WHY would a child immunology PhD graduate and recipient of a rarely awarded scholarship cease their medical science research to pursue a career as a gourmet food and wine provedore and restaurateur?
“My family has always been in hospitality industry so I think it’s in your blood,” The Beaufort Street Merchant co-owner, Angie Taylor, said.
“My mum was one of the hospitality founders back in the day, she was in with Adrian Fini and Phil Sexton when they were at The Vic and Oriole and King Street in the early days.”
Ms Taylor has co-owned and managed the growing Beaufort Street business with her brother, Scott Taylor, since November 2005, adding a cafe-cum-brasserie in December 2006, a private label wholesale house wine service in June 2007, and a kitchenware store across the road in December 2007 called COOK/book, which is now managed by her mother.
Ms Taylor, a WA Business News 40under40 winner, looks after the food while her brother manages the liquor and wine operations.
“It’s great (working with Scott) but we are opposite people, he’s more broad stroke and I’m small stroke, although we keep each other in line,” she said.
“Thankfully we’re separated by a wall in the office too.”
Only a few years ago Ms Taylor was finishing her PhD studies through the Telethon Institute for Child Research and the University of Western Australia while running an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) laboratory project, which led to her receiving a highly regarded scholarship.
“It was the National Health and Medical Research Council Dora Lush Scholarship; they don’t give many out,” she said.
With the project work and studies taking its toll, the Taylor siblings investigated opportunities to capitalise on the national wine glut in 2005, leading to the establishment of a cleanskin wine business called Naked Bottle.
Strict liquor licensing laws forced them to search for premises with an existing liquor store licence to sell the cleanskins, which led to them purchasing the old World Gourmet Centre for about $320,000.
Ms Taylor said attending Curtin University business growth courses had helped in managing the evolution of the business, which is now turning over close to $2 million and employs 25 staff.
