Award winning chef Shane Delia is a familiar face for television viewers, as the host of A Middle East Feast on SBS. The owner of Melbourne's Maha restaurant has also made a name as the founder of thriving home delivery service Providoor, which has just expanded into NSW.
“We're in a very privileged position here in Australia where we have some of the best restaurants in the world,” the 41-year-old tells SBS Small Business Secrets.
“We have some of the best waterfront regions with beautiful views from some of these dining rooms. But that doesn't mean you can't have that same experience at home.”
His 'finish at home' service, launched during Melbourne's extended lockdown last year, has already delivered more than 500,000 meals across Victoria, helping to support dozens of hospitality businesses.
“Over the past year, Providoor has generated around $40 million in revenue and much of that has gone back to Victorian restaurants, keeping the lights on and staff employed and their families fed,” he says.
Chef Shane Delia and his team are busy preparing gourmet meals for home delivery. Source: SBS Scott Cardwell
Now Providoor has signed a growing list of restaurants in Sydney, including Bondi icons Icebergs and CicciaBella.
"It really opens up a completely different revenue stream which, in these times, is essential for restaurants to keep people employed," CicciaBella founder Maurice Terzini says.
His staff was busy packing ‘Abruzzo inspired’ gourmet boxes for a three course feast when SBS visited. Boxes include house made salami, burrata, focaccia, fresh homemade pasta, prawns, and tiramisu for cold freight delivery.
“We really want people to celebrate life at such a depressing time,” Mr Terzini says.
“And we hope our product allows for conversation around the table. You know - less time in the kitchen, more time sitting together.”
There’s a financial imperative too, with the extended Sydney lockdown costing restaurants dearly.
“Across NSW, hospitality is losing nearly $1 billion dollars a month [during lockdown] or $2 billion over two months,” says Wes Lambert, CEO of Restaurant and Catering Australia.
“We are certainly facing an uphill battle in the hospitality industry, if these lockdowns continue in New South Wales.”
Mr Lambert is among those to welcome Providoor into Sydney's dining scene.
Wes Lambert is CEO of Restaurant and Catering Australia. Source: Supplied RCA
“Many businesses under lockdown are crying out for a service that allows premium, casual and fine dining restaurants to continue to trade.”
And he says it consolidates a broader move to home delivery, during the pandemic.
“Pre-COVID only eight per cent of restaurants utilised take away and delivery through an app. During the peak of COVID that rose to 100 per cent.
“So delivery is here to stay," he says.
Shane Delia is proud of Providoor's growth and has big plans to take the service national - and eventually global.
The Providoor team is expanding to meet demand. Source: SBS Scott Cardwell
“We started with a really small team of four or five people, and we are now at 14 people and growing to 25 next month,” Shane says.
"We've become the custodians of some of the best brands in the country. And these brands are national treasures!"
Shane's passion for Middle Eastern food is part of his family heritage.
“My dad came out from Malta in the 1970s and my mum was born in Australia to Maltese parents," he says.
“And while some of the traditional Maltese dishes have changed over the years, I definitely feel a really deep connection with Middle Eastern food and Middle Eastern culture.
While Providoor delivers a wide range of food styles, he says simplicity is key to finishing gourmet meals at home.
“We try to [prepare the ingredients] so there is no chopping or peeling.
Providoor delivers restaurant quality 'finish at home' meals to the door. Source: SBS Sandra Fulloon
“The restaurant is doing all the hard work and you just become the rockstar at home,” he says.
Hospitality is undergoing sweeping changes during the pandemic, forcing many owner-chefs to adapt, he says.
“Getting their heads around this new way of doing business means they actually see money in the bank, and that’s a most important thing.
"And I think it's going to be extremely rewarding,” he says.
