Could you ever have imagined a French Provincial style gourmet experience in the heart of Glen Innes? A place where you can pick up morning tea treats, grab lunch for the office or take home a freshly prepared family meal made with quality local produce?
You do not have to imagine it anymore. Grey Street Gourmet Grocer has opened its doors, bringing a stylish new food destination to the town.
The business is the creation of Alex Kennedy and Ash Forbes, the couple behind this glamorous addition to the Grey Street streetscape. The store has been refurbished in French Provincial style and greets visitors with a dazzling burst of white as they step inside.
The elegant décor is balanced by the rich, earthy tones of the savoury dishes in the glass cabinet and tables laden with cakes, cookies and sweets. Most customers drop in for prepared meals to enjoy for lunch or take home for dinner, others opt to dine in.
The savoury dishes are rustic and earthy, never fussy or over styled. In contrast, the cakes and sweets are small works of art.
It may surprise some customers to learn that Ash is a self-taught cook. According to Alex, his partner has an extraordinary instinct for creating food. “Ash doesn’t use measurements or recipes. He just puts things together,” Alex said. “I might see an empty fridge at home, but Ash will look at the same fridge, pull out a few bits and pieces and create something delicious. He has a natural energy to create beautiful meals.”
The couple have been together for almost 30 years and previously spent more than two decades in Toowoomba running successful restaurants and wedding venues.
When Covid disrupted the hospitality industry, they turned their attention to a house they owned in Tenterfield, which they had long planned to renovate “one day” when life slowed down.
That renovation was completed and the house was quickly sold. The pair had planned a long break in Italy to recharge and plan their next adventure, but health issues meant the trip had to be cancelled. Instead, they returned to what they know best – food.
The couple decided to establish a deli-style version of their previous business and felt Glen Innes was the perfect place to do it. Both had long admired the town and Ash even remembers driving through Glen Innes as an 18-year-old in his old Holden Commodore more than 30 years ago.
“I remember thinking one day I would live here,” he said. When planning their new venture, Alex and Ash were keen to create something different for the town. Ash focuses on the food, baking and what Alex calls “his magic”, while Alex runs the front of house and enjoys meeting customers.
“Ash does the cooking and creating, and I look after the customers and the business,” Alex said.
“I have really enjoyed getting to know people and seeing our regulars already coming back.”
Grey Street Gourmet Grocer has only been open for three weeks but is already attracting locals and travellers curious to see what is inside.
For now the store is open Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, with the possibility of extended hours in the future. It will also open on weekends for major local events such as the Australian Celtic Festival.
The business is preparing to launch a catering menu for corporate functions, weddings and parties, with capacity to cater for groups from 20 to 200 people.
Alex and Ash say they are thrilled with the early response from the community. “There is nothing we love more than seeing someone walk in looking curious and later walk out with a smile on their face,” Alex said. “And sometimes six cakes.”
Grey Street Gourmet Grocer is located at 281 Grey Street, Glen Innes.
For enquiries phone 6730 2991.
