He’d just finished high school, he was 18-years-old, and the restaurant was the hottest place in town, the pinnacle of local fine dining. If you wanted to eat there you had to make your reservation two weeks in advance.

Times have changed since then.

These days the humble Market St eatery is a bit quieter. However, when Mr Norton and his family acquired the lease on February 24 they put restoring the place to its former glory at the top of their “to do list”.

“The advantage I’ve got is that I’ve been here long enough to see what works and what doesn’t,” the head chef explained.

“The biggest thing we’re going to focus on is service and backing that up with good food… (Both are really important because) you can have the best food and the worst service and all people are going to remember is the one thing.”

He also plans to modernise the menu – with a focus on lighter, healthier options – and reset prices to what he considers a more appropriate local level.

Mr Norton has purchased the lease with wife Kristan and father in-law David Cunningham. The family has had a long association with the restaurant.

Mr Cunningham’s father worked for John Knowlman – who built the place – for 40 years, and one of his daughters married a former owner.

Mr Norton has been the head chef for the last 16 years. He was promoted by Julian de Cseuz, a man who was notoriously picky about the quality of food to come from his kitchen. In fact the length of his tenure is a testament to his cooking.

He has always aspired to own the restaurant he has given so much. Now that he does he’s focused on protecting its legacy into the future.

“We want to get back to that original, fine dining, relaxed atmosphere,” Mr Cunningham said.

The family also want to preserve the building’s heritage and take full advantage of the beautiful old fireplace during the colder months.