Public Relations Agency
We at KDPO are firmly in the pro-chocolate camp, so it was a thrill to launch Hunted + Gathered’s new chocolate spread range, along with the retail release of their cooking chocolate. You’ve probably already heard of these cool kids on the chocolate block, but by way of backstory, Hunted + Gathered was started in…
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The Westin Hotel has brought a nautical theme to its legendary High Tea. In collaboration with Four Pillars Gin, the boozy, seafood-themed experience is called High Seas and includes gin-based cocktails (like the 50/50, a mix of Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, Lillet Blanc and orange bitters) and delicate and delicious finger food like curried…
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Want a great example of successful pivoting during lockdown? Look no further than the successful collaboration between Melbourne bayside restaurant icon Stokehouse and legendary seafood wholesaler Clamms. Stokehouse chef Jason Staudt joined up with the Clamms folk to put together three boxes of premium seafood and BBQ goodies that could be enjoyed at home, on…
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The beginning of 2021 has already seen some of our favourite clients presenting exciting new initiatives. Prahran Market cheese gurus Maker & Monger have collaborated with former MasterChef winner Diana Chan on a deliciously fiery toastie called the Sambal Hae Bee. Inspired by Malaysian dried shrimp sambal, the toastie has shrimp, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, chillies…
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We were beside ourselves with post-COVID excitement when we finally got to host our first in real life event for South Australian winery Bird in Hand. Birds of a feather flocked together at our equally lovely client Stokehouse’s elegant private events space, the Palm Room. Enjoying stunning St Kilda beach views, fabulous food from executive…
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The festive season was a little bit different last year, for obvious reasons, but we have become expert practitioners in the art of the pivot. Case in point: our annual Start of Summer lunch, which is held every year on the first Friday of December at Johnny’s Green Room. In pre-pandemic times, Johnny’s rooftop with…
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It was born in Sydney in 2013, but the opening of Mejico in Melbourne in December represented a homecoming of sorts. Ian Hicks, the Hicks Hospitality Group Director, is a proud Melburnian, so to bring the hugely popular Mexican restaurant and tequila bar to his hometown was a deservedly proud moment and KDPO was happy…
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It’s not really summer until Arbory Afloat, the much-loved floating bar and restaurant anchored next to Flinders Street Station each year, announces its décor and flavour theme for the coming season. In previous years there’s been a Euro beach club vibe but this year, like the rest of us, they’re sticking a little closer to…
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The place to be this summer has been lakeside in Albert Park. KDPO helped the teams behind South Melbourne diner Half Acre and catering creatives food&desire establish a pop-up urban retreat that makes the picnic rug a chic accoutrement indeed. Lakeside at Carousel was all about giving event-starved Melburnians the chance to grab a COVID-19…
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While everyone in Melbourne was bummed about not being able to frequent their fave brunch spots on the weekend when we went into our first lockdown in March, little did we know that Australian charity OnePlate would come to our rescue. In May this year, Australian charity OnePlate launched its first-ever cookbook “Brunch in Melbourne”…
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Cookes Food is a premium and multifaceted events and catering company that has been no stranger to a pivot in 2020. After a calendar full of events and functions were cleared overnight for Cookes founder Sophie Storen in late March when COVID-19 hit our shores, Sophie and her team put their thinking caps on and started…
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Everyone’s favourite gelateria Pidapipo decided to combine forces with much loved Melbourne artist Beci Orpin to lift the spirits the only way they knew how; with art and gelato cakes. In late July, Pidapipo owner Lisa Valmorbida worked her magic and came up with three different mini gelato cakes all with puff pastry bases and…
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Carlton North café Babajan has been winning over locals, tourists and foodies alike with their delicious Turkish and Middle Eastern creations for years. Due to its cosy nature, it wasn’t too COVID-19 friendly, so owner Kirsty Chiaplias decided to make the leap into transforming Babajan into a takeaway and provedore heaven in August 2020. The…
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Now in its 14th year, Young Gun of Wine had to mix it up a little in 2020 due to the pandemic.
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It would take a stronger person than us to get through this whole pandemic thing without a few beers. Collingwood brewery Stomping Ground was happy to keep brewing beer during the shutdown but was also sad about all those COVID-shuttered pubs across the city so they decided to do something.
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Past and present came together in an unexpected but ultimately comforting way at King & Godfree recently. K&G, a licensed grocery store operating since 1884, has been owned and operated by the Valmorbida family since 1955 and was recently renovated. And then COVID-19 arrived to spoil the party.
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Live music is one of the things we’ve missed the most in lockdown, so KDPO was completely on board when Coopers Brewery engaged us to promote their virtual entertainment series, Live, Loud & Local, nationally.
