Search the site
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
#
ArabicBengaliChinese (Simplified)DutchEnglishFilipinoFrenchGermanHindiItalianMalayPortugueseRussianSpanishTamil
menu
  • Business
  • Culture & Lifestyle
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Launceston and North-East Tasmania
  • About
  • Quick links
  • Contact
  • Share Your Story
  • Follow us on Facebook
  • Join our Twitter group
  • Business
  • Culture & Lifestyle
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Launceston and the North-East
  • Show all
Close search
54°F Hobart, 08:00am
46°F Launceston, 08:00am
54°F Burnie, 08:00am
48°F Devonport, 08:00am
48°F St Helens, 08:00am
52°F Bicheno, 08:00am
46°F Ross, 08:00am
46°F Invermay, 08:00am
45°F George Town, 08:00am
48°F St Helens, 08:00am
55°F Beaconsfield, 08:00am
52°F Austins Ferry, 08:00am
54°F Bellerive, 08:00am
54°F Blackmans Bay, 08:00am
50°F Huonville, 08:00am
52°F Orford, 08:00am
54°F Sandy Bay, 08:00am
46°F Perth, 08:00am
46°F Deloraine, 08:00am
45°F George Town, 08:00am
weather
Hobart, 08:00am 54°F
Launceston, 08:00am 46°F
Burnie, 08:00am 54°F
Devonport, 08:00am 48°F
St Helens, 08:00am 48°F
Bicheno, 08:00am 52°F
Ross, 08:00am 46°F
Invermay, 08:00am 46°F
George Town, 08:00am 45°F
St Helens, 08:00am 48°F
Beaconsfield, 08:00am 55°F
Austins Ferry, 08:00am 52°F
Bellerive, 08:00am 54°F
Blackmans Bay, 08:00am 54°F
Huonville, 08:00am 50°F
Orford, 08:00am 52°F
Sandy Bay, 08:00am 54°F
Perth, 08:00am 46°F
Deloraine, 08:00am 46°F
George Town, 08:00am 45°F
Make It Tasmania

Dier Makr: Feeding Tasmania’s growing appetite

Business
Published 30 October 2017. Last Updated 09 January 2018

Making it Tasmania was a true meeting of the minds and an undeniable opportunity for these passionate restauranteurs.

“Probably a joke to start with. Lots of things tend to happen when we joke about it, then we end up just doing it.”

This is Sarah Fitzsimmons’ response when asked how she and partner Kobi Ruzicka decided to move to Tasmania and open a restaurant.

What ‘probably’ started with a joke is now Dier Makr, a restaurant and wine bar that is right at home in Hobart’s growing hospitality sector.

A trip to Tasmania in January 2016 set off a series of events for this young couple that has seen them move across the Bass Strait and start a business that enjoys national attention, local hype and rave reviews. All in under 12 months.

“We came here and went to some amazing places and we knew people in the industry, so immediately we were able to see how close and supportive that environment is,” says Sarah.

Despite having grown up only 15 minutes apart in Melbourne, the pair didn’t meet until Sarah started working at Kobi’s wine bar and café in their shared childhood suburb of Eltham.

As well as Melbourne, Kobi’s journey to Tasmania has included working in kitchens in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Belgium, Munich and San Francisco.

For Sarah it was a case of finding a passion, something dynamic, “I started getting interested in wine and good food, working for someone that’s so inspired by that stuff is really infectious.”

Kobi and Sarah saw that Hobart suited the vision they had for their business and that it had clear advantages compared to the competitive Melbourne market.

”For a Melbourne comparison, the restaurant space was three times the size and half the price of what we’d been looking at,” says Kobi.

“There’s absolutely no way we could be doing what we’re doing here, the way we’re doing it here back in Melbourne.”

Dier Makr is right at home in Tasmania’s bustling food and beverage market, with Kobi and Sarah’s commitment to great produce evident in everything they do.

The pair are keenly aware of the growth happening around them, whether it is new hotels or more opportunities for eateries outside of the Hobart central business district.

“People [from Melbourne and Sydney] are just cold calling us,” says Kobi about the interest in making the change to Tasmania and the visibility of growth in the state’s hospitality sector further afield.

The benefits are also local. From when they first arrived in Hobart, Kobi and Sarah believe the momentum they are now a part of is going to continue, and opportunities for local talent increase.

“You can do it as a career, not just as a weekend job to get cash. So I think the next step is getting people to recognise that, who want to do it and also want to do it Hobart,” says Sarah.

