Deliciously Different at Herbert
Since opening almost two years ago, Herbert has redefined the plant-based food experience with a venue that is fresh, fun and not afraid to challenge perceptions. Deb Caruso catches up with Herbert’s founder Leon Johnston.
Leon Johnston moved to Noosa five years ago for a change of lifestyle, to have a baby and live by the ocean with the intention of opening a hospitality business – someday.
After starting an engineering degree and then studying physics, Leon horrifyingly realised that whilst he was good at it and loved it, he was destined to be a high school science teacher, at best.
“I was already spending a fair amount of time at the Uni Bar so decided I would run a bar in Sydney and kept on doing that around Australia and around the world,” he said.
After stints in London and the USA, he ended up in Noosa where, as fortune would have it, the owners of Light Years Byron Bay were looking to expand.
“We knew each other so they engaged me to open Light Years Noosa Junction,” he said. “I was upfront about wanting to open my own place in future.
“Noosa is a wonderful place and I love it here so I took the opportunity to get to know the market, become a part of the community and get a feel for what it’s like to run a business for the people who live here.”
The vision for Herbert evolved slowly.
“When Light Years started, dining options in the Junction were limited. The area appealed to me because there were lots of opportunities; new things were happening, there was diversity coming in and I wanted to be part of that,” he said.
“To be on the edge of something that is evolving is really cool. So I started wondering what I could do that would be different. How could I tone down refined dining and ease back on the formality to create something that was all occasion, rather than just special occasion.
“Like coming to my house for dinner – but with better décor and where I didn’t have to do the dishes. Although, I actually still do wash the dishes here at Herbert,” he laughs.
The seed for Herbert was planted.
“I was looking at where the gaps were, what was emerging as the way people would eat in the future. I didn’t start with a vision for plant-based restaurant but it quickly got there,” Leon says.
As a father to then-two-year-old daughter Adeline, it was important for Leon to have something that he and his daughter could be proud of in ten years.
This led him to sustainability and resource use in food production and the growing case for a plant-based diet.
After two years of being in the Junction, understanding the customers and what else was on offer he decided on a concept that was forward-looking and complementary to the area.
“We identified the opportunity to challenge people’s perceptions of what it meant to eat a plant-based diet and how amazing it could be to create a venue that allowed people to experiment with that, with the safety net of a few non-vegetarian dishes – alongside great cocktails and really nice wine!”
Alex McKechnie was working with Leon and it quickly became apparent that their skill sets were very different but also complementary.
“We weren’t friends first, we were acquaintances and then business partners and now we’re great friends. I think that worked out better,” Leon said. “Alex and I keep each other in check. We argue well and in saying that, I mean we have different perspectives but we manage that process well. We have enough respect and trust for each that we won’t hold each other back.”
Alex played a big role in the final design and brought skills and experience as a flavour consultant and bartender.
“Alex’s eye and fastidious nature about things like lighting and tactility of fabrics and surfaces allowed us to produce something sophisticated but without the fuss,” Leon said.
The duo would build Herbert from 6am, work at Light Years until midnight and then repeat.
“It was both terrible and fun,” Leon said. “You just do what you have to do.
“We’re plan on being here for 15 years so it’s nice to be part of the catalyst that reinvigorates the area.
“We want to be a destination where you can have a great night out, drink fantastic cocktails and feel good about the food you ate, which just happens to be plant-based.”
Leon said they loved to surprise people, particularly around the food to share the story around each dish and the overall philosophy of Herbert.
“Sustainability is important and we manage the things we can such as avoiding single use plastic; Alex makes our soft drinks and liqueurs; and we use small-scale suppliers such as Zeke from Sunshine Butterflies who provides us with herbs,” he said. “Similar to the nose-to-tail philosophy, it’s root-to-tip: vegetable waste is used for pickles, chutneys and jams; or fed to my worm farm that fertilises the flowers we use for garnishes; there’s very little that is leftover that we can’t repurpose.”
When we think of great venues we often think about the food, the chef and the bartender with the front-of-house team barely worth a thought, unless the service has been particularly good or bad.
“The truth is, the front-of-house team can make or break the whole thing,” Leon says. “If the food is excellent and the service isn’t, it detracts from the whole experience; if the food is average and you have amazing service, it can heighten the overall experience.
“At Herbert, we work together on all of it so the whole team appreciate every aspect of the experience and can share the same stories with customers.
“I’m passionate creating venues that are in front of the game where people can experience something unique, relax and have fun.
“Opening a new business is tough. You have to make your best guess as to what’s going to work and be as fluid as possible to add things, change things, ditch things as quickly as you can to make you stay ahead of the game.
“We’re always looking to what other things we can do such as showcasing local artists; putting on live music to create space for people to enjoy and have fun in addition to beautiful healthy meals and cocktails.”
Herbert is open for dinner seven nights; Friday and Saturday for lunch; with cocktails and bar snacks from 9pm-midnight for Friday Funk or Saturday Jazz.
With Herbert growing as a destination, Leon and Alex are looking to the future – maybe some more Herberts, maybe something altogether new.
As Herbert approaches two, Leon’s daughter approaches five.
“She’s an important reason of what we do and why we do it so well,” he says.
“She’s going to grow up in this community and I’m going to run businesses here. I want them to be well respected and ethical and I want her to be proud of as she grows up.
“Kids change you in unexpected ways.”
Indeed they do.
