The Winery Kitchen Fund

The Winery Kitchen is a beloved, family-run restaurant co-located within Seymour’s picturesque Somerset Crossing Vineyard and Somerset Heritage Produce Farm, backing onto the Goulburn River. Owners Sam and Alessandra Vecchio have run The Winery Kitchen since 2014, offering delicious paddock-to-plate Italian cuisine. The Winery Kitchen has long been a destination for locals and tourists to meet and enjoy fine food and gorgeous scenery.

On Thursday last week, unprecedented rainfall saw the restaurant submerged in water. Thankfully, The Winery Kitchen owners, families and staff are safe. However, high water levels have left their stunning restaurant and equipment essentially destroyed. We expect the clean-up and restoration process will be a timely and costly one, and currently have no indication of when the restaurant may be able to reopen its doors.

Sam and Alessandra have triumphed and kept their community fed despite the numerous adversities faced by their family and their business over the last three years. This devastating storm surge is another hurdle to overcome. Recovery will include restoring the restaurant’s interior and replacing and reinstalling virtually all kitchen equipment, fittings and furniture that have sustained significant water damage.

As the partner of their son Gianni, I have seen just how hard this family has worked to keep their much-loved business moving despite their numerous challenges over the last few years. I want to invite the community to please consider giving generously to support the cleaning and rebuilding effort of this beloved restaurant and family. Any donation of any size is welcome and greatly appreciated.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to those who have already offered their thoughts, kind words, and help in the cleanup process. Our thoughts go out to the other businesses and families affected.