The Agrarian Kitchen—A Living Celebration of Seasonality and Place
A true celebration of Tasmanian seasonality, The Agrarian Kitchen blends growing, cooking, and dining into an immersive experience rooted in place and purpose.
Words HANDE RENSHAW Photos ADAM GIBSON & ANNA CRITCHLEY
Set within the historic Bronte building at Willow Court, The Agrarian Kitchen blends heritage architecture with a flourishing kitchen garden—a living backdrop to its farm-to-table philosophy. Photo: Adam Gibson. Main hero photo: Anna Critchley
The Agrarian Kitchen founders, Rodney Dunn and Séverine Demanet. Photo: Adam Gibson
Tending the soil within The Agrarian Kitchen’s garden—a space where seasonal rhythms and regenerative practices nourish both produce and philosophy. Photo: Anna Critchley
A seasonal plate from The Agrarian Kitchen Kiosk—house-made pastry and garden-fresh salad best enjoyed under the sun on the front lawn. Photo: Anna Critchley
“The Agrarian Kitchen’s garden is at the heart of the whole enterprise.”
A celebration of seasonality— ibrant produce harvested at its peak forms the foundation of The Agrarian Kitchen’s garden-to-table philosophy. Photo: Anna Critchley
Inside the greenhouse at The Agrarian Kitchen—a place of learning, growing, and shared insight, where visitors connect directly with the fresh produce. Photo: Anna Critchley
Seedlings take root in the greenhouse—a quiet beginning to the garden-led philosophy that shapes every dish and class at The Agrarian Kitchen. Photo: Anna Critchley
The walled kitchen garden at The Agrarian Kitchen—a one-acre, regenerative space that fuels the restaurant, kiosk, and cooking school with seasonal abundance. Photo: Adam Gibson
On the menu: house-made charcuterie, cultured butter, and wood-fired sourdough, all grounded in a deep respect for craft. Photo: Anna Critchley
The restaurant’s dining room reflects The Agrarian Kitchen’s ethos—grounded in simplicity, warmth, and a sense of belonging. Photo: Anna Critchley
“The Agrarian Kitchen is a celebration of provenance through growing, teaching and dining.”
Founder Rodney Dunn leads a hands-on cooking class inside The Agrarian Kitchen’s purpose-built school—a space designed for learning, connection, and the joy of making from scratch. Photo: Anna Critchley
Preserved produce, drying flowers, and pared-back detail—a quiet corner of The Agrarian Kitchen that speaks to its philosophy of seasonality, simplicity, and care. Photo: Anna Critchley
Wood-fired cooking brings depth and tradition to dishes crafted from the garden and land. Photo: Anna Critchley
In the heart of Tasmania’s Derwent Valley, The Agrarian Kitchen stands as a deeply rooted expression of provenance—a place where growing, teaching, and dining converge.
Founded in 2008 by Rodney Dunn and Séverine Demanet, the now-iconic venture has evolved from a humble cooking schoo into a multifaceted destination comprising a celebrated restaurant, cooking school, and casual kiosk—all anchored by a one-acre walled kitchen garden.
At its core, The Agrarian Kitchen honours authenticity. What began as a personal quest to reconnect with the land has grown into a nationally renowned institution. Rodney’s background—spanning fine dining under Tetsuya Wakuda to editorial work at Gourmet Traveller—informs a culinary philosophy that’s grounded and ingredient-driven. Alongside Séverine’s strategic and operational leadership, the pair have created an experience that is as immersive as it is intentional.
Relocating to the historic Bronte building in New Norfolk’s Willow Court precinct in 2017 marked a defining new chapter. Here, vast ceilings, original pressed metalwork, and sun-filled windows set the tone for the restaurant’s warm yet refined interiors. It was only fitting that the cooking school would follow in 2022, joining the restaurant and kiosk in a purpose-built wing—making the Bronte site a true home for The Agrarian Kitchen’s holistic vision.
The restaurant, now under the direction of head chef Stephen Peak, is a compelling expression of the land. Over 90% of the menu’s ingredients are sourced from the kitchen garden just metres away, with local growers and producers supplementing the rest. Guests are taken on a sensory journey, beginning with a snack course in the garden before sitting down to a seasonal, eight-course set menu. Dishes are shaped not only by what’s ripe in the garden, but by in-house crafts like cheese making, fermentation, whole-animal butchery, and wood-fired cooking—all carried out using tools and ovens built from reclaimed bricks on-site.
Beyond dining, The Agrarian Kitchen offers hands-on cooking and gardening classes that reflect their ethos of learning through doing. From cheese and bread making to composting and seed propagation, the classes are rooted in seasonal awareness and self-sufficiency. Guests learn how to break down a carcass, bake sourdough, or build a thriving vegetable patch—all under the guidance of passionate educators.
At the heart of it all is the garden. Designed by head gardener Mitch Thiessen, it is the lifeblood of the operation—a regenerative, organic system that feeds the kitchen, fuels the classes, and nurtures a philosophy of circularity and care.
The Agrarian Kitchen isn’t just a place to eat or learn. It’s a living, breathing ecosystem—one that celebrates where food comes from and the stories it carries with it.
The Agrarian Kitchen
11a The Avenue, New Norfolk
Tasmania Australia
Follow @agrariankitchen on Instagram
