Who runs a casino room in a picture theatre?
A founder, a chef, a manager, a dealer and a host, and a building that does half the talking. Here's who's who.
How did a hardware store turn into this?
When I was a kid I spent every Saturday afternoon in this building. Back then it was still the picture theatre, and my nan sold the tickets from the booth by the door. She let me sit on a stool beside her and tear them in half, and I took it as seriously as any job I've had since.
The pictures stopped when I was in primary school, and the place became a hardware and farm supplies store. I grew up, trained as a chef's assistant and then as a restaurant manager, and spent a long stretch away. When I came home to Deloraine, the store was closing, and the For Sale sign was in the window of my nan's old booth.
I bought the building with a loan, my savings and an uncle's good word. To keep the paperwork straight, there's a company behind the house. The venue is operated by WAFFLE ADVERTISING LTD, 85 Great Portland Street, London W1W 7LT, United Kingdom. Everything on the floor, though, from the pie to the pace, belongs to the people on this page.
Behind a false wall in the old stalls I found the proscenium arch, and above the rafters the original plaster ceiling, roses and all. We spent a winter stripping paint and planing floors, and the first night we opened there were nine guests, a very hot pie and a power cut at half past eight.
The power came back, the guests stayed, and we've been lighting the foyer ever since. If you listen at the right moment, you might even hear the projector.
What's it like behind the scenes?
A normal day starts at ten, with Glenn Fraser in the kitchen and Angus Crawford checking the building from the roof down. Angus once ran a regional cinema, so he treats the old projection box as a personal office and reads the whole ceiling for leaks before anyone else is awake.
By three, the pies are in and the foyer's being swept. Christine Hughes arrives at four to open the booth and take the first telephone calls. Adam McDonald comes at half past four, covers each table with fresh cloth and tests every wheel by hand. At five, the doors open and the evening begins.
It sounds orderly, and it is, which is why it can look so relaxed from the other side of the pass. The team has worked together for years, and when someone's out sick, everyone shifts without discussion. I'm usually in the middle, carrying plates and getting in the way.
What do people ask about the place?
Was it really a picture theatre?
It was, from the 1930s until television killed Saturday matinees. The sloping stalls floor is now three gentle terraces, the ceiling is original, and the old ticket booth is where Christine sits.
Where did the screen go?
Nobody's sure. The wall behind the stage was bricked in long before I got the keys. The roulette wheels now sit on the stage floor, which feels like the right use for it.
Do you show films?
No, the projector's long gone and there's no screen. Occasionally we hang a sheet for a staff night, but that's a private matter and the popcorn is terrible.
Who's in charge on a normal night?
Angus Crawford runs the floor, Adam McDonald runs the tables and Glenn Fraser runs the kitchen. I do whatever needs doing, which on most nights means sweeping up.
Four faces you'll see before you see mine
Glenn Fraser
Head chef
Glenn Fraser grew up in the Meander Valley, learned to cook in a farm kitchen and spent years in country restaurants before joining us. He makes the scallop pie, the honey pudding and every sauce from scratch, and has strong views on how long a potato should be roasted. They're usually right.
Angus Crawford
Floor manager
Angus Crawford spent ten years running a regional cinema before coming to Boronia Lounge, which explains how he handles a queue so calmly. He keeps the rota, the heating and the peace, and his office is the old projection box, up a ladder that only he is allowed to climb.
Adam McDonald
Dealer
Adam McDonald learned card handling as a teenage magician at the craft fairs, then trained as a dealer and has run roulette and blackjack for nine years. He's patient with beginners, quick with a joke and entirely unwilling to let anyone call a hand he didn't hear.
Christine Hughes
Host
Christine Hughes grew up near Mole Creek and taught primary school for twenty years before taking over the old ticket booth. She takes your name, your booking and your coat, and has a gift for knowing who's shy before they've said a word.