Across the street from Normal Van, most mornings, three restaurant owners grab coffee before the day starts. Sometimes they talk about nothing. Sometimes it’s landlords, or payroll, or whether the new menu idea is any good. It’s just one story of a friendship that shows up again and again in this industry, in kitchens and on wine lists, in long drives to Vietnam, and in the young bartender you hired twenty years ago who is now the first person you’d call if you ever got arrested. We asked a few people to tell us about theirs.
Brendan Pratt, Wayfinder, and Mal Chow, Chow’s Table
Brendan Pratt and Mal Chow met during Brendan’s stint at Vasse Felix, and somewhere along the way the word “mate” stopped covering it. “Mal is honestly much more than my best mate, he’s family,” says Brendan. “Our wives are best mates, we’re at each other’s family events, our kids have grown up together, we holiday together, spend most weekends together, and somehow ended up living about 50 metres apart.”
The titles followed naturally. Brendan’s girls call him Uncle Mal, and his wife Aunty Mandy, “much to Mandy’s disgust, given her actual name is Amanda.” Brendan is Uncle Brendan to the Chow kids, Courtney is Aunty Courtney, and Mal’s mum has become a third grandmother to Brendan’s daughters, known in their house as Nanna Chow. “It’s one of those friendships where the lines between being mates and being family disappeared a long time ago,” Brendan says.
“Alongside my wife, he’s the person I call when I need advice, want to talk something through, or just need to get out of my own head and have a beer. He just gets it. He understands the work, the pressure, the challenges, but also the good stuff. We can celebrate the wins together, have a laugh about the disasters, and then get on with it.” These days their rhythm is training, eating, drinking good booze, travelling and, most importantly, enjoying life together. “I feel incredibly lucky to have a mate like Mal,” he says. “Someone who is there through the highs and the lows, and who understands where I’m at without needing everything explained.”
Mal sees it the same way.. “Brendo is family. Not just a mate in the industry. Mates come and go, but family stick through thick and thin,” he says. “It’s just easy with Brendo. No bullshit, straight to the point. Hospitality is hard, and having someone who goes through the same struggles and gets you is what makes it special. It’s been a blessing.” The two families travel together, Brendan knows the whole extended Chow clan, and he now gets invited to the family reunions. The kids on both sides have their aunties and uncles sorted. “Does not get better than that.”
Juliana Frisina and Noel Brunning, Mojo’s Bar, on Anthony Heslewood, Revolution Fisheries
“For years, Mojo’s and Revolution Fisheries have supported each other, two local businesses connected by a love of great food, great produce and the South West community,” say Juliana and Noel. Over that time, they have shared some pretty special moments, from collaborating on their own beer to hosting a fish lunch celebrating Anthony’s catch and the local seafood they’re lucky enough to have on their doorstep.
But it’s during the tougher times that friendships like these really mean something. “With the changes to demersal fishing in WA, Anthony has had to rethink and reshape a business he has worked incredibly hard to build. We’ve been proud to stand behind him through that period, just as he has always supported us.” Now they’re watching him build the next chapter of Revolution Fisheries, redirecting the business toward swordfishing. “It takes a lot of courage and determination to adapt when circumstances beyond your control change the course of your business.”
“Hospitality, and the local producers and suppliers who are such an important part of it, can be a tough and unpredictable world,” they say. “Having good people around you who understand the highs, the lows and everything in between makes all the difference. Anthony is one of those people for us. We’ve shared great food, a few beers, plenty of laughs and some challenging times along the way, and we’re very proud to call him a friend.”
Amy Hamilton, Liberté, on Yoko Mostert, Brave New Wine
“I’ve made many long-lasting friendships in hospitality,” says Amy. “Many have been with the staff that I’ve formed relationships with in my venue over the last twelve years. Then there’s producers and other chefs and industry folk that I’ve met either visiting their venues or through events. But my most impactful and treasured relationship is the one I made eleven years ago with Yoko Mostert from Brave New Wine.”
She was already selling Yoko’s wine on her menu, but the two didn’t properly meet until a year into Liberté’s opening. “We met randomly at a brewery in Margaret River. I noticed her really cool op shop jumper while she was standing in line, and I needed to tell her how much I loved it. Shortly into the conversation we realised who each other was, and the rest was history.”
