Opening a restaurant is a challenge in itself.
Now imagine doing it all with a limited budget and tight schedule before the critical eye of the Australian public and a judging panel of the food industry’s top experts on national television.
But for Restaurant Revolution contestants Marilyn (Maz) Koutsonikolas, 24, and her partner Nathan Scarfo, 27, this was a “natural progression”.
“Nathan’s been a head chef for a couple of years now and he really wants his own restaurant, so this is the opportunity of a lifetime for us,” Maz tells Neos Kosmos.
The couple’s journey on Channel 7’s Restaurant Revolution started one night, when the 24-year-old recalls returning home to find her partner overjoyed by the concept.
“He was just really excited because he saw this application online for this TV show. We applied for it, and six months after that we got the position!” she says.
Kicking off on the Seven network last month, this is the new food-themed show on the block.
With a vision to convey exactly what it’s like to open and run a restaurant, five teams around the country were appointed the task of transforming a shipping container into a pop-up restaurant in just a few weeks.
Now up and running, while filming is under way, viewers are able to get amongst the action and test the product for themselves rather than relying purely on judges’ comments.
All restaurants are being marked on food, service and atmosphere, with profit being the ultimate judge.
With Nathan’s culinary expertise (he was first appointed the role of head chef at the age of 22), coupled with Maz’s marketing and public relations background, along with eight years of front of house experience, the couple have an invaluable insight behind the hospitality industry over many of the other competitors.
With Nathan’s strong arm being Italian fine dining, the Melburnians have created a beautiful modern Italian eatery in bustling St Kilda.
Though don’t expect a set menu – this place is all about offering the top notch produce of the day; they offer tasty small bites, intended to be shared, along with mains, desserts and sides.
Though customers are enthused about the menu as a whole, Maz admits favourites have emerged.
“Nathan is – I don’t know how he does it – but he is a master of risotto, and our duck ragout risotto is very popular. What’s also popular is … our calamari cooked two ways,” she reveals.
But six weeks into filming, the couple admit there have been challenges.
“It’s one thing running a restaurant; it’s another thing running a restaurant on reality television,” she says.
If anything, the experience has completely changed their perception of reality TV, emphasising that “what we’re doing here is real; what we do is not scripted …”
“People say anything to you because you’re on a TV show. They’ve got to understand: you’re not a character in a book, you’re a real person, and saying ‘oh, you don’t look as fat in real life’ is not okay. People are so blind to what this actually is and what this actually means to us.”
While the 27-year-old chef is known for his short temper, Maz also admits to often getting fired up.
“There have been a lot of moments and that’s just natural. We can’t filter out our emotions, we’re passionate people – that’s just us.
“If there was a highlights reel of every time you got angry over a two-week period, you’d be embarrassed, ashamed, and you wouldn’t like yourself very much,” explains Maz.
This has proved to be a big challenge for the team from a marketing perspective, as they find themselves struggling between the image they’re trying to project and the image that is being projected on TV, while still trying to get customers through the door.
“We have been worried from day one … we don’t know how they’re going to make us look, how they’re going to edit us,” says Maz.
Though at the end of the day, the main thing on the couple’s mind is “to do better and to make sure we impress”.
Having put their best foot forward, they are slowly gaining momentum with good feedback and scores from the judges.
But they aren’t allowing themselves to get too confident, admitting to having their eye on Adelaide, who they say is their “biggest competition”.
“They’re as passionate and as determined to win this competition as we are. And they also have similar experience in the industry to us and next to us, they’re providing the best food,” Maz explains.
With a cash prize of $200,000 up for grabs, if the Melburnians take out the top spot they’re eager to put the wheels in motion.
“The plan is to open a restaurant straight away. That money will be going directly to another restaurant, which we’re totally ready for.”
Will they stay in their St Kilda location? The answer is no.
“[It’ll be] smack bang in the CBD. We would take inspiration from what we have here in St Kilda definitely, but we wouldn’t be creating exactly the same restaurant.”
Though the experience has brought challenges, it’s clear the couple haven’t been deterred in the slightest.
“It’s been fantastic; Nathan and I have grown as a couple and as business people. We’ve learnt a lot … we are happy with where we’re at.”
Nathan and Maz’s restaurant is open for lunch Wednesday to Sunday from noon-4.00 pm and for dinner Wednesday to Saturday from 6.00 pm to 11.00 pm. All the restaurants do not accept bookings, and are BYO. For more details, visit www.au.tv.yahoo.com/restaurant-revolution/