FAMILY TREE

HOSPITALITY AND HOME HAVE ALWAYS BEEN ENTWINED FOR CHE, WHO NOW ENJOYS FAMILY LIFE IN A SPECIAL PART OF THE WORLD

- KYLIE JACKES

With its vast green paddocks, grazing cattle and undulating hills dotted with towering trees, there is a tranquil, rural feel as you drive through the picturesque pocket of Ewingsdale, in New South Wales, just ten minutes from Byron Bay. For local Che (above), it has formed the backdrop to most of his life, ever since his parents Charly and Heather bought a small farmhouse on acreage in 1979, with coastal views and a gigantic fig tree, whose majestic proportions look straight out of a fairy story.

“It’s where I grew up and watched my parents add to the original house to create a restaurant, which I eventually took over running in 2005,” Che explains, of the aptly named Fig Tree Restaurant. Not only is it where his parents were married, Che and wife Mika also tied the knot under the tree, as have many others who are drawn to the scenic wedding location. While last year marked the restaurant’s 40th year, it’s 2019 which is forever singed in Che’s mind as the most devastating, yet ultimately most uplifting time.

Having bought a block of land neighbouring the restaurant, the couple was set to build their first family home for themselves and sons Akio and Yuhi, yet just as construction was about to start the venue was destroyed by an electrical fire. “It was a strange, confronting time, particularly because they’re 50 metres apart from each other,” recalls Che.

“In December 2019, the remnants of the restaurant were demolished, at the same time, the house framing was going up.” When Covid set in a few months later, it was another blow. “It was a strange moment in time when everything went on hold and industries were plagued by uncertainty,” adds Che. “There was no income coming from the venue, so I had to scramble for a bank loan for the build.”