“Not only has she been my biggest confidant, but she tells me how it is, and in this industry it’s important to have someone that is not just a yes man to you,” Amy says. “She has managed to make me laugh when I wanted to cry, and she’s supported me through my biggest triumphs and my lowest lows. Through the changing tides of this hospo world, it has been really valuable to be able to confide in someone who has been in the industry as long as you and who understands what it means to give it your all, and who also understands when you have nothing else left to give. I’m utterly in awe of her as a person, as a business person, as a mother, and still to this day, her very cool fashion choices.”
Emma Farrelly, State Buildings, on Andy McIntyre, Idle Hands
Emma Farrelly and Andy McIntyre go back to the mid-2000s, when they were, as Emma puts it, “both young kids working in hospitality.” Emma, now Director of Wine and Hospitality at State Buildings, was the one who hired him: a bartender who arrived “with a bit of a rockstar reputation.” “According to him, I taught him everything he knows about wine,” she says, “although I dare say he’s picked up a thing or two along the way by now.”
The friendship has held through everything since. “We’ve remained firm mates throughout our lives and careers, and have seen each other through countless work changes, life updates, relationships, kids and all the other joys and challenges that come with growing up.”
“Andy has been a real rock for me over the years, particularly when it comes to the big life stuff,” Emma says. “He’s one of those people I know I can call, no matter what. In fact, he’s probably the first person I’d call if I ever got arrested.” She has passed that advice on, too. Her boys have been told that if they ever find themselves in trouble with the law, they should call Andy.
“He’s a genuinely great human being, and someone I feel very lucky to have had in my life for so many years,” she says. Now that Andy has a young family of his own, she hopes to be there for them the way he has always been there for her. “From young hospo kids figuring life out to where we are now, it’s been a bloody good journey, and I’m very grateful to call Andy my mate.”
Drew Dawson, The Cool Room and Off Licence, and Bac Pham, North 54
“I first met Bac when we worked together at Peggy’s,” says Drew. “Our friendship was forged through busy services and long days in the kitchen. His sense of humour is infectious, and like me, he doesn’t take life too seriously. He was one of the people who really supported me during the early days of Off Licence, and since then our lives and careers have continued to overlap.”
“We’ve travelled through Vietnam together and visited Bac’s family village, where I was welcomed in like a family member,” Drew says. “I later returned to Vietnam to be his best man at his wedding, something I’ll always feel incredibly honoured by. In turn, I’ve been lucky enough to support Bac through the early North 54 pop ups and the opening of his first permanent site. When we took over The Cool Room, he was there helping me and Charlotte renovate the café on day one.” As Drew puts it, having a friend who understands the highs, the pressure and the sacrifices of hospitality, and who keeps showing up through all of it, is incredibly special.
Bac sees it the same way. “Drew has pretty much covered it all. He’s basically like a brother to me. He comes to family dinners and has met pretty much my whole family in Perth and Vietnam. They all love him, he’s the token white guy in the village,” he says, laughing. “We’ve been each other’s rocks since opening our shops. We don’t get to see each other as much anymore because we’re both so busy, but we still call each other at least once a week just to catch up, talk shit and see how everything’s going. It’s good having someone who understands what it’s like running your own place. We’ve both been there for each other through the good days and the shit ones, and I think that’s what makes our friendship what it is.”
Rob Webster, Normal Van on Evan Hayter from descendent and Cory Rozario, Dahl Daddy’s
“Me, Cory and Evan’s friendship is most definitely rooted in our shared interest in being independent restaurant owners,” says Rob, “which holds its own unique joys and problems that most people don’t understand unless you live it.”
“We usually meet across the street from Normal Van and grab coffee before heading out,” he says. “Sometimes we talk about whatever, but it’s also a great space to bounce personal problems and perspectives off each other to help navigate whatever comes your way that day. Landlords, menu ideas, suppliers, payroll, etcetera. Very unassuming to some, but very much our lives day to day.”
“Needless to say, sometimes you just need someone to talk to when you’re not sure what is going on and maybe second guessing yourself,” Rob says. “But there can also be a quick board game with food on a Tuesday night that helps everyone turn their brain off and talk about something silly.”