Harvest Home, which has stood tall on Bank St in Avenel since the 1870s, was taken over by Ms Alberse and Mr Bellamy in September last year, after having been closed for several months.
Rebranding it The Rabbit Hole Inn at Harvest Home, they stepped straight into the pub-owner lifestyle.
Ms Alberse said it was like fate when they “stumbled upon Harvest Home”.
The two, who hail from Shepparton, were meeting Ms Alberse’s father in Avenel, the halfway point between their home and Melbourne, when Mr Bellamy suggested they grab a drink at Harvest Home.
“We came (to Harvest Home) and the doors were all locked up tight, and we wandered around the building and found a gate open near the garden,” Ms Alberse said.
“We came in and there was one young lady out the back, she was tidying up after an event, and we asked if they were open and she said, ‘no, we’re only open for private functions now’.
“She said the owner is trying to sell and David looked at me and I looked at him and it was like, ‘here we go’.”
After having had talks for an extended time about opening a restaurant together, with Mr Bellamy having a wealth of knowledge working as a chef across London and Melbourne, it was almost a no-brainer for them to take over.
“He’s wanted his own restaurant for a while and I’m a history teacher, so I’m in love with the building already,” Ms Alberse said.
“Between the two of us, we sort of just went, ‘this is it, if we’re going to do this, this is the one’. It just felt right.”
Since taking over, the duo has received nothing but support from the community.
Ms Alberse said, aside from community members popping in for a feed to support the venue in its early days of new ownership, locals had chipped in by helping with work like gardening and some had even delivered loads of wood to “keep the fireplaces roaring”.
In turn, The Rabbit Hole Inn at Harvest Home has been dedicated to giving back, and has allotted an entire day to supporting local.
“All of Thursday, locals can get a 10 per cent discount on their bill, everything, doesn’t matter if they purchase mains, desserts, wines and beers,” Ms Alberse said.
“It’s just our way of giving back and saying thank you so much for your support and thank you for everything you’ve done for us since we’ve been here.
“I think supporting local is really important to keep businesses running. It’s the locals that we want to keep coming back regularly, so offering them the locals day, that little bit of recognition and gratitude, I think is really important.”
For more information on the venue, visit therabbitholeinn.com.au/
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