Four-and-a-half decades ago, Alla Wolf-Tasker and her husband, Allan, bought a run-down paddock in the neglected town of Daylesford. The pair spent the next four years building the original restaurant on the weekend, working in Melbourne throughout the week. Fast forward 40 years, and Lake House Daylesford is the single most decorated regional dining destination in Australian history: a blueprint for country hospitality with unmatched character; a byword for country luxury for more than a generation.
That’s all thanks to the singular touch of co-owner and culinary director, a once-in-a-generation operator who continues to cook and host with as much keenness as she does kindness. As the Lake House turns 40, we caught up with Wolf-Tasker and asked what that milestone means to her.
How did you get your start?
I always wanted to cook and wanted to have a restaurant. My post-war, displaced-person, immigrant parents insisted on a “proper career”. Nonetheless, post-academic education, I fled to France and my world changed. It was the seventies – not much to say about food in Australia. In France, however, I spent hours with my nose pressed to windows of boulangeries, charcuteries and fromageries. And I fell in love with the regional restaurants of the time. They were so very deeply immersed in the food culture and produce of their locations.
In Australia, if one ventured out for a country drive, one took a picnic. The chance of finding anything even remotely delicious was very slim.
I wanted a country restaurant in Australia. I wanted it to be, in the words of the French guides of the time, “worthy of a journey”. I had no idea why they weren’t around.
I met and married Allan, an artist, who was an excellent draughtsman and could build. When I told him of my dream he said, “why not”. We had no money. We didn’t stop to consider much.
We bought the run-down paddock in 1979 and spent the next four years hands-on building the original 45-seater restaurant, building on weekends and working in Melbourne the rest of the week. It was a very inauspicious start. We opened in 1984.
When did things really start to gain traction? How?
We managed a very good and early review at a time when not much attention was being paid to anything happening in the regions. People wanted to come, but they’d never heard of Daylesford. They would call to make a booking (I would answer from the kitchen) and we would send them a map by post. It was before fax, let alone email.
They came and wanted to come back. But they also wanted to stay. There really was nowhere. And so, it was clear that our building and development was going to continue and in fact it always has – mostly for the next two decades and certainly for the past two also. There were always new projects, sketched on bar napkins during our travels; ideas gleaned from where the world of hospitality was moving. We never really stayed still.
New kitchens, more interesting lodgings, outdoor decks, private dining spaces. We moved bars several times. The addition of underground cellars (we’ve won Australia’s best wine list and continue to win the highest possible ratings). The latest restaurant refurb was just last year in July. It’s important to reinvest and reenergise; we never rested on our laurels.
We now have many moving parts to Lake House. A cooking school, a café in the botanic gardens, a farm a few minutes down the road, Dairy Flat Farm, where we grow a massive amount of produce for our needs but which also includes a prolific bakehouse supplying our needs and those of the community, a large olive grove, orchard and vineyard. We produce our own wine, cider, olive oil and honey, too.
There has always been forward momentum. The world of food and bespoke hospitality moved and we moved also. Lake House is nothing like the place we opened in 1984.
It is extraordinary and beyond anything I may have dreamt of as a young cook. However, we’ve remained faithful to our original tenets always: the concern about provenance and sustainability, the romance and requirements of genuine hospitality and the pursuit of excellence in one’s craft.
We have watched the fads come and go and learned and absorbed what we needed to. But our fundamentals have always remained the same.
Tell us about some of the special benchmarks and moments over the journey.
There have been many. The awards – virtually every major Australian one: Best Regional Restaurant, Best Regional Hotel, Outstanding Contribution to the Industry, et cetera, all several times (over 78 hats from the Good Food Guide under the one culinary director is a bit of a record), and a few overseas ones as well.
We were invited to join Small Luxury Hotels of the World – at that time a very exclusive and small coterie of gastronomic destinations worldwide.
Being awarded as one of the world’s 100 best hotels by Tatler was pretty special, especially as their reviewer wrote that he would cross oceans to eat my smoked eel and beets; every chef has an ego.
A raft of personal awards as well – it has all left me humbled.
But the greatest accolade of all is return custom. In some cases it’s been over decades, followed by the next generation of the same family. Plenty of repeat visitation by newer young markets keeps us alert to remaining relevant.
Is there any other special sauce to what you do?
Have a vision and bring your people with you. Remember: it’s all about hospitality.
What about the big lessons learned?
Far, far too many to articulate and I’m still learning every day.
Any regrets?
Only the big one: that Allan is no longer here to enjoy the fruits of our labour. My heart will always be sad, but I wouldn’t have changed our life for quids.
What’s been the key to scaling up successfully for you guys?
Hard work, determination. Patience. We’ve never taken on a partner, even when we were desperate and it was very tempting. Silent partners rarely remain silent. Especially when times get tough.
We’re working harder than ever to ensure the customer experience is truly enjoyed. Becoming better at what we do and how we do it. We listen to what our guests are asking for – adding interesting events and special occasions. But it’s a particularly difficult moment for the industry and our guests.
You’ve weathered challenging times before; do you have any advice for other operators who are hurting?
The industry needs to unite and be proactive in ensuring governments understand what is at stake. Hospitality and tourism are arguably amongst the most labour intensive of our industries. They also need to be recognised as valid and important careers. At the end of the day, Australia will get the industry it deserves. We stand to lose small owner-operated businesses both in the city and in the regions that contribute to the rich tapestry of our lives. They are critical.
Lake House Daylesford, 4 King St, Daylesford, (03) 5348 3329, lakehouse.com.au, @lakehousedaylesford