By Lachlan Abbott
Supermodel Megan Gale and former AFL footballer Shaun Hampson’s restaurant will be shut until further notice after a fire in Melbourne’s inner north-west.
Hampson, a ruckman who played almost 100 games for Richmond and Carlton over more than a decade until his 2018 retirement, posted on Instagram that Ascot Food and Wine would be closed temporarily after a “serious fire”.
“It is with heavy hearts we wish to inform everyone that we will be closed until further notice,” a post on the restaurant’s social media account also read on Tuesday night.
“Everyone is safe and a big shoutout to everyone that came to our aid.”
Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV) confirmed it was called to a kitchen fire on Ascot Vale Road in Moonee Ponds at 4.48pm on Tuesday.
FRV said in a statement that crews arrived at the scene four minutes later to find a fire in the restaurant kitchen. The property was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
Shaun Hampson confirmed the restaurant he co-owns with wife Megan Gale was damaged by a fire on Tuesday.Credit: Instagram
“The fire was quickly contained to an area in the kitchen, preventing further spread. FRV crews had the fire under control at 4.56pm,” Melbourne’s firefighting service said.
FRV said the City of Moonee Valley’s health inspector was notified and Victoria Police attended.
Police confirmed they attended the scene but said the fire was not being treated as suspicious.
Gale, the restaurant’s co-owner, rose to prominence in the early 2000s and had a long-standing partnership with department store David Jones. She has also appeared in films such as Mad Max: Fury Road and The Water Diviner.
Model Megan Gale co-owns the restaurant with her partner, Shaun Hampson.
Gale and Hampson had a child together in 2017 and co-own Ascot Food and Wine with chef Dave Stewart.
The venue was launched as a breakfast spot in 2014, but has since transformed into a fine-dining restaurant.
The Age’s Good Food review awarded the restaurant 4½ stars (out of five) in 2021.
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