Bendigo food lovers have been left reeling after yesterday’s announcement that after 12 years, beloved hatted restaurant Masons of Bendigo is set to close.

“We want to pass the tongs on to new blood and are selling the lease, fittings, plant, and equipment, but not the name or goodwill,” says Sonia Anthony, who owns the restaurant with her husband, Nick Anthony.

They have priced the deal to sell and hope to have served their last meal by Christmas. “It was always in our plan to finish here after the kids left home,” says Sonia. “And they fledged the nest two years ago.”

When it opened in March 2012, Masons of Bendigo was one of Victoria’s few restaurants with a laser focus on local produce. The Anthonys’ demand for quality local produce helped small farmers in the area flourish.

“We’re selling it at a price where some young blood can build a business with their own flavours.”

Sonia Anthony

Jason and Belinda Hagen of McIvor Farms started their free-range farm the same year Masons opened. “Being named on their menu was essential to our success,” says Belinda Hagen. “Their focus from day one was supporting local producers; they led tours from paddock to table, they have a great ethos, have supported us and other small farmers, and sung our song from markets to tourism. We have been blessed to have them, and they will be sorely missed.”

“I believe they were integral to Bendigo’s success in being awarded the UNESCO
City of Gastronomy in 2019,” says Kathryn Mackenzie OAM, former executive
manager of tourism at the City of Bendigo. “For Nick and Sonia, it has never been just about food and wine. They understand conviviality, Indigenous culture, and cultures from around the world.”

Mackenzie points to Sonia Anthony’s role in revitalising the Bendigo Farmers Market, where she brought the best local vegetables, fruit, dairy, meat, seeds and honey into the heart of the city.

“Bendigo took on a new sense of pride in itself,” she says. “Nick and Sonia have been instrumental in that.”

The loss has been felt across the regional city and the sector. “Bendigo is such a small community; we all pull together to create a great food and wine offering,” says Ellis Nuttall, former Movida sommelier and now co-owner of Ms Batterhams in Bendigo.

“They (Masons) have a strong following, and we hope someone comes to town and builds a business that is just as good.”

“When we sell, there will be no more Masons,” says Sonia. “Nick and I came back to Bendigo and took a rundown café and turned it into something everyone could be proud of. We’re selling it at a price where some young blood can build a business with their own flavours.”

25 Queen Street, Bendigo masonsofbendigo.com.au