Celebrity chefs Darren Robertson, MasterChef’s Andy Allen and Matt LaBrooy to open Three Blue Ducks at The Lodge in July

Having cracked their market, then mediated a tenancy dispute, celebrity chefs Darren Robertson, MasterChef’s Andy Allen and Matt LaBrooy can finally open Three Blue Ducks at The Lodge.

The Three Blue Ducks team in Bellingen. Picture: Supplied

Celebrity chefs Darren Robertson, MasterChef’s Andy Allen and Matt LaBrooy have announced the opening date of their new Three Blue Ducks venue in Bellingen, despite getting caught in the middle of a messy battle between the landlord and previous tenants.

The Three Blue Ducks at luxury accommodation and event venue The Lodge will officially open on July 13 after months-long delays.

After announcing the location for the new eatery earlier this year, the team found themselves caught in the middle of a legal battle between the landlord and the former tenants from The Hilltop Store.

It’s claimed The Hilltop at The Lodge’s owners Carla Jones and Richie Dolan, who met while working at Aria, were “locked out” by The Lodge amid an ongoing legal battle.

The Lodge has strongly disputed this.

Since the announcement Robertson told The Daily Telegraph he’s been in mediation with both parties.

The Lodge at Bellingen. Picture: Supplied

“We found ourselves in the middle and have been mediating between both parties, which is not what we normally do,” he said, adding the team has known Jones previously.

“This site was empty for a year before we took it on and I’m 100 per cent super confident that we’ve done the right thing. We‘ve got nothing but respect for them.”

Chef Darren Robertson at Three Blue Ducks Byron Bay.

Robertson, who is married to cook Magdalena Roze and resides in Byron Bay, has spent months in the area making sure their new venture is what residents and visitors want.

“We want to earn respect and trust and if it’s taken as long as it’s taken, then so be it,” he said.

“When you have a profile there can be a negative connotation that we will just fly in and fly out or present a cookie-cutter offering. But that’s not the case. We are very hands on. We are in the restaurants all the time. It’s very grassroots. It’s never about the money, it’s about doing something progressive with food.”

He adds when Allen — who is a MasterChef judge — is not filming, he’s in one of the venues.

The original Three Blue Ducks cafe in Bronte.

The team have renovated the restaurant, which includes an 80-seat dining room and a heated 100-seat terrace with vistas of the surrounding Dorrigo National Park.

The menu, led by Head Chef Julien Vasseur highlights local producers and will lean into spices and aromatics.

“Originally we had planned to do a pizza and wine bar, but there were already plenty of amazing family-owned restaurants in the area doing that. For us it’s about reading the room and in a practical sense, asking what it is we can bring and add to the dining,” said Robertson.

“We’ve got a more Asian offering which makes sense and we love to eat that style of food.”

Robertson said he still has to “pinch myself” after opening a cafe in Bronte in 2010 has turned into five iterations, with Bellingen to be the sixth.

“I still find it so exciting and I’m sending newspaper cuttings back to Mum in the UK of our ventures,” he said.

“I never expected to be still talking to my business partners after 12 years, let alone opening more venues. I mean, three chefs working together doesn’t look good on paper, but I still love them like brothers. And we’ve also been incredibly lucky. Hospitality is a fickle industry but the moons aligned for us and we are incredibly grateful for all the opportunities we’ve had.”

The Three Blue Ducks at The Lodge in Bellingen is now taking reservations.