A Tavola!

Dom Gattermayr

Whether it’s a simple sausage with all the trimmings or a seasonal cake, Dom Gattermayr’s approach to food is generous in flavour and honest in execution. The Melbourne-based chef and co-founder of neighbourhood favourites Florian and Juniper grew up above her parents’ café, surrounded by food. We had the pleasure of sitting down with Dom to talk about those formative years, underrated ingredients, why Nigel Slater is her dream dinner guest, and more…

Photography LAYLA CLUER

Growing up we weren’t kids’ menu kids. Food was always around, and I loved it from early on.

SE:You were a hospitality kid… What was it like growing up above your parents’ café? Do you have any early memories that planted the seed for you to follow in their footsteps?
DG:It was the dream! My sister and I would slide down this incredibly steep staircase from our apartment above the café, straight through the back door and into the kitchen. My parents owned a bunch of cafés in the area over the years—I still have people tell me they remember me running around as a kid (which I now realise was probably very annoying).

Growing up we weren’t kids’ menu kids. Food was always around, and I loved it from early on. My parents were constantly evolving their businesses, while still keeping a close-knit family, friendships, and creative hobbies going. At the time it just felt normal, but looking back, I realise how lucky I was to have such strong role models. It meant I was never scared of the hospitality industry or its long, irregular hours—they showed me how to make it work.

I’ve always had strong female role models, but seeing the way Kings was run reminded me, again, of what’s possible.

SE: And then, in your early twenties, you ended up in New York—working in the art world before Florian and Juniper came into being. What was that time like, and how did it shape the way you approach hospitality now?
DG:Definitely. I was working in events at a museum, which taught me a lot about fast-paced environments and large-scale projects. Moving there was my first real taste of independence—I’d never been to the city before and didn’t know anyone, so I wasn’t quite prepared for how alone I’d feel. Food became something familiar in such a big place. I didn’t have much money, but what I did have, I spent on eating out wherever I could. I’d research places obsessively—every bite had to count.

I definitely turned a corner in New York and realised that a career in hospitality could take so many different forms. It was around the time cooking became “cool” again—Chef’s Table had just come out, and suddenly people were engaging with restaurants in a whole new way. That’s a far cry from what I set out to build when I got back to Melbourne, but it really shifted my mindset. I started to see hospitality as something creative, something you could make your own.

One place that really stayed with me is King, a restaurant in NYC run by an all-female team. Everything they do is beautiful, but it doesn’t feel like anything else I’d seen plastered all over social media. ’ve always had strong female role models, but seeing the way Kings was run reminded me, again, of what’s possible.
SE:Let’s talk ingredients—what’s something underrated that you always find yourself reaching for?
DG:Fennel seeds. I use them in so much…toasted and crushed as a garnish, they give a rich nutty, sweet, aniseed flavour that can complete a dish that may have felt a little boring and also adds a mesmerising aroma. They’re great in both savoury and sweet dishes

SE:Is there a dish that feels like a personal signature—or one that reflects your approach to food and hosting?
DG:The trusty old sausage and probably, more specifically, the Frankfurt. I serve them with mustard, horseradish, tomato sauce, sauerkraut, potato salad, and cucumber salad. The full spread. When I think of myself as a dish, I think of this. It’s either my Austrian side coming through or just my love for simple, satisfying food made with good ingredients. It might be a bit daggy, but it’s one of my favourite meals—and always something I look forward to.

SE:If you could invite anyone to dinner, who would it be—and what would you talk about?
DG:Nigel Slater. I just finished reading his memoir Toast after spending time with one of his cookbooks. I love the way he writes about food—how different dishes or ingredients become memory markers throughout his life. As he’s a great storyteller, I think he would make a great dinner guest, and I would love to pick his brain about his many recipes and anecdotes.