It started with a missing limoncello, a chef and a bartender who thought they could make something better. Now, CHELL-OH! is ready to say hello to Australia.
Created by former Icebergs Dining Room and Bar Head Chef and Culinary Director Alex Prichard and Bar Director Matty Opai, and now backed by Stefano Catino and Vince Lombardo of the Maybe Group, CHELL-OH! is an Australian-made family of liqueurs taking Italian inspiration and giving it a distinctly local spin.
Or, as the team likes to call it: “Limoncello, and its mates.”
CHELL-OH! first came to life at Icebergs, where Prichard and Opai worked together for more than a decade. When the restaurant needed a new house limoncello, Opai couldn’t find one he wanted to pour, so he asked Prichard to make one. Approaching it as a chef rather than following the traditional formula, Prichard played with sweetness, acidity and salt, using hand-zested citrus, lemon leaves and fresh lemon juice to create something brighter and fresher.
What started as a small batch for Icebergs quickly found its way into other venues. Melon soon followed for much the same reason: they couldn’t find one they loved, so they made their own.
Together, Lemon and Melon form the first CHELL-OH! line-up, with Lemon at the heart of the family and more “mates” to come.
In 2026, longtime friends Stefano Catino and Vince Lombardo of the Maybe Group joined Prichard and Opai as partners, bringing together four hospitality people with a shared philosophy: good drinks should be seriously good, without taking themselves too seriously.
“None of us are stuck on ‘this is how it’s traditionally done, so this is how it has to be done’,” says Prichard.
That approach has been part of CHELL-OH! from the start. Prichard built the flavour as he would a dish, balancing sweet, sour and a little bite, while Opai considered how each liqueur would work behind the bar and how people actually want to drink it.
The result is bright, refreshing liqueurs made to be enjoyed in more ways than one, whether around a long lunch or dinner party, poolside, at a beachside barbecue or celebration.
With Catino and Lombardo on board, CHELL-OH! now has a new look, a new attitude and new “mates” on the way, ready to take what began as a hospitality favourite to a much bigger audience this summer.
Lemon is fresh, zesty and citrus-forward. Pour it straight from the freezer, lengthen it into a Spritz or shake it with lemon sorbet and bubbles for a Sgroppino.
Melon is juicy, green and refreshing, taking the nostalgic melon liqueur of decades past and giving it a more grown-up spin. Drink it ice cold, top it with soda or stretch it into a highball.
CHELL-OH! doesn’t have to stay in the glass either. Prichard has put Lemon to work in tiramisu and gelato, while Melon makes a very good granita.
“I can’t think of a single occasion where I’ve enjoyed myself and wouldn’t have liked CHELL-OH! to be there,” says Prichard.
Made for summer drinking, CHELL-OH! is equally at home on a back bar, brought along to a long lunch or taking pride of place on the drinks trolley. At $60 a bottle, it also makes an easy host gift or Christmas present for the drinks lover.
CHELL-OH! Lemon comes in a 700ml bottle at 22% ABV and CHELL-OH! Melon in a 700ml bottle at 20% ABV, both priced at $60 RRP.
CHELL-OH! is available to purchase online at chell-oh.com and can be found at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar and across Maybe Group venues, with further retail stockists to be announced.
ENDS
Notes To Editors
Imagery HERE
Website: chell-oh.com
Instagram: @chell_oh_
About Alex Prichard
Chef and CHELL-OH! co-founder Alex Prichard spent more than a decade at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar, becoming the youngest Head Chef in the restaurant’s history when he took on the role at just 24. Over seven years leading the kitchen, Prichard helped maintain Icebergs’ two-hat status in the Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide, while evolving its Italian foundations through a distinctly Australian lens. His career has also taken him through some of Sydney’s most respected kitchens, including Momofuku Seiobo and Brasserie Ananas. In 2026, Prichard departed Icebergs to open his own restaurant Sara Dining in Berry on the NSW South Coast.
About Matty Opai
Bartender and CHELL-OH! co-founder Matty Opai is Group Beverage Director for Icebergs, where he has spent more than a decade working his way from glassy to leading the drinks program at Icebergs Dining Room and Bar. Originally from New Zealand, Opai started from the ground up, learning the bar’s recipes and deepening his knowledge of spirits and cocktails before progressing through the ranks. In 2023, he was named Bar Manager of the Year at the Australian Bar Awards, followed by Restaurant Bar of the Year for Icebergs in 2024. Today, he oversees the venue’s bar program, cocktails and drinks experiences.
Bartender and CHELL-OH! co-founder Matty Opai is Group Beverage Director for Icebergs, where he has spent more than a decade working his way from glassy to leading the drinks program at the Bondi institution. Originally from New Zealand, Opai started from the ground up, learning the bar’s recipes and deepening his knowledge of spirits and cocktails before progressing through the ranks. In 2023, he was named Bar Manager of the Year at the Australian Bar Awards, followed by Restaurant Bar of the Year for Icebergs in 2024. Today, he oversees the venue’s bar program, cocktails and drinks experiences.
About Maybe Group
Founded by Stefano Catino and Vincenzo Lombardo, The Maybe Group is an award-winning Sydney hospitality group behind some of the city’s most celebrated bars and restaurants, including Maybe Sammy, Dean & Nancy on 22, El Primo Sanchez, Bar Allora, El Vista and Maybe Frank, alongside premium ready-to-pour range Maybe Sammy Cocktails. Flagship venue Maybe Sammy has ranked on The World’s 50 Best Bars every year since opening in 2019, while The Maybe Group was named Best Bar Operator at the 2025 Boothby Bar Awards.
