Community is at the heart of everything we do.
We often get asked how did you end up in Carool? Back in June 2006, we happened to be at Gareth’s parents farm in Northern Ireland. Looking out over the fields, we each donned a pair of rose-coloured glasses and thought how nice it would be to own a place in the country. So, we flew home to Australia and promptly hit the real estate trail.
Although buying a property in Northern NSW made no sense as a weekender as Sydney residents, it made a lot of sense should we decide to move there permanently. It was close to Pete’s family on the GC and the weather was a whole lot better than moving south.
When we told our friends in 2009 that we were giving up Sydney for good and were moving to Carool there was a sea of mixed reactions – shock and surprise, disbelief, support and healthy dose of good on you! Besides, it’s only an hour away by plane. Fortunately, almost all of our friendships have survived the tyranny of distance – it also helps when you live in a beautiful part of the world. Needless to say a few of them have moved up to the region and I suspect there will be more in the future.
We always knew that we would do something with the property. Opening Potager I guess was the manifestation of a dream. Gareth had many years of cooking experience gained here and overseas and I (Pete) had years of experience eating in restaurants and having a good time – and in between that headed up marketing for some big companies. Between the two of us we wanted to create something really special – and we feel we have succeeded.
Sadly, in October 2019, after a short battle with cancer, Gareth passed away at only age 47. Not a day goes by where we don’t feel his presence in the restaurant. Whilst we miss him terribly, we’re all extremely proud to be passionately continuing his legacy, taking Potager from strength to strength.
We thank you for being part of our journey.
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