Despite their impressive work ethic, Kobi and Sarah have taken the opportunity to explore Tasmania and both enjoy the lifestyle of their new home.

Sarah is glowing about the sense of community, “I love that so much about Hobart. You kind of know what everyone else is doing.”

“I think there’s a great balance. I love how close everything is to Hobart. That you can drive 10 or 15 minutes away and you’re already in dense nature. You are definitely out of the city very quickly,” says Kobi.

Now almost one year since they opened the doors to Dier Makr, Kobi and Sarah are making the most of all the opportunities Tasmania has to offer.

Find out more about Dier Makr at www.diermakr.com.


Dier Makr: Feeding Tasmania’s growing appetite

Business
Published 30 October 2017. Last Updated 09 January 2018

Making it Tasmania was a true meeting of the minds and an undeniable opportunity for these passionate restauranteurs.

“Probably a joke to start with. Lots of things tend to happen when we joke about it, then we end up just doing it.”

This is Sarah Fitzsimmons’ response when asked how she and partner Kobi Ruzicka decided to move to Tasmania and open a restaurant.

What ‘probably’ started with a joke is now Dier Makr, a restaurant and wine bar that is right at home in Hobart’s growing hospitality sector.

A trip to Tasmania in January 2016 set off a series of events for this young couple that has seen them move across the Bass Strait and start a business that enjoys national attention, local hype and rave reviews. All in under 12 months.

“We came here and went to some amazing places and we knew people in the industry, so immediately we were able to see how close and supportive that environment is,” says Sarah.

Despite having grown up only 15 minutes apart in Melbourne, the pair didn’t meet until Sarah started working at Kobi’s wine bar and café in their shared childhood suburb of Eltham.

As well as Melbourne, Kobi’s journey to Tasmania has included working in kitchens in London, Paris, Copenhagen, Belgium, Munich and San Francisco.

For Sarah it was a case of finding a passion, something dynamic, “I started getting interested in wine and good food, working for someone that’s so inspired by that stuff is really infectious.”

Kobi and Sarah saw that Hobart suited the vision they had for their business and that it had clear advantages compared to the competitive Melbourne market.

”For a Melbourne comparison, the restaurant space was three times the size and half the price of what we’d been looking at,” says Kobi.

“There’s absolutely no way we could be doing what we’re doing here, the way we’re doing it here back in Melbourne.”

Dier Makr is right at home in Tasmania’s bustling food and beverage market, with Kobi and Sarah’s commitment to great produce evident in everything they do.

The pair are keenly aware of the growth happening around them, whether it is new hotels or more opportunities for eateries outside of the Hobart central business district.

“People [from Melbourne and Sydney] are just cold calling us,” says Kobi about the interest in making the change to Tasmania and the visibility of growth in the state’s hospitality sector further afield.

The benefits are also local. From when they first arrived in Hobart, Kobi and Sarah believe the momentum they are now a part of is going to continue, and opportunities for local talent increase.

“You can do it as a career, not just as a weekend job to get cash. So I think the next step is getting people to recognise that, who want to do it and also want to do it Hobart,” says Sarah.

Despite their impressive work ethic, Kobi and Sarah have taken the opportunity to explore Tasmania and both enjoy the lifestyle of their new home.

Sarah is glowing about the sense of community, “I love that so much about Hobart. You kind of know what everyone else is doing.”

“I think there’s a great balance. I love how close everything is to Hobart. That you can drive 10 or 15 minutes away and you’re already in dense nature. You are definitely out of the city very quickly,” says Kobi.

Now almost one year since they opened the doors to Dier Makr, Kobi and Sarah are making the most of all the opportunities Tasmania has to offer.

Find out more about Dier Makr at www.diermakr.com.


makeittasmania.com.au
Share this

Next article

Engineering solutions for the future

Read next article
Share this
Join us, we'd love to hear from you.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
  • Business
  • Culture & Lifestyle
  • Education
  • Employment
  • About
  • Quick links
  • Contact
  • Share Your Story
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
Tasmanian Government
  • Business
  • Culture & Lifestyle
  • Education
  • Employment
  • About
  • Quick links
  • Contact
  • Share Your Story
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Copyright and Disclaimer
  • Personal Information
  • Accessibility
  • Service Tasmania
  • Language Translations
  • Photography Credits
  • Right to Information
Make it Tasmania
Tasmanian Government
  • Copyright and Disclaimer
  • Personal Information
  • Accessibility
  • Service Tasmania
  • Language Translations
  • Photography Credits
  • Right to Information
Make it Tasmania