ICONIC Albury restaurant Cafe Victor will close its doors this weekend after three decades of service.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Cafe Victor owner Carlos Saliba said the timing was right for him to try something different.
Together with his brother Alexy, Saliba bought the business from their uncle Tony Khoury in 2010.
“It’s always been a family business but it’s developed into something bigger,” he said.
Named after Vittorio Thomas, Cafe Victor was opened in a small shop on the corner of Dean and Elizabeth streets 30 years ago.
Having sold the building to the Commercial Club before a 10-week renovation in 2013, Saliba said the restaurant had resonated with Border diners who appreciated fresh produce in Mediterranean dishes made from scratch.
“Food is designed to be shared and people enjoyed that here,” he said.
“We made our own sourdough every day, lots of slow-cooked meats and our beef cheeks became a menu staple we couldn’t take off.”
Saliba will provide lunch for 40 Border people who had experienced loss or illness in a final show of goodwill on Thursday.
New Life Chapel senior pastor and Cafe Victor regular Michael Geerling described Saliba’s gesture “as a very generous act”.
Having migrated to Albury from Lebanon in 2003, Saliba studied commercial cookery before working for his uncle at Cafe Victor.
Saliba said Cafe Victor would open for the final time on Saturday with a seven-course dinner titled The Last Supper.
“There will be some of our classics like beef cheeks and some new flavours on the menu,” he said.
Limited tickets remain.