It’s as trendy and sexy as ‘that’ designer set, and according to Golden Groves founders, Katianna and Yianna Velos — here to stay for a long time (and not just a good time). By Hayley Peppin

AVOCADO AND TOAST couldn’t be more conventional. Shaved truffle is now almost passé. And the takeaway cocktails craze from lockdown-forced walks have now, thankfully, vanished in the zeitgeist. I’d much prefer my tipple shaken … not stirred. So how have some millennials and Gen-Zers been spending their hard earned money as of late? Well, for the past few months it’s been all about the “bumps.” And by bumps, we mean caviar bumps — in which a dollop of sturgeon fish roe is decadently eaten (and not snorted) off the back of one’s hand. 

It’s naughty, hedonistic and for some, a major status symbol. But there’s no denying the experiential appetiser is the Miu Miu mini skirt of the culinary world today.

The New York Times shared that the star-studded Coachella festival offered caviar bumps at a pop-up seafood restaurant this year. Bon Appetit wrote that a Manhattan restaurant now serves caviar bumps off a “wooden mannequin hand” (yes, terrifying). And closer to home, Melbourne’s stylish French institution Entrecôte continues to encourage diners to feel “French and fucking fabulous” by indulging in caviar bumps with a shot of Grey Goose vodka for $33 or a glass of Dom Pérignon for $90. One only needs to peruse Entrecôte’s Instagram to see how pro-bumping the bistro is. 

Digitally, caviar content is as covetable as its eye-watering price-tag. The hashtag #caviarbumps has over 1.7 billion views on TikTok, meanwhile Instagram has seen more than 1.5K tagged posts. Social uploads range from caviar bump tutorials — just in case you got the wrong idea — to pals caviar fist pumping with champagne, and sometimes diamonds, in sight. One social media user even wrote: “Those that caviar bump together, stay together” to a pre-bump group shot. 

“It’s the new millennial craze, caviar. It looks like it’s having its moment right now, but it’s only just begun. We’re gonna see it everywhere,” Golden Groves founder, Katianna (Kat) Velos told Harper’s BAZAAR Australia/ New Zealand.

CAVIAR’S THE new MILLENNIAL craze. It looks like IT’S having its MOMENT … but it’s only JUST BEGUN

Kat and her sister Yianna are among Australia’s biggest names in food and lifestyle now. They’re stylish, effervescent and totally attune with the country’s growing number of young discerning diners. It’s for this reason that the Golden Groves girls have recently released their own line of premium black caviar in collaboration with fine European goods distributor Seacave. Much like their original (and hugely popular) lockdown-launched Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the Velos’ caviar conception began following a labour of home dining love. When Yianna’s birthday fell on yet another strict Victorian lockdown, Kat surprised her with a tin of caviar for a little “taste of luxury.”

“That’s how it started, with all of our family trying it all together,” Yianna began. “And slowly that’s changed now that we’re free and able to move around. We’re having people over and we’re having a tin of caviar and sharing it with our friends.

The celebratory snack led to more personal caviar taste-testing … and social media shares. From uploading indulgent pasta recipes using their family’s oil from southern Greece, the girls turned their attention to caviar sampling. Eventually, Sea Caves caught onto their caviar-influencing and contacted Kat to taste their own product. Suffice to say, it was a sturgeon success. With both Sea Caves and Golden Groves based in Melbourne, a most “organic” partnership began. Akin to their initial hopes to educate more consumers about the importance of sourcing quality oil (according to Kat, 80 per cent of the world’s oils are rancid), the Velos’ wanted to enlighten bumpers — or those curious — about the alluring delicacy. 

“People are doing caviar bumps, but they don’t really know the different types or where it’s coming from. There’s this kind of mystery associated with it. We saw it as the perfect opportunity to not only educate people but also reframe the way people approach caviar,” Yianna said. 

What was once reserved for the ultra rich or high society, has since become more affordable due to improved farming techniques. Over-harvesting of wild caviar, a protected species, saw countries such as China, the Netherlands, France, Uruguay and the United States establish dedicated sturgeon farms. Then caviar bumps — a traditional way of tasting caviar in the industry for health and safety reasons (aka no double dipping) but also to assess sturgeon quality — became all the dining rage. It allowed people to cost-effectively try caviar in an amusing way without splashing out on a whole tin.

“The restaurants are actually allowing people to get a taste of these without having to buy a $300 tin or $200 tin,” Kat began. 

Golden Groves has also partnered with Melbourne’s Lucas Restaurants, serving their clean, premium-grade roe at functions for Society Restaurant’s Euro-inspired Lillian Brasserie as well as Baby Pizza. They even did caviar catering for globally-renowned members club Soho House at an exclusive Australian function.

“I really love what they’re [restaurants] all doing, because it’s the democratisation of a product that was previously reserved for people who were, let’s say, on a different socio economic level. Food is fashion and fashion is food in our day and age. And everybody wants what everybody else is having.”

I really LOVE what the RESTAURANTS are all doing, because it’s the DEMOCRATISATION of a PRODUCT

And in wanting to appeal to a wide range of young people with a healthy appetite for the finer foods in life (absolutely no shame), the Velos’ priced their tinned caviar accordingly. Kat said they “deliberately” settled on a $190 price tag “as opposed to $330,” which caviar is more commonly sold for. “We want young people to be able to access things that they wouldn’t have before.” While Kat acknowledged it’s still an expensive product for the ordinary person, she said “it’s almost permissible” as we’re already investing in experiential dining today. Or at the very least, spending upwards of $22 per cocktail — as much as it hurts the bank account.

But you know what else is “permissible?” How one can and should consume their caviar. Much like oysters, there’s some serious “snobbery” and contention between caviar purists and those more experimental with the delicacy. “It’s hilarious to watch the dichotomy and people butting heads over it,” Kat joked.

Purists, who likely detest caviar bumps are trendy now, simply eat a cold blob straight from the tin with nothing else. They claim accompaniments interfere with the unadulterated taste of fish roe. But usually, the salt-cured delicacy acts as a garnish or spread — often served atop blinis with sour cream or crème fraîche and a sprinkling of chopped coriander. Or, in James Bond’s case with “a mound of hot toast, and small dishes containing finely chopped onion and grated hard-boiled egg, the white in one dish and the yolk in another.”

It’s usually washed down with a glass of Champagne — or for the Velos sisters, an OIive Oil Martini. Naturally, using Golden Groves’ luxurious 100% natural and organic extra virgin olive oil. 

When not doing celebratory bumps, the girls cite twice cooked potatoes with crème fraîche, wagyu steak, cacio e pepe and even the humble potato chip dipped straight in the tin, as some of their preferred caviar combinations. But perhaps the infusion which most piqued my interest was one that seemingly throws all etiquette out the door — and blends the fine with the fast.

Like how you’d mix a $5 flea market t-shirt with say a Dior saddlebag, the Velos’ have a penchant for the “heinous crime” of caviar with McDonalds.

“The way that we approach caviar, is that it’s a more elevated salt. So for example, if I’ve got caviar or I’ve got salt, and I want to salt my hash brown — clearly I’m going to use the caviar,” Yianna said.

“There shouldn’t be any rules with food. If something gives you pleasure, go ahead and do it.”

There SHOULDN’T be any RULES. If SOMETHING gives you PLEASURE, GO ahead and DO it

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