New passion for eatery

ONE of the institutions that helped put a Huon Valley town on the national gourmet foodie map will soon reopen its doors under new ownership.

The renowned Red Velvet Lounge, which first opened in Cygnet in 1997, closed last month under former owners Joe Pickett and Isabel Sykes.

The couple bought the popular restaurant in 2016 from award-winning chef Steve Cumper about a year after it reopened following a devastating fire in November 2014.

Cygnet locals Kate Sullivan and Ben Wood will reopen the RVL on March 10.

The couple have both worked in hospitality for all their working lives, with Ms

Sullivan part of the management crew at former Salamanca eatery Smolt.

She said they had always wanted to have their own venue.

“The Red Velvet is one of those institutional places that whenever you mention living in Cygnet, people say ‘I’ve been there’,” she said.

“We were looking on Facebook one day and saw it was for sale and we thought it was the one and the right time to go for it.

“Cygnet is really growing as a foodie destination so we’re really excited about slotting into that.”

Ms Sullivan said while not wanting to give too much away about the new version of the restaurant, she said it would no longer be vegetarian.

“We’ll be drawing on all the stuff that we’ve loved from past work experiences,” she said.

“This is our passion and our lives. People can expect food coming from a place of love.”

Meanwhile, mystery surrounds the fate of the acclaimed Westend Pumphouse in central Hobart.

The restaurant, bar and coffee house was often mentioned alongside lauded eateries such as Ethos and the now also closed Garagistes as contributing to Hobart as a must-do dining destination.

Originally owned by Alastair Derham of the New Sydney Hotel, Westend Pumphouse opened more than six years ago, with new owners taking over the reins in 2018.

The restaurant quietly closed late last year, with no explanation and no current real estate listing for the lease of the site.