New Hire: Five Minutes With Darcy Creenaune Ellis, Odd Culture Newtown’s New Head Sommelier

Despite opening only a little over a year ago, Odd Culture Newtown has already developed a reputation for a few things: its food menu, which gets better with every visit; its dedication to interesting beers; and its fantastic wine list, which is like no other you’ll find in Newtown.

Now a new head sommelier, Darcy Creenaune Ellis, has been appointed to take the list to the next level. He’s spent time at fine-dining classic Berowra Waters Inn, as well as good-times joint Cafe Freda’s and modern-Italian diner Restaurant Leo. Here’s what he has in-store.

What’s your new job title?
Head sommelier of Odd Culture Newtown. I’ll be curating the wine program alongside Jordan Blackman, the group beverage director, educating our fantastic crew of staff about the world of wine, and steering guests to the drink of their choice.

Why did you decide to move across to Odd Culture?
It’s rare [to find] a venue that’s only been operating for just over a year that endeavours to have all of the great wines, beers and ciders, and everything in between that we have to offer in Australia; highly experienced and talented chefs offering a strong seasonal menu; and an incredible space to serve it all in. To me, all of these key elements work alongside each other in a very proud and welcoming way.

Do you have any fun plans for your new role?
We have just put into place a new way of communicating our vast wine selection so that it’s more user-friendly for all our guests. My other focus is to train our promising crew of young staff and keep them passionate about their roles and future in this industry.

Will you bring along any ideas or concepts that have been popular with drinkers at your past venues?
I’m really wanting to strengthen the relationship with the great venues we have in the broader community. The Odd Culture Newtown venue provides an amazing space to hold fantastic collaborative events and really bring together all of the great offerings that we have not only on King Street, but throughout Sydney.

Will we see anything cool you think will particularly thrill diners?
More dinners, more conceptual tastings, more events with great collectives, and more opportunities to make wine more accessible and inclusive to the inner west.

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