We’ve attended and loved the Agrarian Kitchen since nearly a decade ago, when we first visited. As our Autumn Winter ‘Hill of Content’ campaign was shot in Tasmania, we couldn’t think of a more perfect person to showcase our vegetable print dress, complete with French names, than Séverine Demanet from the Agrarian Kitchen. We held our breath to hear if she would say yes. How lucky are we to have such a remarkable presence grace our page.
Everything around the Agrarian Kitchen feels beautiful, but not overly designed. At its centre are Séverine, her husband Rodney, and their two children - Tristan (19), and Chloé (12). Their approach to food and business feels less like performance and more like instinct. We sat down with Severine to ask about motherhood, their incredible business, and the small, daily rituals that shape a huge life around the table.
She and Rodney deeply care about how things are done. Growing, sourcing, preparing, teaching. There’s a strong emphasis on systems, learning and passing knowledge on. We loved that she requested from us our commitment to sustainability, along with records and certification from our factories on their terms of safe labour, ethical sourcing and manufacturing. Something we also feel deeply about in an oversaturated, over-publicised world. How can we also work in a more considered and thoughtful way?
It’s a huge inspiration for me, as I sit at the farm and write this. Living well is measured differently for so many people. For us, similar to Séverine, it’s living close to the land, the seasons, and living simply, with incredible attention to detail.
We loved asking her (lots!) of questions. What motherhood means to her, and the things that make it very special in a Séverine way.
As we, in another life, completed a chef’s apprenticeship, I remember our head chef’s absolute horror when I accidentally threw out a three-day-reduced oxtail stock. Do things often not go to plan in your kitchen and cooking school, or is there a bit of improvising and rescuing along the way? In such a perfectly designed space as the Agrarian Kitchen, are there any big or small kitchen disasters you now laugh about?
Not many people realise I don’t cook or teach the classes - Rodney does. He’s a qualified chef and leads the sessions, sharing tips and tricks with guests. I’ve never really enjoyed cooking, though I do love eating. My French father used to ask how I’d manage if I couldn’t cook, and I’d joke, “I’ll just marry a chef”….and I did."
We loved asking her (lots!) of questions. What motherhood means to her, and the things that make it very special in a Séverine way.
As we, in another life, completed a chef’s apprenticeship, I remember our head chef’s absolute horror when I accidentally threw out a three-day-reduced oxtail stock. Do things often not go to plan in your kitchen and cooking school, or is there a bit of improvising and rescuing along the way? In such a perfectly designed space as the Agrarian Kitchen, are there any big or small kitchen disasters you now laugh about?
Not many people realise I don’t cook or teach the classes - Rodney does. He’s a qualified chef and leads the sessions, sharing tips and tricks with guests. I’ve never really enjoyed cooking, though I do love eating. My French father used to ask how I’d manage if I couldn’t cook, and I’d joke, “I’ll just marry a chef”….and I did."
One moment I’ll never forget was from our early days running classes at the farm. We were hosting a preserving class with Sally Wise and her daughter, and the house was full. We had a clear system: a wash-up area where anything placed to the left was assumed to be dirty - but we hadn’t explained this properly.
Midway through, Sally’s daughter placed a pot of dark liquid in that spot. Thinking it was dirty water, I tipped it out, only to realise it was a spiced mixture. My stomach dropped. I apologised immediately, expecting the worst, but they were incredibly gracious and simply made another batch.
The next year, we made sure everything was clearly labelled and far from the wash-up area. I’ve never forgotten it, and it’s why I’m still very careful about what gets saved and what gets washed.
What spurred your move from Sydney to Tasmania, and how has your French heritage continued to find its way into your days now?
What spurred your move from Sydney to Tasmania, and how has your French heritage continued to find its way into your days now?
I was actually born in Sydney in 1976 and lived there my entire life until June 2007, when I moved to Tasmania with Rodney and our son Tristan, who was just four months old at the time. I was very much a homebody and lived in the western suburbs of Sydney. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would move to Tasmania, let alone on a 5-acre farm with farm animals. My father and brother joked that I wouldn’t even go out in our small Sydney backyard and thought this would never work out.
