On Saturday night, George Calombaris closed the doors to Gazi Sydney for the last time. What was supposed to be a three month pop up ended up being six months of what the globally renowned chef describes as a beautiful and humbling experience that has cemented his future in the harbour city.
When we speak on Wednesday, Calombaris is already in India, his mind racing with plans and reflections. He's en route to Athens where he will spend Christmas and New Years with his family. It's his home stretch after what he calls a big year.
A Love Letter to Sydney's Greek Community
The response to Gazi Sydney overwhelmed Calombaris in the best possible way. In a world obsessed with ‘firsts’ and ‘viral moments’ and ‘Dubai’ superlatives, he found something more meaningful: genuine connection with Sydney's Greek community.
"I was pretty chuffed and overwhelmed in a way of the response," he says. "We live in a world right now where everything's about 'the first', 'going viral'... I've just been humbled and just grateful for what has been a really beautiful experience, and more so for the fact that Sydney Greeks have just blown me away."
The statistics tell a compelling story. While Greeks made up only 20% of his Melbourne restaurant clientele, at Gazi Sydney that number jumped to 80%. "To have that support and that kindness and that real spirit has been wonderful and has made myself and my team feel at home," he reflects, noting that many of his staff had relocated from Melbourne. "It was always nervy for all of us, asking were we making the right decision here? What are we doing here?"
The Final Feast
The closing night was a celebration of everything Gazi Sydney represented. On each tables, a note from Calombaris read: "This isn't the end, it's only the beginning. The journey of life is blessed and extraordinary. I have been grateful to meet so many amazing humans through all of its chapters. Gazi Sydney has been a blast."
The message continued: "I am thankful for all the extraordinary guests who have passed through the doors in the last six months. I am grateful to the suppliers who gave us the gift of produce, food, and wine. I thank all the incredible collabs we did throughout these six months. Most importantly, I am thankful and blessed to have a team of rock stars around me."
We are Hellenes, and we never stop, always with our heads in the clouds but our feet firmly on the ground.
His closing words carried both sentiment and promise: "Tonight is not the end. Stay tuned, Sydney. We are Hellenes, and we never stop, always with our heads in the clouds but our feet firmly on the ground. Can't wait to show you what's next."
The final menu showcased the creativity and collaboration that defined Gazi Sydney, with dishes created by chefs Serradan Sharp, Anthony Thalassinos, David Tsirekas and Francesco Castellana. DJ Daikos provided the soundtrack to the last dance.
What Comes Next
Any lingering questions about whether Calombaris would return to Melbourne are definitively answered. "I can guarantee you I'm staying in Sydney," he states firmly. His children, now approaching 12 months in the city, are thriving and are loving their new life.
Although people may ask him from time to time to compare the two cities, he refuses to engage in rivalry. "I'm not here to compare the two different cities. The two of them have got their beauty. Sydney's absolutely world class. There is no question about it. When you think about the world class cities of the world, New York, Paris, London, Sydney is right up there."
But it's clear Sydney has captured something in him. "I just feel really at home. I feel really welcomed. I feel like I belong."
Gazi Sydney was always conceived as a test run, a deliberate pop up that allowed Calombaris and his team to explore the market without overcommitting. "We made Gazi a pop-up on purpose so we didn't commit ourselves. But now we'll commit."
He has already laid the groundwork for his next chapter. "We've set up a beautiful little hospitality group called Harbour Hospitality and Lifestyle. We've opened our first venue under that banner, which is the Kurrajong Hotel in Erskineville. That's four weeks old and we're really proud of that, and there's more to come."
But it's his next Greek concept that has him truly energised. "Will I do Greek again in Sydney? 100%. I can guarantee you," he says. While he cannot reveal details yet, he promises it will have connection and respect to history and the past, to grandparents and great grandparents, while always looking towards the future.
"The next concept that I write the music for will definitely be a first. It won't be Gazi. Gazi was Melbourne. We brought it to Sydney, we made it into a Sydney version, but now it's time for me to create something truly Sydney. Truly Sydney that represents obviously Sydney, the people, the climate, the culture, the Greeks, and to bring now all of my knowledge, but package it into something really special."
The Beautiful Pressure of Competition
Calombaris thrives on competition, and he sees Sydney's current Greek dining scene as inspiration rather than intimidation. "There is a beautiful competition in the Greek space. You know, the guys at Olympus, the guys at Alpha, the guys at Homer, the guys at Akti. There is Olympic Meats. There is so much good Greek in Sydney."
Rather than feel threatened, he feels invigorated. "It means George just has to really pull his socks up. It's putting me under immense, beautiful pressure - pressure that I love because it makes me feel alive. Pressure is a privilege, so I'm going to embrace that and use that so that the concept we create is something absolutely phenomenal."
His ambition is clear. "I will do something Greek that really has to be world class. The Press Club was my last foray into that sort of league. And I want to play back in that league. I know that league. I love that league. Accessible, of course. Value driven, of course, but it's got to have an edge to it so people go, ‘wow!’"
Beyond the kitchen, Calombaris continues to develop Culinary Wonderland, his tech venture that he describes as ‘Spotify for chefs’. The platform features over 150 global chefs and provides recipe content, travel guides and a marketplace. What makes him particularly proud is that the head office is in Sydney, the studio is in Sydney, and all content is filmed in Sydney.
His reasons for staying in the city go beyond business. "I'm not political, I'm into good governance and a driven, ambitious place. That's where I want to be. That's where I want my kids to be. I want them to be around ambitious, driven humans, that want to work hard, that want to do great things. And be good citizens."
As Gazi Sydney's chapter closes, George Calombaris stands at another beginning. At 46, the chef once crowned one of the Top 40 Most Influential Chefs in the World shows no signs of slowing down. If anything, he's accelerating, channelling decades of experience and hard-won wisdom into ventures that honour his heritage while pushing boundaries.
His Instagram message to Sydney summed it up: "We arrived with a three month plan, but because of you and your support we stayed longer than we ever expected. Your love, your visits, your stories and the way you embraced us made every service special."
For Calombaris, Gazi Sydney was never meant to be permanent. It was reconnaissance, relationship building, a chance to understand Sydney's pulse and prove to himself and his team that they belonged. Mission accomplished. Now comes the real work: creating something that will make Sydney's thriving Greek dining scene even more remarkable.
This year with Gazi was a way for us to test in many ways," he reflects. The closed doors at Gazi Sydney don't mark an exit. They mark the end of the beginning. George Calombaris is just getting started.
Read also: The Phoenix Rises: George Calombaris Brings Gazi to Sydney
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