Ombra started because I was tired of what hospitality had become. Too many places chasing the latest trend, plating for Instagram, or trying to be the loudest in the room. Somewhere along the way, the simple joy of good food and genuine service got lost in a sea of cost-cutting and corporate mediocrity.

I wanted to build the opposite. Something smaller, more honest, the kind of Osteria you’d stumble across in the outskirts of any Italian city. A place where the pasta’s fresh, the desserts are handmade, and the people serving you actually care that you leave happier than when you arrived.

My own journey started young, when I flipped a coin to decide between becoming an architect or a chef. The coin landed on chef — and it turned out to be the best toss I ever made. From there I trained in kitchens across Brisbane, worked in remote corners of Australia, and eventually travelled abroad, cooking and eating my way through Europe. London sharpened my skills, while a small pasta shop in Milan reminded me how something so simple could be unforgettable.

Newstead became Ombra’s first little home, a tiny, buzzing, full-of-energy place. Chermside came next, calmer, with room to breathe, where mornings roll into coffees and evenings into long pasta dinners. Both are Ombra through and through, just with their own pace.

I actually named Ombra after my dog, Shadow, who had recently passed away; ombra is of course, the Italian word for shadow. Shadow was the best boy, my kitchen buddy who I could rely on to give me his honest opinion of my cooking…. which somehow always came to “not enough”…. funny that….
When he passed away, I decided he deserved his name up in lights. His spirit, his memory, even his love of sneaking lamb… they’re all woven into this place. Ombra isn’t polished or perfect; it’s just real.

A little fact: Shadow’s favourite food was lamb. That’s why you’ll always see a lamb dish on our menu. When you sit down to our 18-hour slow-cooked lamb ragu, you’re not just enjoying one of our signature pasta, you’re also sharing his favourite meal.

At Ombra, we love pasta, it’s what we do.
Our menu is small and rotates often, built on seasonal availability, and we make as much as we can by hand. Years of training, travelling, and experimenting taught me a lot, but the biggest lesson was simple: good food doesn’t need to be complicated, just honest.

So pull up a chair, bring a friend, and make yourself at home. That’s Ombra.