I haven’t lived in France, although I have visited several times. My father is French and was born in Lorraine, while my mother was born in Mauritius and moved to Sydney at the age of 17. They met in Sydney, fell in love and my dad never moved back to France.
My parents relocated to Tasmania in 2010, three years after we moved. They had decided to retire and were a wonderful support in helping us care for Tristan while we established The Agrarian Kitchen – we couldn’t have started this without them or Rodney’s parents.
I am fluent in French, as my parents were very intentional about ensuring I learned and spoke the language. In fact, French was my first language, as they never spoke English to me at home. When I started preschool, my mother was quite concerned about how I would manage, given my lack of English. However, her worries were unfounded - on my very first day, I quickly adapted and began speaking fluent English – the French was suddenly out the window.
Despite this, my father has always spoken to me exclusively in French, and to this day, I find it very difficult to speak to him in English- it simply feels unnatural. In situations where others around us don’t speak French, we all converse in English, and I tend not to speak to him directly so as not to seem impolite.
Until I was about eight years old, I actually believed my father couldn’t speak English. That changed one day when I overheard him answering the telephone fluently in English. When I confronted him, he explained that it was his way of ensuring I would speak French with him. It certainly worked, and I have no regrets.
I now try to speak as much French as possible with our children, Tristan and Chloé. Even if they don’t always speak it perfectly, it gives them a valuable ability to communicate when they travel. While technology like AI and translation apps has made communication easier, I still feel incredibly proud when Tristan is able to connect with our kiosk guests in French - especially when he recognises a French accent and steps in to help someone who may be struggling.
When you think back to the beginning, when you first met Rodney, did you imagine this life, dream this big, or has it unfolded more unexpectedly?
When you think back to the beginning, when you first met Rodney, did you imagine this life, dream this big, or has it unfolded more unexpectedly?
I met Rodney in Sydney in 1998 when he was an apprentice chef at Tetsuya’s. Thanks to my best friend Luke Burgess - now of Scholé in Hobart - I may never have met him, and The Agrarian Kitchen might not exist.
From the start, we shared the same values and a “glass half full” outlook. We’ve carried that into our family, teaching our children to stay positive and resourceful - if we can’t afford something, personally or in business, we ask ourselves how we can and find away.
That mindset has been essential. COVID was an incredibly difficult time, but it reinforced our belief that we can work through anything. We’ve both come from middle-class backgrounds and worked hard to build what we have today. Even Rodney’s first cookbook joked that we’d never open a restaurant - yet nine years later, we did.
We originally came to Tasmania seeking a quieter life and to grow our own food, but the business grew far beyond what we expected. Now, with a large team and external support like a PR agency, we’re constantly balancing growth while staying true to our values.
We’ve learned there’s no real in-between - once a small business reaches a certain point, you either grow or stay small. Our focus has always been to grow carefully, without losing who we are.
How does such a creative, organised, high-achieving person start the day before things properly begin?
Reading this question made me pause. I don’t really see myself as a creative, high-achieving person - I still feel like “little Sev,” as friends and old colleagues used to call me. Since moving to Tasmania in 2007, my focus has simply been building the business with Rodney and making sure we could meet our mortgage and raise our children.
Now Chloé has just started high school in Hobart, an hour’s drive away, and I’ve become a morning person. I wake at 6.10am to get her ready, make lunches and breakfast with protein, unload and reload the dishwasher, and get us both out the door by 7.20am. She’s responsible for her bag, laptop and phone, and I’ll still quickly tie a ribbon in her hair.
I then work from the Hobart State Library or the UTAS Forest Hub until pick-up. My work days are spent on emails, payroll, HR, marketing, bookkeeping and weddings. While Rodney and I continue refining and improving the business for both guests and staff. It can feel repetitive at times, but I’m grateful to live here with my family and to have an incredible team who’ve helped The Agrarian Kitchen become what it is today.
