Built by hand, cooked by heart: The story behind Freo’s backyard supper club

There’s food that’s made by hand, and then there’s Flour & Fire: a private supper club and catering business run by Anna Tamburri and Valerio Fantinelli.

Each Flour & Fire dinner is held in a commercial kitchen and homely dining area that the couple built and dug out themselves in the backyard of their suburban family home near Freo (The council are across what’s happening, as are neighbours).

Guests sit around a table that sits up to a dozen people and dinner is a bespoke set menu showcasing vegetables, fruits and herbs from the couple’s farm in Waroona.

Some of these ingredients, such as the radicchio whose bitterness quietly contrasts the richness of roasted wagyu beef, is served fresh. Others such as the vinegars made with white wine, red wine and pomegranate that provide the thrust behind the smoked posca – a tart, aperitivo-style drink that kicks things off – are the result of patience and resourceful thinking many seasons ago.

Even some of the tableware and cutlery that guests will use over dinner (or lunch) are made from timber and other natural materials from the farm.

Basically, if something’s on the table, it’s there for a reason.

Tamburri and Fantinelli either made it themselves or know the person that did as well as the backstory of said item.

This ability to speak to the origin of ingredients has long informed Fantinelli’s approach to cooking. One thing that the Italian-born chef wasn’t so sure about, however, was whether bringing the dinner party back to their place was a good idea.

“I never thought people would pay money for dinner at our place,” Fantinelli admitted, whose CV includes stints in his native Abruzzo, Western Australia and even Bali.

As it turns out, they would. What began in 2018 as a one-off vegan dinner for a group of parents from daughter Rosie’s primary school grew into the current model that sees Flour & Fire host groups on Friday and Saturday nights and, when the weather allows, Sunday lunch.

In a neat full circle moment, Rosie and the couple’s son Xavier also help with dinner services, although the core team is Fantinelli in the kitchen and Tamburri running front of house.

Guests can choose from two dining options when making a reservation: a traditional, share-style family meal that includes large format cuts of meat, vegetables, bread and other common sightings at nonna and nonno’s house ($180 per person), or a more contemporary degustation menu ($200 per person) that features individual plated portions of the dozen-or-so dishes on that night’s menu.

Admittedly, the prices being charged are higher than your local neighbourhood pasta or pizza joint, but so is the calibre of the cooking. Perth isn’t exactly struggling for Italian dining options, yet the food that Fantinelli is serving at his Flour & Fire dinners is unique, personal and very delicious.

I’ve been lucky enough to experience these dinners twice and learned something new about Italian cuisine each time.

What’s really turned my head, though, is seeing Fantinelli cleverly connects his past and present.

But now, the million dollar – or more accurately, the $180 or $200 per head – question: how does one get in on this Flour & Fire action?

Reservations are released seasonally with bookings for summer (December to February) going live from 9am on Monday October 26. If you can lock in a date, the table is all yours, but your party needs to be a minimum of six guests and a maximum of 12.

Crucially, reservations need to be made via email with dates being booked on a first-in, best-served basis.

While Fantinelli admits that investing in an online booking system would make things easier, this booking process was chosen on purpose.

“I like having that personal touch with guests,” he said. “It feels like you’re coming to my house from the very beginning.”

Flour & Fire reservations for December, January and February are available from 9am on Monday, October 26. To make a reservation, send an email to val@flourandfire.com.au