EXCLUSIVE: One of Melbourne’s most iconic restaurants, Donovans, is set to change owners for the first time since it opened in 1997.
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“This is our home,” says Gail Donovan. “If we weren’t able to orchestrate Nick to take over from us, I would be bereft. As it is, I’m so happy for him. He’s been looking for this opportunity, and we’re leaving the restaurant in the safest of hands.”Wayne Taylor “Everything stays the same,” says Parkhouse, a highly credentialed sommelier who has worked for the Grossi family and Colonial Leisure Group in senior roles. “What Gail and Kevin have created is one of the most iconic restaurants, not only in Melbourne, but Australia. It’s so revered and loved and there’s not a damn thing that’s going to change. It’s my honour to carry the mantle.”A sad necessity has prompted the change.
Parkhouse has been working at the restaurant for seven years. “He rocked up for Christmas as a fill-in,” says Gail Donovan. “Kev said to me, ‘That guy Nick, he’s walked in like he’s meant to be here.’ After a month, Kev said, ‘My God, when Nick walks around that room, it’s like looking at myself.’ Over the years he’s been here, he’s become part of the family. He’s the child we never had. We’ve adopted Nick and he’s adopted us. We’re his parents, whether he likes it or not.
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