Gallery: Montville Local’s simple recipe for success & call to help village thrive
Stuart Derham, centre, with Chamber members at The Local Montville.
Montville business owners and locals have been encouraged to keep backing each other, with The Local Montville owner Stuart Derham using a Small Business Month gathering to share his story of simplifying, adapting and finding satisfaction in doing fewer things well.
The Montville Chamber of Commerce Small Business Month celebration was held at The Local Montville on May 13, bringing members and non-members together over Mr Derham’s delicious wood-fired pizza and homemade ice cream.
Mr Derham, who previously ran large pubs in Victoria, said his move into pizza and barbecue came after years in complex hospitality venues serving broad menus of high-volume steaks, seafood, pastas and “all the things”.
“And eventually you just find yourself trying to not make mistakes,” he said. “And I just found that utterly, utterly unfulfilling.”
That realisation led him to focus on the simplicity of Italian-style pizza where quality ingredients and care mattered more than an endless menu.
He said pizza’s appeal was in the basics – flour, water, salt and small touches.
For Mr Derham, the challenge was to keep the business focused, consistent and flexible while learning the rhythms of Montville trade across a full year.
The Local currently trades from 11am to 7pm, seven days a week, while Mr Derham studies the difference between weekdays, weekends, day trade, night trade and seasonal changes.
“I think that’s an important thing, being able to turn the tap on and off,” he said.
That adaptable approach also includes a food truck fitted with a second Beech pizza oven similar to the 26-year-old oven used in the restaurant.
Mr Derham said the truck would give the business another way to grow, take the same food offering beyond the restaurant and keep the work interesting.
Home-made ice cream
The night also gave guests a taste of what The Local is building, from its pizzas to its house-made ice cream, produced in small batches using a Pacojet machine.
Mr Derham’s broader message was one of local loyalty and he encouraged residents to support the local businesses they valued.
“Hospitality on the coast is in a world of hurt generally. So if you like your local whatever, support them, support them.”
The evening also featured Sunshine Coast Hinterland social media specialist Marlene Murray, from ore Digital, and Karen Harmsen, who spoke about social and digital media success.
