1 minute read
Lauren Smith
by Style Media
Meet one-half of the dynamic duo behind The Valley’s trendiest eateries, Rosmarino and Etna.
Lauren Smith never saw herself working a standard 9-to-5, instead she envisioned becoming her own boss one day. Fast-forward a couple of years, and Lauren is now running two successful Italian restaurants with her partner Andrea Gatti.
The pair opened Italian bar and restaurant Rosmarino (the caprese is just *chefs kiss*) in July 2021. A year later, high-end pizzeria Etna was born. “Opening a second restaurant one year after the first one was a career highlight for us,” she says.
Lauren started out in hospitality at a young age. “I got my first job in KFC when I was 14, and then in a restaurant when I was 17,” she recalls. “It was then that I realised I really enjoyed hospitality.”
However, it wasn’t until she started working as a bartender at Hellenika on the Gold Coast (before it moved to trendy James Street) that she realised she wanted to open up her own restaurant. Lauren worked her way up the hospo ladder, moving to Brissy to work in a managerial role at the popular Greek restaurant and bar before she made the brave decision to go out on her own. Her now-partner Andrea was the head sommelier at Hellenika at the time.
“A huge part of my hospitality career was at Hellenika,” she says. “I learnt a lot from Simon [Gloftis] and Theo [Kampolis], who have created a truly inspirational business.”
Now as director of The Valley’s coolest dining spots, Lauren starts her work day with a bit of light reading, and exercise before getting stuck into her day-to-day tasks, which consists of everything from checking emails, paying invoices, and editing menus. “I then head in at around 3pm for meetings and stay for service if I’m required.”
As for what’s in store for the year ahead, Lauren is looking forward to enjoying some down time. “We’re going to Italy in February and September,” she says. “It’s Andrea’s first time back in four years, so it’s massive for him. No new businesses this year… a year of pure enjoyment for what we have!”