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To celebrate one year of good times at Johnny’s Green Room, we threw an exuberant birthday party on Thursday 5 December with 200 of our closest friends, family, media and industry faces.
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When we saw three young Bondi guys making waves and changing the fast-food scene in Sydney with Fishbowl we were excited to find out that they were making their way down to our beloved Melbourne.
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For the third year in a row, Arbory Afloat sailed up the Yarra and moored itself beside Flinders St Station for another epic Melbourne summer. Following on from a recent overseas work research trip, the team at Arbory decided to focus on a Miami theme this year to encapsulate the cultural diversity of the vibrant American city.
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Our fave cheese guy, Anthony Femia, has had a serious upgrade in his lodgings, swapping his cute but humble antique cheese cart for a bells-and-whistles permanent stall at the Prahran Market.
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Melbourne food truck king and owner of Brunswick’s Beatbox Kitchen, Raph Rashid staged a 24-hour burger flipping marathon for charity in August to raise money for the Youth Support + Advocacy Service (YSAS).
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Byron Bay’s iconic luxury boutique, spa and restaurant Raes added another string to its bow this year when it kicked off its inaugural Artist in Residence program with artist Stanislas Piechaczek.
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The Westin Melbourne loves a collaboration. Last time around it was all about the cheese when the hotel joined forces with our favourite cheese shop and toastie technicians Maker & Monger. Now they’ve joined forces with crazy dessert alchemists Burch & Purchese.
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Modern Thai juggernaut Chin Chin celebrated Melbourne dads on Fathers’ Day this year with a special ‘Feed Me’ menu, featuring a roll call of Chin Chin classics for just $69.50 per head. But this is Chin Chin so the fun didn’t stop there.
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Pepe’s Italian & Liquor opened its doors revealing the epic transformation from the original Trunk Restaurant & Bar on Exhibition Street. Owner Nick Kutcher drew inspiration for the Italian-American style menu from his time living in New York, which celebrates Italian immigrant cuisine, starring classic pizza and pasta dishes, as well as family-style shared mains.
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Arbory Afloat, Melbourne’s hottest (and longest) floating restaurant and bar swapped spritz and pizza for Namaste and downward dog when it hosted Yoga On The Yarra for International Women’s Day.
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Peroni has climbed aboard the party train to celebrate its first significant global brand overhaul in more than a decade.
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Boozy, buffet and brunch are three words we can all get behind. Put them all together and they’re even better as Adam Wright-Smith is currently proving at Half Acre, his bar, eatery and events space in South Melbourne.
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Yarra Valley-based winery Chandon celebrated their sponsorship at this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival with a lunch in August at one of KDPO’s second homes, Agostino Wine Bar in Carlton.
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We helped spread the word about the latest Arbory Live sessions – a 10-week long music and experiential art program that ran from early November into the New Year.
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Off the back of the success of its Byron Bay and Noosa restaurants, Light Years opened a third outpost in the always sunny Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast.
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Following the phenomenal success of Chin Chin Sydney’s underground event space Chii Town, the Melbourne Chin Chin mothership now has its own dedicated space.
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By now most diners and restaurateurs would be familiar with the ‘Broadsheet Effect’. Get on the publication’s radar and suddenly people are lining up out the doors to try what you’ve got. So it’s no surprise that their new Kitchen project was an eagerly anticipated affair.
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It was time to celebrate the opening of King & Godfree’s new rooftop bar, and launch, we did.
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The deli owners at King & Godfree helped bring Italian culture to Melbourne in the 1880s. After years of planning and renovations, it’s back doing what it does best… only better.
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They say those in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones. Maybe they should instead follow Half Acre’s example and throw get-togethers in a large, light-filled dining space.
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We figured it was our duty to pack the sandals and linens and head north again to check out the new additions to our favourite beachside destination.
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Did you guys know Argentina boasts the world’s best steak? Or that Chilean’s fish from one of the longest coastlines on Earth? If not, it’s time for a hands-on (napkins tucked) education at Citrico Cocina.
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High Cheese is a contemporary take on English high tea with a much, much greater emphasis on cheese. So, really, they should’ve thought of it centuries ago.
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Picture the Rochey, a long-standing neighbourhood pub in Fitzroy that had undergone a facelift and reputation change just over three years ago, doing its bit for the foodies and drinkers of the inner north of Melbourne. Craft beers, innovative cocktails and rock ‘n’ roll
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Babajan already gives the Carlton North breakfast crowd a spicy antidote to smashed avocado and eggs benedict. Trouble is, you used to have to get there before nightfall. Until now.
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This year CAPI’s bullet-shaped bottles shot to number one, taking out Best Tonic Water at the 2017/18 World Beverage Competition (it’s just one of their 12 prestigious awards to-date). So when they were set to launch their new Native Tonic, we thought it best to host it somewhere that felt worlds apart from the competition.
