Brad Cooper & Matilda Riek

• LC: Let's begin at the beginning, what first drew each of you to hospitality, and how did your paths eventually cross?
  

• BC: I started like most chefs, working at a local place washing dishes. The head chef at the time suggested I take on a chef apprenticeship, and that's where it all started. Matilda and I met at a cafe called Florence, about six years ago. She was at uni at the time, working front-of-house, and I was in the kitchen. We’re lucky in that we have always worked well together.

...restrictions give you freedom in other ways because you know what you have to work with.

• LC: You've now built both a restaurant and a life together. Speaking of building things, restaurants rarely have the opportunity to begin with a space as distinctive as this. Did the building shape your vision for August or was it the other way around?

• MR: It was definitely a little bit of both. We knew we wanted to find a building with a bit of character, rather than a new build. And spent quite a few months looking at properties that weren’t quite right. When I saw this place, I could immediately picture the restaurant. There were quite a few restrictions that came with the building being heritage-listed, but those restrictions give you freedom in other ways because you know what you have to work with.
  
  The food at August very much represents Brad’s style, but it might have been different if we were in a different space. Like the building, it feels both modern and classic, taking cues from European cooking while remaining distinctly Australian. A lot of people walk in and say that the building just feels like a big timber Queenslander. I think the white plates and tablecloths also mirror the simplicity of the building’s form nicely. 
  

• LC: August feels both timeless and distinctly Australian. What places, people or meals have shaped the way you cook and host?

• MR: I grew up in a family that was very much focused on good food. My mum always says she wakes up in the morning and immediately thinks about what she is having for dinner. She made everything from scratch, and we sat down at the dinner table every night for a shared meal. She's an incredibly generous cook and, to this day, is just as likely to drop off a batch of baked goods as she is to host a dinner party for forty. 
  
  

• BC: I think for me, it's not so much about particular meals or people, but the amount of time that I spent in kitchens. I’ve cooked in so many different environments; there have been so many different cooking styles and personalities along the way. Over the years I’ve slowly worked out what I like and don’t like. I also have a very extensive cookbook collection, and a very good memory – I can remember meals almost exactly that I ate over 10 years ago! 

• LC:  Brad, your cooking seems to draw on a lot of classic European recipes and techniques, yet it never feels nostalgic. How do you decide what deserves to be preserved and what should be reimagined?

• BC: I think there are some European dishes that I would never think about changing - things like puntarelle alla romana, bouillabaisse, leeks vinaigrette. These are all well loved for a reason. When I think about changing a dish, I try to consider how I would like to eat it. The Australian seasons and weather contribute to these considerations. I suppose I also think about Australian food culture and how people prefer to eat - too much offal and rich French food isn’t always a hit! I think making things approachable is always important.

• LC: If the savoury courses are about comfort and nourishment, dessert often feels like the moment a meal becomes a celebration. Matilda, your Saturday dessert trolley seems to capture that perfectly. What role does dessert play in the experience you're trying to create?

• MR: The response to the dessert trolley has been so positive! I don’t think dessert is something you make for yourself every day, so it always makes a meal feel more special. I think there is something about the shared nature of the dessert trolley that people like too. They can watch as we wheel it around the room, serving the table next to theirs, while they decide what to order.

• LC: Generosity seems to be a recurring theme throughout everything you've spoken about. It's interesting that the word hospitality shares its roots with hospital—a place of care. Beyond serving good food and wine, what does making people feel genuinely looked after mean to each of you?

Good food is really just one part of a memorable meal...

• MR: This is something we really try and focus on at August. Good food is really just one part of a memorable meal — I think what people really remember is how they were treated, and how they were made to feel. We’re lucky to have very dedicated staff who feel the same way and spend a lot of time with our customers. It’s also good to remember that everyone is dining for a different reason — some people might be celebrating, others might have had a really awful day. A restaurant should uplift and welcome you from the moment you walk in, and if we can make people feel even a little bit happier when they leave than when they arrived, then that’s enough.

• LC:The idea of generosity seems to extend beyond the table at August. Your dining room has this wonderful ability to shift from a neighbourhood restaurant to a venue for larger celebrations. What do you enjoy most about hosting larger gatherings?

We serve everything share-style down the middle of long tables, which encourages guests to interact and creates a feeling of generosity and celebration."

• MR: We feel so grateful that people ask us to host their weddings, big birthdays, and special events. It is so rewarding to help people plan every detail of their event, and then watch it all come together. Something we don’t do is an ‘alternate drop’ style menu. Instead, we serve everything share-style down the middle of long tables, which encourages guests to interact and creates a feeling of generosity and celebration.

• LC: A few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to celebrate Softedge's sixth birthday at August. Looking back, was there a moment from the afternoon that captured what August is all about?
  
  

• MR: I think the moment towards the end of the meal. Everyone started to get up from their seats, and our chefs came out of the kitchen to keep on chatting to other guests. It was really an example of how food can be so unifying — so many people had only just met, but speaking with everyone felt so familiar, effortless and genuine.

• LC: Totally. So many people arrived as relative strangers, yet everyone left as friends. It was a really affirming moment for me, a good reminder of just how powerful food can be in creating connection. To finish, a couple of quick-fire questions: if winter had a flavour, what would it be?

• MR: Fennel and quince!
  
  

• BC: Mushrooms, I only cook mushrooms in winter.
  

• LC: What's the last meal that completely stopped you in your tracks?

• MR: We were lucky enough to visit The River Cafe earlier this year, and it was as exceptional as I’d hoped. Their large, open-plan kitchen and dining room, and the efficiency of their staff, created an energy that I found hugely motivating. And, despite their fame, their approach to hospitality felt so approachable.
  
  

• BC: This makes us sound a lot fancier than we are, but we also visited The Ritz in London. The whole experience is actually quite hard to explain – from the elegant service to the room, to the silverware and servingware, it was perfect, and surprisingly very unpretentious. The lemon sole we ordered was cooked and filleted at our table, then plated in front of you with lobster claw, clams, and stuffed mussels. Definitely worth the price!

• LC: Death row dish?

• MR: Some kind of pasta, always!
  
  

• BC: My dad’s big breakfast – steak, eggs, grilled tomato, grilled mushrooms, white toast with lots of butter.
  
  

• LC: And finally, who's cooking on your day off?
  
  

• MR: I am very much the home cook and do all the cooking on our days off!
  
  

• BR: Matilda does it all, I use way too many dishes for a home kitchen…