Team behind Kudo Bakery to open Itera in Melbourne - hospitality

With Itera meaning “to iterate” – or return, evolve, and come full circle – the opening on Saturday 12 September will mark an “exciting new chapter” for founders Felix Goodwin and Elena Nguyen. While Itera will run independent from Kudo, which is an entirely gluten free bakery, the opening will showcase some of the concepts the pair have developed over the years.

The pair says they needed more space to keep growing, and the Brunswick location gives them the production space they require – including room for the team to work, and space to offer a dine-in experience. The menu will be led by Head Chef Kelvin Ong (ex-Society) and is built on seasonal produce and Australian growers.

A reflection of the team, it will draw on Nguyen’s Vietnamese heritage, Goodwin’s kitchen experience, and Ong’s Malaysian background. Highlights include chicken congee pot pie; corn and cheese rarebit; tiger prawn burger; spring onion potato rosti; and the Itera farmer’s plate with sourdough, prosciutto, cheddar, pickles, soft-boiled egg, mixed leaves, smoked paprika, and tomato butter.

A corn and cheese choux developed by Nguyen will use every part of the corn with the silk and inner husk brewed into a traditional Vietnamese summer tea before being set into a jelly, while fresh corn juice is folded through a rich parmesan and mozzarella custard. The remaining corn pulp is slowly cooked with condensed milk. The sweets menu includes crème cramel with whipped cream; pandan and coconut cake; and leatherwood honey cake.

The bakery will draw from two sourdough starters, one from early 2020 before Kudo opened. The other is Sakadane, a natural starter drawn from Japanese sake brewing that is made by fermenting cooked rice with koji.

The koji enzymes break down starch and protein in the dough which creates a structural advantage for gluten free baking by creating a sweeter, nuttier crumb that stays softer for longer. The drinks offering will pair Single O coffee, matcha, and a genmaicha latte and cold brew latte that are both topped with salted foam. Longtime regulars have contributed to the design, including artist Jessie French who has created a patterned film on the interior glazing, which doubles as a screen and signage.

And Phillip Toole, who is a theatre costume designer, has designed the front-of-house chore jackets, drawing on the build’s past life as a Hard Yakka factory. The bakery will open from Wednesday to Monday from 9am to 4pm for walk-ins only.

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