Hope St Radio in Collingwood Yards is known for its pillowy focaccia, community focus, and occasional celebrity sightings, like Dua Lipa and Troye Sivan back in 2022.

Founding head chef Ellie Bouhadana left in May, after the release of her debut cookbook Ellie’s Table, to focus on food writing.

Owners Pete Baxter and Jack Shaw have now handed over the kitchen to head chef Blake Ellis, who is new to Melbourne and previously worked at Perth venues Wines of While, Si Paradiso and Casa.

We think you might like Access. For $12 a month, join our membership program to stay in the know.

SIGN UP

Ellis started his career in restaurants but took a break in his early twenties to explore interests outside of cooking. He studied fashion and textile design and worked at a bar while pursuing a career in the fashion industry.

“I was balancing my newfound passion for food and love for product and clothing design for a while, but I had to pick one pathway, and I’m really happy with my decision,” says Ellis.

We took five minutes to get to know the chef.

What drew you to restaurants?
Exercising passion and creativity with something tactile. Being able to put so much thought and brainpower into something and fiddling around with tiny details to get to the end point of a really great dish always seemed like such a rewarding process.

How would you describe your cooking style or food philosophy?
My biggest takeaway from years in and around the hospitality industry is that food really doesn’t have to be that serious. Some of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had with food have been staff meals, dinner at friends’ houses or really casual dining spots.

Food is nothing without the context in which it’s consumed and I’m feeling very lucky to be cooking at Hope St, where the energy in the room is so palpable. There’s so much great produce in the city which I want to do justice to and celebrate in a way that builds on people’s experience at the bar.

Why did you decide to move to Melbourne?
I love how dynamic and fluid the community is here, people from all different industries and walks of life find a way to do exciting things together. As someone who has a real passion for arts and product design, that excites me so much.

Maintaining a healthy social life can be really challenging for chefs and I think that’s why a lot of us stick together, but working with people in other fields provides so much refreshing perspective that can prompt really exciting thoughts and growth in regards to food.

What can people expect from you at Hope St?
I just want to put out a really thoughtful and concise menu that builds on all the other great things Hope St already does. There’ll be lots of amazing vegetables and seafood, as well as house-made cheese, ice-cream and never a shortage of handcut pasta – food made to share between friends!

What are some menu items you’re particularly excited for people to try?
I love to make pasta: it’s such an embodiment of everything I love about cooking. There’s a sweet numerical science that has to be respected, but also a bit of intuition never hurts. There’s so much scope for what you can do with it, but at the end of the day, as with most things, it’s the classics that always shine the brightest. I always like to look back to those for inspiration. I love to cook with a sense of nostalgia and nothing hits that on the head quite like a sundae, so a rotating sweet option like a banana split is going to be a lot of fun.

Will the focaccia be sticking around?
The focaccia is not going anywhere.