Thank you for your service: Adelaide steak and seafood restaurant Cork & Cleaver closing for business after 43 years
SA’s new Governor once worked there, it was a favourite of the rich and famous, but after 43 years, Adelaide culinary institution Cork & Cleaver is set to close its doors for the last time.
Food & Wine
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Saying goodbye to his restaurant, Cork & Cleaver, after 43 years wasn’t an easy decision for Stratos Pouras — but he’s sure it’s the right one.
The Glenunga steak and seafood institution will close its doors for the final time next month, with Greek-born Pouras, 84, retiring after more than 50 years in hospitality.
He recently received an offer to buy the building and following discussions with his family, decided it was time for a well-earned rest.
“I consulted with my three daughters, my sons-in-law, and after a few meetings and a few disagreements, we overwhelmingly decided to go ahead and accept the offer,” he said.
“It’s been a fantastic experience, a fantastic life for myself and for all my loyal staff.
“We are leaving on a high... very high.”
Joining him in retirement are about 15 of his 19 staff members, including his son-in-law, manager Jimmy Boutsis, 62, and head chef, Greg Favretto, 58.
The duo have been working with Pouras since they were teenagers, first at his old seafood restaurant, Swains on Glen Osmond Road, and then at Cork & Cleaver.
Like the majority of his staff, very little has changed since it opened in September, 1978.
Walking into the venue itself is like entering a time warp – in the best possible way.
The restaurant’s decor hasn’t been altered, and Pouras estimates about 85 per cent of the menu is the same as day one.
“It’s about dedication to our purpose, consistent quality and value for money,” he said.
“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
An enduring Adelaide staple in an industry of constant change, Cork & Cleaver has served some of the biggest names in town.
Celebrity guests over the years include late Formula One driver Ayrton Senna, tennis great Pete Sampras, two-time grand slam champion Lleyton Hewitt, cricket legends Max Walker and Ian Chappell, plus a host of the state's most powerful politicians, lawyers and doctors.
But Pouras’s “crowning glory” was hiring SA’s new Governor, Frances Adamson, as a part-time waitress while she was studying at university in the 1980s.
The two remain close, with Pouras attending her swearing-in ceremony at Government House last month.
“I was her first boss. She was here for two or three years while she was studying. She was absolutely brilliant. Very clever. Very able and very reliable,” he said.
“I like to think she learned some things here, she worked here long enough to pick up the character of the place. But she was an extremely good employee. I still miss her after all these years.”
Pouras admitted it’s been emotional sharing the news of the venue’s impending closure on December 18 with their regular guests, some of whom have become very good friends.
“Every night as we tell them, I get hugs and tears... they are absolutely devastated,” he said.
“Some of them have been coming here for 40 years and if they’ve passed away, their children and grandchildren still come here. It’s been a family restaurant.
“But it’s time to retire. Nothing is forever.”
Share your memories of Cork & Cleaver in the comments below.
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