Kate Dickins

Kate Dickins is General Manager and Director of Ciao Cielo, Port Melbourne’s neighbourhood Italian restaurant situated in the historic 165-year-old courthouse. Serving authentic Italian fare, the restaurant pays homage to Kate’s late grandparents, who hail from Vicenza. The restaurant honours their Italian heritage with a menu inspired by Dickins’ travels to Italy, with Ciao Cielo’s Head Chef and Co-Founder, Bryan Nelson. The pair have frequented the country for most years, exploring its different regions, and most recently falling in love with the seafood and fish of the south. 

With 25 years of hospitality experience under her belt, 12 in the kitchen and now 13 front-of-house, Dickins co-opened Ciao Cielo as a small 30-seat restaurant in the heart of Port Melbourne. The venue quickly garnered a loyal crowd of locals and Melburnians from further afield, and in 2018, Dickins and Nelson saw an opportunity to relocate the restaurant into the historic courthouse. 

Raised in Vanuatu, Dickins lived on the resort island of Hideaway for the first eight years of her life, with her parents before moving to Williamstown in Victoria. At the age of 16, Dickins started working in Melbourne’s famed hospitality scene as a chef, before relocating to Malaysia, leading two major hotel projects, Atlantis and Atmosphere in Kota Kinabalu; the latter was shortly awarded ‘Best New restaurant Openings’ by Tatler Asia for Kota Kinabalu. 

In 2008 Dickins took a year to travel around the Mediterranean. During this time, she immersed herself in European culture and cuisine, learning and experiencing as much as possible from the region’s local chefs and producers, which continues to influence her approach to food today.

Sadly, the passing of her grandparents in the Black Saturday bushfires, brought her back to Melbourne in 2009. Following this, Dickins and Nelson set out to open a restaurant that honoured her grandparents' Italian roots and love for their origin food, bringing a wealth of knowledge and passion to the restaurant.

Today, Ciao Cielo seamlessly blends the old-world charm of Tuscany, felt within the heritage-listed courthouse dining room, with the lively summer atmosphere of an Italian summer, in the outdoor garden. The restaurant is a welcoming community space for every occasion, from casual dining to milestone celebrations.

Beyond operations, Kate also consults on commercial hospitality design; leading multiple restaurant projects in both Malaysia and Melbourne, including Atlantic and Atmosphere in Kota Kinabalu, and a number of bars in Melbourne CBD. Dickins designed the full interior of Ciao Cielo and she is now slowly growing her own design business, with a vision to create a dining experience that begins the moment you walk through the door.

Beyond the restaurant, Dickins finds joy in travelling, especially to Italy, as well as many active sports, having started life as an ‘Island baby’, such as sailing, scuba diving, or playing tennis. She finds inspiration in adventure, always bringing back new ideas to enrich the dining experience at Ciao Cielo. 

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Notes to Editors: 

About Ciao Cielo
​115 Bay St, Port Melbourne VIC 3207 ​ ​
​Ciao Cielo originally opened in 2010 by co-owners, Kate Dickins (General Manager) and Bryan Nelson (Head Chef), as a 30-seater restaurant, to pay homage to Dickins' Italian heritage and grandmother, who hailed from Vicenza. After eight years of operations, which saw the restaurant continuing to garner support and popularity from Port Melbourne residents and Melbourne locals alike, the pair saw an opportunity to upscale their beloved venue to a bigger location. In 2018, Dickins and Nelson bought Port Melbourne’s historic 165-year-old courthouse. They reimagined it into Ciao Cielo, continuing to serve authentic Italian dishes, showcasing Bryan’s passion for Italy born from many trips to the country over the years. Recently a long stint in the south of Italy inspired a whole new menu for Bryan, specifically focusing on seafood, and the simplicity of the regional cuisine. 

Venue capacity: 

Image gallery link: via Google Drive​
​Website: www.ciaocielo.com.au​
​Instagram: @ciao.cielo

For media enquiry, please contact: ​

​Georgia Heathcote | Reymond Communications
​
​E: georgia@reymond.com.au | M: +61 (0) 497 199 842 

Jill Duponcel | Reymond Communications
​
​E: jill@reymond.com.au | M: +61 (0) 431 038 043