FCSI_2015_Q1_Frank Camorra

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B BRIEFING FRANK CAMORRA b

H aving had the pleasure to meet Camorra several years ago, I can

recall his cheery and passionate demeanor. It left a lasting impression with me, one that was given further substance when we met again recently for this interview. Once again, Camorra came across impressively – a passionate and approachable foodie, but also a clever businessman, his award-winning MoVida establishments have changed the way people in Melbourne eat.

Growing up in Andalusia in Southern Spain, as a young child Camorra feasted on produce such as jamón (local ham), olives, game and wild boar. He recently worked with writer Richard Cornish on his sixth book, MoVida Solera, which explores the best of the region’s artisans and their produce. “For each province of Andalusia we also listed the places that the locals go to eat, alongside authentic recipes.”

When he was five years old, Camorra’s family moved to the coastal town of Geelong in Victoria, Australia. Inspired by design, Camorra initially studied architecture. He eventually left to work as an apprentice chef because he wanted “to do something I really love”. Geelong’s limited dining scene prompted him to take the opportunity to “get his foot in the door in Melbourne” and work

Child of SpainMoving to Australia from Spain with his family at the

age of five, Frank Camorra never forgot the tastes and flavours of his place of birth. Jacklyn Lloyd discovers how he was

inspired to introduce them to Melbourne

aesthetic of these is apparent in MoVida’s fit-out.

“If you’re in Spain in a classic restaurant it has a big bar and a dining room and you can decide on what to eat within both areas – similar to a French bistro, or an Italian trattoria.” To mirror this concept MoVida also has a long bar where diners can eat, which sits alongside a more formal dining area.

Inspired by his frequent trips to Spain, Camorra aspired to introduce tapas-style eating to Melbourne but felt that diners weren’t yet ready for this in 2003. “People weren’t used to sitting at a bar and eating that casually. Whereas people in Spain often stand up and eat, people in Melbourne wouldn’t do that.” Despite this he says: “The way >

with the Grossi family, highly regarded for their award-winning Grossi Florentino Italian restaurant.

Having mastered Italian cuisine in Melbourne, Camorra’s childhood memories beckoned and he decided to travel back to Spain and get reacquainted with its cuisine. “My professional background was in Italian cooking, but all Mediterranean cuisine shares similar flavours. So I travelled and worked throughout Spain and tried to get exposure to all its cuisines – I sent about 45 cook books home.”

Unable to find a job in a Spanish restaurant when he returned to Melbourne, Camorra and his partner Vanessa opened up a temporary restaurant within an existing inner-city pub before his first MoVida restaurant opened in 2003.

Situated in a cobbled laneway, MoVida looks out onto Hosier Lane’s infamous graffitied walls and is located alongside what is now MoVida Next Door, Camorra’s second restaurant. Because the budget was limited when MoVida moved on to the site Camorra admits: “We kept a lot of the existing elements such as the terracotta tiles and high ceilings.” Nonetheless he took inspiration from classic Spanish restaurants and the

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people in Melbourne eat is unique.” It was important for Camorra to wait

for the right moment to launch MoVida Next Door, with MoVida being the precursor. Today MoVida Next Door is a hugely successful no-bookings restaurant with a strictly tapas-style menu. It would seem that Camorra’s timing paid off, as many would argue that he single-handedly brought tapas culture to Melbourne.

“Changing the way people eat and seeing them embrace the long bar and tapas-style of eating – actually getting it,” Camorra says, is the highlight of his career.

MoVida Next Door stands out as restaurant close to Camorra’s heart – and mine. “It’s most like a Spanish casual tapas bar and yet it’s quintessentially Melbourne,” says Camorra, referring to the atmosphere, shared food and the liveliness. “It’s simple cooking with good produce that’s memorable and showcases >

good technique,” he explains. Each night the long bar dotted with high tables buzzes with inner-city diners sipping happily on bottles of Moritz beer (from Catalonia, Spain) and awaiting sizzling plates of prawns and calamari.

Having won numerous culinary awards such as The Age Good Food Guide award in 2009 for Chef of the Year

and two chef’s hats for MoVida, his other establishments have also

achieved similar success over the years.

