1. 74 75
B BRIEFING FRANK CAMORRA b
H aving had the pleasure to meet
Camorra several years ago, I can
recall his cheery and passionate demeanor.
It left a lasting impression with me, one
that was given further substance when
we met again recently for this interview.
Once again, Camorra came across
impressively – a passionate and
approachable foodie, but also a clever
businessman, his award-winning MoVida
establishments have changed the way
people in Melbourne eat.
Growing up in Andalusia in Southern
Spain, as a young child Camorra feasted
on produce such as jamón (local ham),
olives, game and wild boar. He recently
worked with writer Richard Cornish
on his sixth book, MoVida Solera, which
explores the best of the region’s artisans
and their produce.“For each province
of Andalusia we also listed the places
that the locals go to eat, alongside
authentic recipes.”
When he was five years old,
Camorra’s family moved to the coastal
town of Geelong in Victoria, Australia.
Inspired by design, Camorra initially
studied architecture. He eventually left to
work as an apprentice chef because he
wanted “to do something I really love”.
Geelong’s limited dining scene prompted
him to take the opportunity to “get his
foot in the door in Melbourne” and work
ChildofSpain
Moving to Australia from Spain with his family at the
age of five, Frank Camorra never forgot the tastes and flavours
of his place of birth. Jacklyn Lloyd discovers how he was
inspired to introduce them to Melbourne
aesthetic of these is apparent in
MoVida’s fit-out.
“If you’re in Spain in a classic
restaurant it has a big bar and a dining
room and you can decide on what to eat
within both areas – similar to a French
bistro, or an Italian trattoria.”To mirror
this concept MoVida also has a long bar
where diners can eat, which sits alongside
a more formal dining area.
Inspired by his frequent trips to
Spain, Camorra aspired to introduce
tapas-style eating to Melbourne but
felt that diners weren’t yet ready for
this in 2003.“People weren’t used to
sitting at a bar and eating that casually.
Whereas people in Spain often stand up
and eat, people in Melbourne wouldn’t
do that.” Despite this he says: “The way >
with the Grossi family, highly regarded for
their award-winning Grossi Florentino
Italian restaurant.
Having mastered Italian cuisine in
Melbourne, Camorra’s childhood
memories beckoned and he decided to
travel back to Spain and get reacquainted
with its cuisine.“My professional
background was in Italian cooking, but
all Mediterranean cuisine shares similar
flavours. So I travelled and worked
throughout Spain and tried to get
exposure to all its cuisines – I sent
about 45 cook books home.”
Unable to find a job in a Spanish
restaurant when he returned to
Melbourne, Camorra and his partner
Vanessa opened up a temporary
restaurant within an existing inner-city
pub before his first MoVida restaurant
opened in 2003.
Situated in a cobbled laneway,
MoVida looks out onto Hosier Lane’s
infamous graffitied walls and is located
alongside what is now MoVida Next
Door, Camorra’s second restaurant.
Because the budget was limited when
MoVida moved on to the site
Camorra admits: “We kept a lot of
the existing elements such as the
terracotta tiles and high ceilings.”
Nonetheless he took inspiration from
classic Spanish restaurants and the

2. 76
B BRIEFING
people in Melbourne eat is unique.”
It was important for Camorra to wait
for the right moment to launch MoVida
Next Door, with MoVida being the
precursor. Today MoVida Next Door is a
hugely successful no-bookings restaurant
with a strictly tapas-style menu. It would
seem that Camorra’s timing paid off, as
many would argue that he single-
handedly brought tapas culture
to Melbourne.
“Changing the way
people eat and seeing
them embrace the long
bar and tapas-style of
eating – actually
getting it,” Camorra
says, is the highlight of
his career.
MoVida Next Door
stands out as restaurant
close to Camorra’s heart – and
mine.“It’s most like a Spanish casual
tapas bar and yet it’s quintessentially
Melbourne,” says Camorra, referring to
the atmosphere, shared food and the
liveliness.“It’s simple cooking with good
produce that’s memorable and showcases >
good technique,” he explains. Each night
the long bar dotted with high tables
buzzes with inner-city diners sipping
happily on bottles of Moritz beer (from
Catalonia, Spain) and awaiting sizzling
plates of prawns and calamari.
Having won numerous culinary
awards such as The Age Good Food
Guide award in 2009 for Chef of the Year
and two chef’s hats for MoVida, his
other establishments have also
achieved similar success
over the years.
