Last month, the Melbourne restaurant sector was saddened to hear that industry icon Richard Frank passed away at the age of 94.

A post war immigrant, the Polish born Richard was born in 1930. He spent time in Lithuania,  Japan and Japanese occupied Shanghai before journeying to Melbourne and joining relatives when the war ended. He took a part time job as a waiter at the Victoria Hotel at around the age of 20 and later became a partner in a small café in Little Collins Street. In the late 50’s he converted a Queen Street based auction room into a lunchtime restaurant called Ricks.

Richard married the Burmese born Lillian in 1956. Her family had fled to India in World War II and during the fifties she moved to Melbourne where she opened a hairdressing salon in the CBD. She then established a hairdressing salon in Toorak, becoming a go-to stylist for the social set and visiting celebrities to have their hair done. The flamboyant stylist later became a social columnist.

In 1964 Richard opened the first rooftop restaurant in Melbourne, ‘Top of the Town,’ which opened on the 20th floor of the National Mutual Building. Boasting gourmet food, cellar, daily luncheons and nightly dinner dances, the Top of the Town was a success for diners looking for a glamorous dining experience in the CBD.

Among his next ventures were eateries in the city, Petty Sessions, and Quarter Sessions, with Quarter Sessions the first restaurant to hold a general licence. He was a partner in Mordialloc based Windows by the Bay and in 2000 he opened Carters In Toorak.

During the 1970s, Richard was president of the Restaurant and Catering Association of Victoria.

In a hospitality career spanning almost five decades, Richard created innovative restaurants for the times. He was awarded by The Age in 1991 a Special Award for Excellence and for his ‘outstanding contribution to the restaurant scene in Victoria.’

Richard and Lillian were a vibrant couple on Melbourne’s social scene for many decades. Lillian sadly passed away two years ago but left an enduring legacy on Melbourne’s fashion scene. A judge for many fashion events during Melbourne’s racing seasons, she was a tireless charity worker who raised millions of dollars for Victorian charities.

A dedicated philanthropist, Ms Frank was made a Member of the Order of Australia in the  1991 Queens Birthday Honours List for her services to the community. In 1977 she was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her services.

Richard Frank, who arrived in Melbourne as a young man and went on to create trail-blazing dining experiences in the city and his wife Lillian, a hairdresser who styled the likes of model Jean Shrimpton and Queen Elizabeth, were a dynamic duo who left an indelible mark on the hospitality, fashion and charity scenes in Melbourne.

Long will they be remembered.