Taking inspiration from a restaurant in Barcelona named Inopia, which is unfortunately no longer

open, MoVida Aqui, in Melbourne’s inner central

business district (CBD) has its own unique feel. “We use

Spanish brands and their vintage logos as artwork and decoration to give it its distinct style,” says Camorra.

Camorra’s other venues include Bar Pulpo at Melbourne airport and MoVida in Sydney airport, Paco’s

Awards and Recognition

2007 & 2008: MoVida awarded One Chef Hat - The Age Good Food Guide.

2007: MoVida awarded Dish of the Year - The Age Good Food Guide for the Cecina – cured Wagyu with truffle foam.

2007: MoVida cookbook published. Awarded the best book by a chef 2008 in the Food Media Awards, best designed book of 2008 in the APA awards. 50,000 copies sold to date.

2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013: MoVida awarded Two Chef’s Hats- The Age Good Food Guide.

2009: Frank Camorra awarded Chef of the Year - The Age Good Food Guide.

2009: Publication of MoVida Rustica. Won the prestigious World Cordon Bleu Award for the Best Hard Cover cookbook 2010 – 40,000 copies sold to date.

Nov. 2009: MoVida Aqui restaurant opens in the commercial centre of Melbourne at 500 Bourke Street. On the terrace adjacent to Aqui the taqueria and bar Paco’s Tacos was launched in late 2011.

2011, 2012 & 2013: MoVida Aqui awarded One Chef Hat - The Age Good Food Guide.

2010: MoVida Next Door awarded Donleavy Fitzpatrick award - The Age Good Food Guide.

2011: publication of MoVida Cocina – Spanish Flavours From Five Kitchens and MoVida Barcelona.

Jan. 2012: Bar Pulpo by MoVida opens gateside at the Melbourne International Airport.

April 2012: MoVida Bakery opens in South Yarra, Melbourne.

October 2012: MoVida Sydney opens.

Bottom: Tapas culture with a Melbourne twist at

MoVida Aqui

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Tacos, a mid-week taqueria, and most recently MoVida Sydney, which opened in 2012.

MoVida Sydney reflects the same menu and design aesthetic as its sister restaurant in Melbourne. Camorra says: “The restaurant tries to take the best parts of each MoVida restaurant in Melbourne, for example the long windows that open up at MoVida Next Door, which is a perfect concept for the warm Sydney climate.”

Working closely with his architect friend Adam Dettrick, all of Camorra’s restaurants reference an authentic Spanish dining experience. “Atmosphere is created by the form of the design and this includes open kitchens and social spaces.” The long bar and shared dining experience seem to be the elements that links each of Camorra’s venues. In his opinion, “the long bar is probably the best place to sit in a restaurant”.

All of Camorra’s restaurants also house a charcoal or wood-fired oven or grill to help create an authentic smoky Spanish flavour, and the chef also uses sous-vide machines to help achieve succulent slow-cooked braises.

“The better the kitchen design, the smoother the operation and the better the product at the end of day.” Camorra notes, “All the components need to work well together to make the kitchen flow. The key to MoVida’s success is the atmosphere it creates and encourages.”

Despite having imported jamón on hand, at the end of a busy day Camorra likes nothing more than to indulge in a simple toasted cheese and tinned spaghetti sandwich. Camorra’s guilty pleasures can be forgiven as 2015 is looking to be a busy year, with plans to open MoVida in Bali.

“The idea is to expand tapas-style eating in Asia,” he says. Regardless of Camorra’s next move I’m sure he’ll revolutionise the way people dine wherever he goes.

Frank Camorra’s background MoVida chef & owner Frank Camorra was born in Barcelona and spent his first five years in his parents’ hometown of Córdoba in Andalusia, before his parents migrated to Australia.

Frank trained under the Grossi family at their original Café Grossi in Toorak. In 2000, he returned to work in Spain and was inspired by both the modern and traditional aspects of Spanish cuisine as well as the dynamic tapas

culture, which he thought would translate well to Melbourne’s vibrant CBD.

Returning to Australia, Frank was determined to share his inspiration. In fact, MoVida is named after the art and film movement that flourished in Madrid during Spain’s cultural reawakening in the late 1970s. This innovative era – full of exuberant energy and freedom of character – is another source that MoVida draws on.

Below: Camorra has taken the MoVida brand to Sydney

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