Self sufficient homegrown fine dining served with a brotherly Bertoncello hospitality
O.MY is a restaurant located in the quiet town of Beaconsfield, Victoria, about a 45-minute drive from Melbourne’s CBD. Situated near the farmland of Cardinia, this location is ideal for escaping the hustle and bustle of the city and reconnecting with the essential bond between the land and food.
The restaurant is housed in a building that was once Beaconsfield’s post office.
Built in 1878, the building boasts a history of nearly 150 years. In contrast to its exterior, the interior features a serene space bathed in natural light, with bottles of cordials and mysterious liquids lining the walls, and dried herbs, root vegetables, and flower bouquets hanging from the ceiling. The tranquil atmosphere, reminiscent of an herbal apothecary, embodies the kitchen’s philosophy. Adjacent to the 27-seat dining room are the wine bar and retail shop “Bertoncello Wine Merchants,” which serve as a more casual space capable of accommodating an additional 15 guests.
The sentiment behind the name “O.MY” is simple yet profound: simply listening to the words spoken by the land; marveling, giving thanks, and sharing. In every single dish, the memories of the soil, water, and seasons are etched. A seasonal, local, and sustainable gastronomic cuisine, served in a warm, family-like atmosphere.
The restaurant has received numerous awards. It was named Restaurant of the Year by *Savour Australia* in 2015 and 2016, and won the National Contemporary Australian Restaurant Award in 2016 and 2017. It consistently ranked among the top spots in the “Sunday Herald Sun”’s Delicious.100 from 2016 to 2019, and was ranked 18th in “Time Out Melbourne”’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2020.
Blayne Bertoncello was born into a family of farmers. His father was an Italian immigrant who ran a market garden, and his mother’s family is considered one of Australia’s first fruit growers. Working the land has been a part of his life since childhood. At the age of 16, he began an apprenticeship at “Nosh” in Melbourne and was promoted to head chef there in just one year. After serving in that role for four years, at the age of 23, he made the decision to realize a dream he had long nurtured. Together with his brothers Chayse and Tyson (who now runs his own catering company), he set out to open a restaurant in his hometown of Beaconsfield.
In 2013, they discovered a building at 23 Woods Street that had once served as a butcher shop, renovated it into a 25-seat restaurant, and opened O.MY. In 2019, they expanded into the adjacent former post office (19–21 Woods Street), opening the bar first, followed by the restaurant, which relocated and opened in June of that year.
Immediately afterward, a crisis struck. On Friday, November 13, 2020, during business hours the day after Melbourne’s long lockdown ended, O.MY was struck by a fire, and the building burned to the ground in just 15 minutes. But the brothers did not give up. “We have no intention of giving up. We have plenty of support. We won’t stop until we reopen,” said Blayne. And indeed, they rose again. The current O.MY is built upon that indomitable spirit.
When discussing O.MY’s kitchen, the farm is an integral part of the story. The 3.5-acre farm in Cardinia was originally owned by the father-in-law of the owner’s brother, who serves as the restaurant’s bookkeeper. With the help of those involved, Bertoncello spent about three years developing the farm into a self-sufficient model. Today, the farm features over 350 growing beds, an orchard with 50 fruit trees, a berry patch, and beehives. With a few exceptions—such as protein sources and flour—every item on the menu is made with ingredients grown on the farm.
The menu is rewritten from scratch every week.
Homemade sourdough is baked fresh daily and served at the table with butter churned within two hours and herb-infused garden salt. The levain (sourdough starter) that has been nurtured since the restaurant’s opening continues to produce its rich aroma and distinctive texture to this day.
In the dining room, Chayse, the older brother, supports the operation as both sommelier and front-of-house manager. Blayne moves between the kitchen and the dining room, fostering an intimate atmosphere where the boundaries between staff and guests dissolve. The tension often associated with the term “fine dining” is absent here. Hospitality is delivered naturally, through unpretentious, quintessentially Australian interactions.
A farming heritage, the bond between brothers, a reverence for fire and earth, and a will that sprouted anew after being reduced to ashes. O.MY embodies all of this within the tranquility of a single plate. In Beaconsfield, a small town that feels somewhat forgotten, lies the current heart of Australian cuisine.