One of Melbourne's best-known plant-based chefs is turning a cult following into a company. Shannon Martinez, the chef behind Smith & Daughters, has teamed up with impact investor Kelly Jarrett to form Tomorrow Food Group, a business that pulls her vegan ventures under one roof and sets them up to grow.
Formed in December 2025, the group brings together the long-running Smith & Daughters restaurant, the Smith & Deli brand and a new wholesale arm called Made by Smith. Jarrett, an impact investor and advocate for sustainable food systems, supplies the capital; Martinez supplies the food and the following she has spent a career building.
The first project to open under the new structure is a Smith & Deli on Degraves Street. The 22-seat spot runs as a cafeteria-style deli by day — rotating mains, salads and soups — before turning into a Spanish tapas bar at night, a format designed to keep a small CBD footprint earning across the whole day rather than a single lunch rush.
The more ambitious move is Made by Smith, a wholesale operation that will supply Martinez's plant-based products to other hospitality businesses. It is a direct response to demand she says she can no longer meet on her own. "I've had numerous enquiries from hospitality groups wanting to purchase my products, but I simply can't meet this demand from my small kitchen," she said.
The through-line is capital. "We're finally doing all the things that I knew this could be, but it just needed investment," Martinez said — a frank acknowledgement that a loyal customer base and critical acclaim only carry an independent operator so far without money behind them.
The plans stretch well beyond one laneway. The group is rolling out state-wide delivery of ready-made meals and groceries, is scouting a third site for later in 2026 — likely on the city's south side — and is eyeing interstate expansion, starting with Brisbane.
For all the growth talk, Martinez is careful about the pitch. "We're not trying to convert everyone into a vegan, that's never been our mission," she said. "We want to make it easy to eat delicious food you can feel good about." Whether that philosophy scales from a 22-seat deli to a national wholesale brand is the bet Tomorrow Food Group is now making.