Taking inspiration
from a restaurant in
Barcelona named
Inopia, which is
unfortunately no longer
open, MoVida Aqui, in
Melbourne’s inner central
business district (CBD) has
its own unique feel.“We use
Spanish brands and their vintage logos as
artwork and decoration to give it its
distinct style,” says Camorra.
Camorra’s other venues include Bar
Pulpo at Melbourne airport and
MoVida in Sydney airport, Paco’s
Awards and Recognition
2007 & 2008: MoVida awarded
One Chef Hat - The Age Good
Food Guide.
2007: MoVida awarded Dish of the
Year - The Age Good Food Guide
for the Cecina – cured Wagyu with
truffle foam.
2007: MoVida cookbook published.
Awarded the best book by a chef
2008 in the Food Media Awards,
best designed book of 2008 in the
APA awards. 50,000 copies sold
to date.
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 & 2013:
MoVida awarded Two Chef’s Hats-
The Age Good Food Guide.
2009: Frank Camorra awarded
Chef of the Year - The Age Good
Food Guide.
2009: Publication of MoVida
Rustica. Won the prestigious
World Cordon Bleu Award for the
Best Hard Cover cookbook 2010 –
40,000 copies sold to date.
Nov. 2009: MoVida Aqui
restaurant opens in the commercial
centre of Melbourne at 500 Bourke
Street. On the terrace adjacent to
Aqui the taqueria and bar Paco’s
Tacos was launched in late 2011.
2011, 2012 & 2013: MoVida Aqui
awarded One Chef Hat - The Age
Good Food Guide.
2010: MoVida Next Door awarded
Donleavy Fitzpatrick award - The
Age Good Food Guide.
2011: publication of MoVida Cocina –
Spanish Flavours From Five Kitchens
and MoVida Barcelona.
Jan. 2012: Bar Pulpo by MoVida
opens gateside at the Melbourne
International Airport.
April 2012: MoVida Bakery opens
in South Yarra, Melbourne.
October 2012: MoVida Sydney
opens.
Bottom: Tapas culture
with a Melbourne twist at
MoVida Aqui
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
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3. 79For more go to foodserviceconsultant.org
FRANK CAMORRA B
Tacos, a mid-week taqueria, and most
recently MoVida Sydney, which opened
in 2012.
MoVida Sydney reflects the same
menu and design aesthetic as its sister
restaurant in Melbourne. Camorra says:
“The restaurant tries to take the best
parts of each MoVida restaurant in
Melbourne, for example the long
windows that open up at MoVida Next
Door, which is a perfect concept for the
warm Sydney climate.”
Working closely with his architect
friend Adam Dettrick, all of Camorra’s
restaurants reference an authentic Spanish
dining experience.“Atmosphere is created
by the form of the design and this
includes open kitchens and social spaces.”
The long bar and shared dining
experience seem to be the elements that
links each of Camorra’s venues. In his
opinion,“the long bar is probably the best
place to sit in a restaurant”.
All of Camorra’s restaurants also
house a charcoal or wood-fired oven or
grill to help create an authentic smoky
Spanish flavour, and the chef also uses
sous-vide machines to help achieve
succulent slow-cooked braises.
“The better the kitchen design, the
smoother the operation and the better the
product at the end of day.” Camorra
notes,“All the components need to work
well together to make the kitchen flow.
The key to MoVida’s success is the
atmosphere it creates and encourages.”
Despite having imported jamón on
hand, at the end of a busy day Camorra
likes nothing more than to indulge in
a simple toasted cheese and tinned
spaghetti sandwich. Camorra’s guilty
pleasures can be forgiven as 2015 is
looking to be a busy year, with plans to
open MoVida in Bali.
“The idea is to expand tapas-style
eating in Asia,” he says. Regardless of
Camorra’s next move I’m sure he’ll
revolutionise the way people dine
wherever he goes.
Frank Camorra’s background
MoVida chef & owner Frank Camorra was born
in Barcelona and spent his first five years in his
parents’ hometown of Córdoba in Andalusia,
before his parents migrated to Australia.
Frank trained under the Grossi family at their
original Café Grossi in Toorak. In 2000, he
returned to work in Spain and was inspired by
both the modern and traditional aspects of
Spanish cuisine as well as the dynamic tapas
culture, which he thought would translate well
to Melbourne’s vibrant CBD.
Returning to Australia, Frank was determined to
share his inspiration. In fact, MoVida is named
after the art and film movement that flourished
in Madrid during Spain’s cultural reawakening
in the late 1970s. This innovative era – full of
exuberant energy and freedom of character –
is another source that MoVida draws on.
Below: Camorra has
taken the MoVida
brand to Sydney
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