Jack Stuart has packed a lot of high-level cooking into his career so far. With a resume boasting experience working as a sous chef in Michelin-starred restaurant The Forest Side and a three-year stint helming the kitchen at Congress Wine in Melbourne (where his pig’s head sanga became the talk of the town), the Brisbane-born chef could likely find work at just about any of Australia’s best eateries. Instead, his next chapter will see him striking out on his own, veering off the beaten path to forge a new one deep in southeast Queensland’s fertile heartland. Having returned to Brisbane recently to take over the reins at esteemed South Brisbane institution Gauge, Jack has spent his downtime visiting family out in the Scenic Rim. Every time he drove through Boonah, a stately heritage building caught his eye – a former dentist, now vacant and crying out to be used for something special. A yearning to strip back his schedule and hone in on a humble form of country-style hospitality grew and soon Jack had secured the building as the home of Blume, a soon-to-open destination restaurant that will draw upon the Scenic Rim’s hyper-local and diverse cornucopia.

Inspired by restaurants like Fleet, Brae and Sixpenny, Blume will take a similar farm-to-table approach that places the provenance of produce front and centre. Looking to entice travellers that make the trek to the Scenic Rim for day trips and weekenders, Blume will open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays for two lunch sittings (12:00 pm and 3:00 pm) and one dinner sitting on Friday and Saturday, giving wanderers flexibility to take in and connect with the area’s scenery before settling in for a journey of the tastebuds. Jack is currently in the process of connecting with local producers for Blume’s shareable set-menu offering, with vegetables, meat and dairy all coming from an expanding list of suppliers including Tommerup’s Dairy Farm, Summerland Camels and Towri Sheep Cheeses. Blume’s beverage list will include a small-yet-dynamic drinks offering, including wines from the Granite Belt and further abroad, bespoke beers, crafted cocktails, and non-alcoholic house-made sodas. In addition to the main 20-seat dining space, Blume will also boast a clutch of bar seats reserved for locals and walk-ins, giving regulars a chance to pop in often for sips and snacks. In terms of the fit-out, Jack is eager to let the building’s beauty speak for itself – a few cosmetic additions will serve to highlight existing features including a ceiling skylight and pressed-metal walls. Although Blume is Jack’s brainchild, the restaurant will also boast charming contributions from his family, who are not only assisting with the DIY fit-out but also adding some decorative touches in the form of sketches and ceramics.

Blume is set to open in Boonah before the end of the year – stay tuned for more details on this one as they emerge.