Co-founders Rodney Dunn and Séverine Demanet opened the original cooking school and farm in 2008. For seven years, they shared their passion for connecting back to the earth by growing and cooking authentic food from their home in the Old Schoolhouse in Lachlan, Tasmania.

The next chapter began in 2015 after Rodney and Séverine fell in love with the Bronte building in New Norfolk’s Willow Court, the town’s old mental asylum. With expansive spaces, sweeping windows and high ceilings lined with the original pressed metal, the building begged to be filled with diners. The Agrarian Kitchen restaurant was born in June 2017. 

The kiosk opened in 2020, offering a casual outdoor area from which to enjoy a selection of house-made pastries, cakes, sandwiches and salads. An ever-changing menu makes the most of the on-site garden and other local produce, reflecting the very best of the season, amid a relaxed atmosphere of umbrellas, picnic tables and rugs. 

In 2022, the cooking school relocated from Rodney and Séverine’s farm to Willow Court, joining the restaurant and kiosk in a newly-constructed wing of the building with a purpose-built kitchen. 

At the heart of The Agrarian Kitchen is the kitchen garden, located just metres behind the Bronte building. Food-focused in its design, it features a wide array of seasonal fruit and vegetables, as well as a berry patch, greenhouse, shade house, nursery, orchards and citrus grove. The garden informs every aspect of the menu and drives creativity in the restaurant, kiosk and cooking school, serving as a space for learning, insight and inspiration.