Two weeks ago, Shannon Martinez opened a new Smith & Deli on Degraves Street in the CBD. It’s her first outside Melbourne’s inner north, and the first of more to come for the well-known plant-based brand. There are big moves ahead, including a national expansion, thanks to some sharp new ideas and a new business partner, impact investor Kelly Jarrett.
“I didn’t think the business was going to make it to be honest,” said Martinez. “Nothing besides survival was on the cards for me for a while, that was until I met my business partner who has breathed new life into the business. Once Kelly came on board, the plan was always to open up another one.”
So far, the signals suggest the pair are onto a good thing with the new location. Martinez describes the foot traffic as “out of this world”, the selection of healthy grab-and-go dishes is proving a hit with the lunch crowds, and the liquor licence that came with the space was exactly the encouragement Martinez needed to trade from morning to afternoon and into the evening.
Come time for a knock-off, you’ll find a handful of greatest hits transplanted over from sibling venue Smith & Daughters. This might look like hefty Padrón and cheese croquetas spilling out the top of your tortilla. It might look like koftas bathed in Martinez’s tomato bravas sauce. And it will probably look like that gluten-free focaccia we’ve come to know and love. Order up from a tidy list of vegan wines and you’ve got yourself a plant party any night of the week.
The rocketing trade at their new CBD spot, and all those croquetas flying out the door, point towards more locations much further afield. First stop, Brisbane.
“We’ve noticed customers will come here to stock up and take things on the plane to take home,” says Martinez. “It’s about making big things a little bit easier for our customers, which is why we’re hoping to open in Brisbane next year. We are looking at opening one on the southside here as well, but we’ll see how it goes with the city.”
Martinez believes part of the hard work is already out of the way, and that people don’t need to be convinced to eat plant-based food anymore. Instead, she says it’s more about giving them a great place to eat it. And the proof is in the pudding. Alongside Martinez and Jarrett’s three venues, the Smith & Deli meal delivery service is going gangbusters across Victoria and New South Wales, and there’s plans to expand into Adelaide and beyond to test the waters – and appetites – for plant-based dining across Australia.
And if all goes ahead, there will be more than one way to lose yourself in the world of Smith & Deli. The team is looking to introduce Martinez’s stellar plant-based recipes and products as food-service options for restaurants far and wide, giving chefs a delicious shortcut to a supercharged vegan section on their menu.
“There is just a lack of Australian plant-based products available in general for food service, so we’re going to try and fill that gap,” says Martinez. “Pub groups out there that may need to put on a good vegan selection but might not have the time to dedicate to it.
“I’m going to start off with ingredients that chefs will be able to put their own spin on, so they can make it their own. Whether that be bases for lasagne or some great condiments, it’ll be there to make their lives easier.”
Do you want a more immediate Smith & Deli fix? Martinez has just debuted the brand’s winter menu at her new city diner, and it’s full of plant-based bangers that the chef is known for: meatballs and creamy polenta, mac and cheese, winter-ready soups primed for the coolest Melbourne days, and a bountiful braised chickpea and rapa number she says she could eat all winter long. Don’t miss it.
Smith & Deli CBD, 16 Degraves St, Melbourne, Mon-Sat 8am-9pm, Sun 8am-7pm, smithanddeli.com, @smithanddeli, @shannon_martinez
By Rick Stephens