant ‘Tedesca’ inspired by the Osteria of Italy, her time with Stefano and her own dreams of a farm to kitchen restaurant using fire as the predominant cooking source and a ‘whole animal’ philosophy. COVID-19 afforded an opportunity to begin work on a dedicated Demeter biodynamic market garden and a close planted vineyard as part of the Tedesca plans. Tedesca is built on a philosophy of whole-life sustainability with limited seatings, a fixed menu, small team and strong connections not just to the food but to broader culture in the arts, architecture and other creative fields.
