We’re only nine days into May and it’s already been a huge month for chef Ellie Bouhadana. Her debut cookbook Ellie’s Table was released on May 1, and today the team at Hope Street Radio has announced that Bouhadana will be stepping down from her role as head chef at the Collingwood Yards wine bar.

“I’m feeling sad in a good way because it’s been such a beautiful time, and I’m just excited to keep moving in the food world,” Bouhadana tells Broadsheet.

“When we started Hope Street it was nothing. I feel so lucky to have been there right from the start.”

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The chef says she is leaving to focus on promoting her cookbook, her recipe writing and general food writing via her Substack.

“After an unbelievable three years of delicious chaos, this weekend will be @ellies.table[‘s] last running the Hope St Radio kitchen,” Hope St Radio wrote on Instagram.

Bouhadana first rose to Melbourne food world fame via her @ellies.table Instagram account, where she would post images of beautiful tablescapes filled with dreamy spreads. She was also known for her Doorstep Deliveries home dinner service and for hosting pop-up dinners on the street outside her house during Melbourne’s lockdowns.

She’s been at Hope Street since it opened in 2021, with her signature being her pillowy focaccia and homemade pastas.

Hope Street say its existing kitchen team, which includes chef Jack Shaw, “will be holding things down with our stunning autumn menu while we finalize[sic] some fun and exciting announcements”.

Ellie’s Table will be released in the UK and the US in the coming months. The chef is also planning some overseas pop-ups, including a street party event in New York. She says she “loves restaurant life” and isn’t ruling out the possibility of a return to a restaurant kitchen in the future.

Bouhadana is the second superstar Melbourne chef to step down from their head chef role in the past two weeks, with Etta announcing Rosheen Kaul’s departure from the restaurant last week.