‘We’re just ready’: French waterfront bistro La Cachette to close doors

The owner of an upmarket Geelong restaurant, which will close next month, says the support he’s received since opening had been “amazingly positive.”

Matt Podbury, owner of La Cachette and Matt Preston at the opening of The Gordon's Culinary Collective. Picture: Alan Barber

The owner and head chef of an upmarket French waterfront restaurant says the “time is right” for the business to close.

La Cachette owner Matt Podbury on Tuesday announced the French bistro style restaurant’s last service will be on Sunday, August 11.

Mr Podbury said there were “no negatives” in the decision.

“We’re just ready,” he said.

“We’re at a stage where we can leave gracefully and look for new stuff, there’s opportunities all the time and there’s always new stuff on the horizon.

La Cachette Restaurant, Geelong. Pictures: Verity Stubbs @gingerandmint

“I’m super proud of what we’ve done.”

Mr Podbury said the support he’d received since the restaurant’s opening in 2021 had been “amazingly positive”.

“We’re so grateful for the opportunity, we’re so grateful for all the guests, local suppliers and producers,” he said.

“To go out while we’re on top and maintain our integrity and pride, it’s really important to us.”

Previously plying his trade at popular Anglesea restaurant Captain Moonlite, Mr Podbury and his partner Joanna Karlin opened La Cachette in June of 2021 as Geelong was in the midst of the pandemic.

La Cachette Restaurant, Geelong. Pictures: Verity Stubbs @gingerandmint

Mr Podbury said it would be bittersweet to say goodbye, adding the Steampacket Place shopfront has felt like home over the last three years.

”I come downstairs at 6am, I cook and I leave at midnight, six days a week,” he said.

“It’s a big slog but we knew that coming into it, we were ready for it and we f---ing loved every minute of it.

“Now is just an awesome time to step back and go ‘we’ve done it,’ you know?”

The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.

Originally published as ‘We’re just ready’: French waterfront bistro La Cachette to close doors