Brigitte Hafner is the chef and owner of Tedesca Osteria, a celebrated restaurant set on her own biodynamic farm in Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. There, she cooks daily five-course lunches drawn almost entirely from her garden, prepared over a wood-fired hearth and grill — food defined by simplicity, seasonality, and a deep respect for produce and place.
Brigitte trained in some of Australia’s finest kitchens, working alongside Kylie Kwong, Neil Perry and Jacques Reymond, before finding her own voice in more rustic, home-style cooking — a shift inspired by time spent with Mildura chef Stefano De Pieri. Of German heritage, her nickname “Tedesca” (Italian for German) has followed her since her days running the much-loved Fitzroy wine bar Gertrude Street Enoteca.

Tedesca Osteria has since been named Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurant of the Year, and Brigitte remains a passionate mentor to the next generation of chefs, judging the S.Pellegrino Young Chef Academy’s Pacific regional competition. Her cooking philosophy — nourishing, unfussy, and led by what the land provides — makes her a natural fit for the long lunches and market-driven feasts in Burgundy.