Anna Petridis has the golden touch.
She and her family have opened a stunning Mexican restaurant, Cartel Taqueria, on the banks of the Queanbeyan River, that has people lining up to get in. (There's no bookings)
It follows their former long-time ownership of the Cafe Patissez in Manuka where they invented the freak shake. And then they caused a new phenomenon in 2021 when family matriarch Gina started selling her special-recipe apple pie through their Crack Bakery.
Their latest restaurant moved into a space vacated by a long-time cafe in Queanbeyan's Ray Morton Park on the eastern bank of the river.
The waterfront location has been transformed into a boho-Mexican catina that extends out on to the grass, with tables under strings of lights through the shady trees.
"I'd always driven over the bridge but I'd never actually come here," she said.
"And then I saw the listing and thought, 'I'll come and have a look'. When I saw it, I thought, 'This is like a unicorn location'. You don't find places like this very often."
The menu has been fine-tuned by Anna and Gina. Even the frozen margheritas are made from their own recipes, not from a mix. And she doesn't want to scrimp on the food - think tacos bulging with meat or tacos.
The restaurant is open Thursday to Sunday and has 25 staff on the roster. She is considering taking bookings for large groups.
Asked if she does feel like she has the golden touch, Anna said, "people tell me that a lot".
"But I very much have imposter syndrome. I'm very obsessive about the things I do and I'm really crazy about details. And I still think we have room to improve," she said.
"In my experience, it's very easy to get people to try a place when it's new. I'm very relieved and grateful it's so busy. My new stress is about making sure people keep coming back here over a long time.
"But I know what I'm doing. It's not my first rodeo and I'm really proud of it. The place is exactly how I envisaged, but even better. I've never loved work so much."
The restaurant is Anna's second baby. She and husband Tassio welcomed their first child, Lydia, only six months ago.
"I really like being busy but it's definitely not just the 'me' show, I have a very, very good support network," she said.
- Cartel Taqueria, Ray Morton Park, 6 Trinculo Pl, Queanbeyan East. Opening hours: Thursday and Sunday (noon to 8pm) and Friday and Saturday (noon to 9pm)
