Local Pizza opens new Local Panini shop at Bellerive – and Tetsuya top chef joins crew

A Tasmanian pizza institution has spread its wings by opening a new shop – and it’s going gangbusters in its first week, selling out of pizzas in just 30 minutes. ‘LOCAL’ LEGEND’S NEXT MOVE >>

It’s loved by locals and visitors alike and now Local Pizza has spread its wings to Hobart’s eastern shore attracting one of the country’s top chefs as its creative food director.

Kevin Mok who ran the kitchen for renowned chef Tetsuya Wakuda in Sydney, will also oversee Local Panini part of the famous pizza institution’s new restaurant at Bellerive which is going gangbusters just a week after opening.

Mr Mok, 38, first came to Tasmania with for a master cooking class several years ago.

“Like Tetsuya I just loved it,” he said.

“I loved Mt Wellington, it’s such a gorgeous place and everyone here is so well connected and respected.

Isabella Edwards director Local Hospitality and creative food director Kevin Mok at Local Panini. Local Panini is now open in Bellerive adding to other 'local' food outlets. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“I love the sense of community, the wonderful ingredients and the people.”

Mr Mok’s father was a chef so he says he was brought up around “a culture of food”.

“I saw how hard my father worked and the long hours but it was amazing to work in a fine dining restaurant and to be running the kitchen for Tetsuya for six years,” he said.

While he was working in Sweden at Faviken, a restaurant with two Michelin stars, Mr Mok met his now wife Deborah Tecchio, a chef who has moved into a working front of house at the Agrarian Kitchen at New Norfolk.

Local Pizza owners Isabella and Joel Edwards, who established their Local Pizza at Berriedale in 2015 and Ti Ama at Battery Point in 2018, can’t believe their good fortune at attracting Mr Mok and Ms Tecchio to Tasmania’s food scene.

“Kevin has an amazing skills set and it is all about working as a team and teaching our team how to come into their best,” Ms Edwards said.

One of the many offerings at Local Pizza in Berriedale.

“We really care about our ingredients and we use slow fermented dough in our pizzas which has very low yeast and takes 72 hours to get ready.”

Like Mr Mok, Ms Edwards grew up with food an important part of her Italian family’s heritage after her parents Steve and Monique Lubiana moved to Tasmania from South Australia more than 30 years ago to set up one of the state’s most popular wine labels.

She is blown away with how popular the new location has proven.

“We sold out by 5.30 on night and we had made 270 pizzas.

“We were blown away by the support and demand.”

Local Panini, which has focaccias, sandwiches, scrolls and cakes is open seven days from 7am to 3pm and Local Pizza from 5-8pm Wednesday to Sunday.

Originally published as Local Pizza opens new Local Panini shop at Bellerive – and Tetsuya top chef joins crew