Vines Shines at Business Awards
BY JEM ANSHAW
There is no shortage of hard work and planning that has seen Vines Restaurant and Hollydene Estate raise to success, but there is one thing that owner Karen Williams credits above everything.
“I thank the staff for that. Everyone has passion and that’s what is so unique here and they have a bit of autonomy to do what they want,” she said.
At the recent Muswellbrook Chamber of Commerce and Industry Awards Vines Restaurant and Hollydene Estate were acknowledged when they received the Overall Business of the Year and Tourism and Hospitality awards.
“I thank the chamber for that, and as I said that night I think anyone could have been up on that stand as it would have been very hard to choose one business,” Karen explained, crediting all the businesses in the area.
This follows on from success at the 2020 NSW and ACT Restaurant and Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence late last year where they received the Tourism Restaurant and Consumer Vote Awards, thanks to the community support during lockdown.
“We were shut down but turned to take away, I thank the mining industry, the community and the horse industry.
“We went to burgers and pizza for take away and we got some really great support,” Karen explained.
“Keeping people in Australia has let them get out into their smaller communities and as they have been able to travel a bit more, I think it has let people find us who might not have found us before.”
For a business that started out just wanting to create a unique experience, Hollydene Estate and Vines Restaurant have grown to an integral part of the community supporting countless local schools and fundraisers as well as business and community endeavours in the Upper Hunter Valley.