As we know, running any business and being a parent is incredibly hard work. How do you find special time for yourself, and what does that time look like?
As we know, running any business and being a parent is incredibly hard work. How do you find special time for yourself, and what does that time look like?
To be honest, I don’t find enough special time for myself and as I am getting older I realise that I really need to stop. When I do stop I book myself a facial appointment at my favourite White Sage Skin and Wellness studio in Hobart. I also attend a craft group with my circle of friends and I usually choose to knit when I am there. It’s usually held in the evenings and I can switch off my phone as our business is not open and I know there won’t be any emergencies.
Tasmania feels like its own incredibly beautiful tiny world. You are now the headlining one of Australia’s biggest culinary acts, most notably recently the Australian Open Glasshouse restaurant. What was the eventual push that made you shift the school from your home (where I first attended ten years ago) to the stunning and incredibly memorable space of the renovated asylum, and what has pushed you both on to be scaling such heights?
Many people don’t realise that when our cooking school was based in our home in Lachlan, the class kitchen doubled as our family kitchen. With 2–3 classes a week (sometimes more), it became impractical, we were constantly resetting the space, and it was far from efficient. For years, our family relied on a small separate fridge, which worked when the kids were young but became increasingly stressful as they grew.
We continued like this for 13 years, until 2021. When we opened the restaurant, we assumed guests would naturally connect it with the cooking school - and vice versa - but they didn’t. The link to our farm and garden was also lost on most restaurant visitors.
We considered moving the classes to the restaurant in New Norfolk but hesitated, especially about what would happen to the garden. A turning point came when Chef Palisa Anderson reassured us that after 13 years, evolving the model made sense. Then COVID in 2020 pushed us to act.
We transformed an unused space in the restaurant building and converted a one-acre walled area behind it into a new garden. By October 2022, classes had moved to the restaurant. Now, guests can connect directly with the ingredients we grow, and our children finally have a kitchen, they had grown up without a dedicated one since they were born.
Has motherhood made you softer in the kitchen and the business, or more decisive?
I feel that motherhood has made me more decisive in our business.
We now have 29 employees, and I make a conscious effort to decide quickly so the team can keep moving and work smarter, not harder. Rodney and I apply Lean principles across the business to maximise efficiency and minimise waste. For larger or more sensitive decisions, I take the time to consult with Rodney and our managers.Has motherhood made you softer in the kitchen and the business, or more decisive?
I feel that motherhood has made me more decisive in our business.
As I’ve gotten older, I turn 50 in June, I’ve noticed I’m far quicker at making decisions at work than in my personal life. Much of my mental energy goes into the business, and find it exhausting to make decisions outside of work.
What do you love cooking most for Chloé? And please let us know—what do you put in her lunchbox?
What do you love cooking most for Chloé? And please let us know—what do you put in her lunchbox?
I’ve always found packing Tristan and Chloé's lunchboxes a challenge but now that Tristan has finished school I only have one to do. It’s now autumn, we’re lucky to have crisp nashi pears from our tree - they’re small and fit perfectly - along with her other favourite, Granny Smith apples. She’s not a fan of sandwiches and prefers hot meals in a thermos, like spaghetti bolognese, chicken soup or rice with steak.
She also enjoys granola and I buy a good quality one if Rodney hasn’t had time to make one and each morning add Greek yoghurt and berries, plus the occasional homemade biscuit from Chloé’s weekend baking. I’ll add some raw carrots or cucumber too, making sure her lunch always includes protein, fruit and vegetables. She also loves a chia seed pudding.
If I have to buy from a supermarket, I carefully read ingredient lists - most items go straight back on the shelf. Recently, Chloé picked up a product, checked the ingredients, put it back and said, “It sounded healthy on the front, but the ingredients were pretty bad” – she also knows what to look for.
We often laugh at the things we now say, sounding so much like our own mums. Thinking back on the influence of your own mother or mother figures, what lessons or values do you carry forward into your own journey of motherhood?