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When you wake up with your brain rinsed into the size and texture of a dry sponge, it’s easy to start hatching clean living plans (that start tomorrow). We’ve embraced a simple way to improve our health and doesn’t involve broken promises.
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In April 2018 Pidapipo opened their new gelateria on Degraves Street. This officially meant a Pidapipo now exists on each side of the river and in the middle of Melbourne’s CBD. It’s a well-tested strategy really: divide and conquer.
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You know something tastes good when it inspires lines out the door. And you know something tastes darn good when people can’t handle waiting and start demanding their own recipe book.
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On February 14 we matched Pidapipo with one of Australia’s most sought-after illustrators, Alice Oehr. Her style always manages to imbue the every day with idiosyncrasy and a little bit of wonder, which is what you need (especially on Valentine’s Day).
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What do you do when you want to impress people at home with a dining experience that’s très déliicieux and artfully prepared but you’d rather not dedicate your entire life to learning how to be a top chef? Romu Oudeyer and his partner Liz have the answer.
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CAPI released a new range of carbonated beverages that are completely free of artificial flavours and sweeteners. In other words, they’re good for you. Some might say cocktails for breakfast are bad for you. But if you make those cocktails using natural cucumber or lemongrass & ginger-infused CAPI then everything evens out. Probably.
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Any stroll down Swan Street (or Brunswick Street, or Gertrude Street, Glenferrie Road, or Chapel Street or… the list goes on) will prove that Melbourne loves American style dining. But you’re unlikely to see a Starbucks unless you’re en route to the airport because we need our Melbourne coffee (goshdarnit!).
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If the fizzy stuff saves your life from time to time, you’ll know no one does it better than CAPI. They’ve remained a family-owned, family-run business since they started out in 2012. But there’s only so much growing you can do before you need to upgrade your office.
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Arbory Bar & Eatery has been so popular that they’ve had to extend service onto the water over the warmer months. And when they asked us to help relaunch their Arbory Afloat concept again for summer 2017 we were more than happy to jump aboard.
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People tend to queue outside The Lucas Group venues with patient, barely contained excitement; it’s like they’re waiting for tickets to the Rolling Stones final tour (supported by Beyoncé, Jay Z and Harry Styles).
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Unlike a lot of wine labels, this is the kind of thing that actually fulfils its ostentatious promises. It’s the Young Gun of Wine awards, a chance for the very best up-and-comers in the wine scene to show off their best drops and compete for glory.
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The Yarra-side fence line at Flinders Street Station used to attract old chip packets and fare evaders. But since Arbory Eatery & Bar took over in 2015, the spot’s been transformed into an idyllic drinking nook; perfect for winding down in the shade and watching the city drift by.
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Byron Bay. Turquoise seas, tropical rainforests and sand so fine it dimples like silk under your toes. It’s perfect. And Rae’s on Wategos is the perfect place to make the most of it.
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When the spring air finally floats through the sky, you want to be in the most comfortable spot possible. At the Caulfield Cup we came in with the winning trifecta.
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*Sung in an Ed Sheeran voice*, “I’m in love with the shape of you, ohh wah, ohhwah ooh,” that’s what wine sings as it splashes down into Plumm Glassware, settles and aerates.
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Some of the best stories remain untold and some of the best rum cocktails remain unmixed. That’s why Asahi Premium Beverages expanded its liquor range to include a 2 to 3-year aged golden Caribbean rum made specifically for mixing.
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The square at Melbourne University used to be just known as the place to skip lectures, watch sparrows and let the collegial atmosphere enrich your sense of significance. Until now.
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Bringing different chefs and food-lovers together is an event. Gathering the world’s best chefs under one roof? That’s a congress. London did it, Miami did it when it was Melbourne’s turn to hold the Estrella Damm World’s 50 Best & Gastronomy Congress, we helped the event shine bright like a (Michelin) star.
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We were thrilled to be part of the re-launch of the iconic Stokehouse in St Kilda. Three words: strategic relations, launches and Frosé.
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If you live in Melbourne then you’ll already know Pidapipo make gelato that’s to die for. And, if you’ve read anything about colony collapse disorder, then you’ve probably already had a minor panic attack about how we’ll literally die without bees.
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It’s not like there’s a shortage of quality establishments on Domain Road. So if you’re opening something new it had better be exceptional (otherwise you won’t even catch a curious corgi or feisty French bulldog wanting to loiter out the front).
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Fish and chips on St Kilda beach. So classic it had to be done. And it had to be done right. The Paper Fish kiosk sets a new standard – the Stokehouse standard.
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