My eldest daughter finished her VCE exams recently, which feels like a significant milestone for our family. Not just because our first child is about to graduate from 13 years of school – but also because my wife and I have run our fine dining restaurant since she started kindergarten.
When Saori and I opened Kazuki’s in Daylesford in regional Victoria in 2011, our eldest was only four, and our youngest (at the time) had just turned two. Starting our first restaurant wasn’t just about making good food and offering great service. There were all the other aspects to juggle for a new business operator: staffing, staying on top of our accounts, maintaining the shop building, dealing with a blocked kitchen drain or a fridge on the fritz. I worked 15 hours a day, six days a week. My body was always tense and achy; I didn’t sleep well when the restaurant wasn’t busy. Those beginnings were just about trying to get through each day.