We often laugh at the things we now say, sounding so much like our own mums. Thinking back on the influence of your own mother or mother figures, what lessons or values do you carry forward into your own journey of motherhood?
My mother taught me to be polite, respectful and gracious - to treat others as I’d like to be treated. Rodney and I have raised Tristan and Chloé with those same values, encouraging kindness both in person and online. It means a lot when their school reports describe them as thoughtful, caring and looking out for others.
She also taught me that people can be unkind or envious, and to always talk things through rather than hold it in. I’ve passed that on to our children - they know they can come to us for advice or just to offload, and that it’s a safe space.
Sometimes, I feel like an older sister to them and a mother.
Sometimes, I feel like an older sister to them and a mother.
I feel the same responsibility toward my team; they’re like family, and I want them to know they can always come to me if needed.
And one thing from Mum that’s stayed with me? Always take a jumper - you might get cold. I used to roll my eyes, and now I say it to Tristan and Chloé… and get the same reaction.
What would your ideal Mother’s Day look like, from morning to night? And if time, money, and logistics allowed, what would your dream holiday look like?
What would your ideal Mother’s Day look like, from morning to night? And if time, money, and logistics allowed, what would your dream holiday look like?
Mother’s Day is tricky - it’s one of our busiest days at the restaurant, and this year I’ve even scheduled a cooking class. Ideally, I’d love a day off with no work or house chores, starting with breakfast at home with my family - outside if the weather allows, or by our open fire if not.
I’d love to switch my phone off, though that’s hard with a business and the worry of urgent issues or emails. Most of all, I’d like to also spend time with my parents for an afternoon tea, Tristan and Chloé - perhaps a relaxed lunch or afternoon tea together. Dinner would then be spent with Rodney after class ends.
And if time, money, and logistics allowed, what would your dream holiday look like?
And if time, money, and logistics allowed, what would your dream holiday look like?
I would love to take the four of us business class to Europe and bring Tristan and Chloé to Slovenia. Rod and I were fortunate to visit in 2023 when we were invited to speak at a Slovenian Conference, thanks to Chef Ana Roš of Hiša Franko. We didn’t bring the kids as it was a short trip, but the country felt like something out of a fairytale.
From there, I’d continue the trip with a few nights on the new Four Seasons Yachts. I’m not usually drawn to cruise-style travel and we have never been on one but this feels different - three nights would be perfect, especially somewhere warm and unhurried near Slovenia.
Ideally, it would be a long weekend with no Monday involved, as payroll day makes it hard to fully switch off. What I’d really love is a place with limited connection, where I can properly disconnect and be present with my family - far away from everything, even if just for a short time.
That said, I’m also very grateful to be in Tasmania. If I slow down and make time for it, it’s also a magical place here.
If we arrived unannounced this afternoon, what would you put on, what would you cook, and how would you make us feel at home?
If we arrived unannounced this afternoon, what would you put on, what would you cook, and how would you make us feel at home?
It’s autumn now and the cold has definitely set in—we even had frost on the windscreen this week. I’d have both the kitchen and lounge fires going, with music playing softly in the background. I always have music on; it makes a space feel calm and welcoming.
I probably wouldn’t cook, but if you arrived unannounced, I could still pull together a lovely afternoon tea. I’d call Rodney to bring over some sweets from the kiosk - if they hadn’t sold out - made by our chefs Jules and Pauline. I do love a good sweet treat and feel lucky to have them close by. I’d set the table with antique Limoges plates from my aunt and uncle, silver cake forks, and linen napkins.
I’d make a pot of lemon verbena tea from the tree by the back door. I stopped caffeine about five years ago as it was affecting my anxiety and inflammation, and I’ve felt much better since.
We’d sit by the fire and have a nice chat.
SHOP THE MOTHER'S DAY EDIT IN COLLABORATION WITH THE AGRARIAN KITCHEN.
Share:
'Riders' x Arabella Branson