Acacia Dining breathes new life into Riverlink Building in The Levee Maitland

Acacia Dining will be a collaboration between MasterChef alumni, Reece Hignell, and Maitland resident and former head chef at Foghorn Brewery, Tori Tokpah.

The pair, who both have impressive hospitality backgrounds, are striving to bring a vibrant and refined dining experience to The Levee at Maitland.

Hignell also launched his business Cakeboi in Newcastle in 2020 after his second stint on MasterChef, where he finished in fifth place.

Maitland City Council general manager Jeff Smith said the new dining experience is such a benefit for The Levee, particularly to get someone with the profile of Reece.

"I've had a couple of interactions with him and he's just one of the nicest guys you could meet, and Tori has a fantastic hospitality background, she's been head chef at a whole bunch of really good restaurants," he said.

Mr Smith said it is a great opportunity for council to not only deliver a great dining option, but with Reece's profile acting as a bonus draw card for the new venue.

"Having spoken to some of the businesses in The Levee, they've felt the absence of Coquun down there over the last couple of months so I'm excited for them too," he said.

"Having a tenant like that operating a business out of that building, it's not only good for that business, it's good for the broader business community in that precinct as well because they all benefit."

Mr Smith told the Maitland Mercury he is excited to try out what Acacia Dining will have on offer.

"I said to Reece and Tori the other day that I'll be down there the first week that they open to check out the food," he said.

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