'I love the fashion precinct of Little Collins Street. I love all the great little finds in Flinders Lane. I love finding bargains in Chinatown, and the smell of that area when it rains.'

Kristine Becker has a passion for expensive jewellery and fast motorbikes. Her heritage is German and indigenous Chilean. She has pale green eyes and thick tresses of dark hair. She co-owns and co-manages a famous inner-city café, a hip new nightclub and a suburban coffee shop/wine bar/delicatessen. Kristine sees possibilities rather than problems, and combines opposites and oddities in ways that work.

Melbourne is her city, a place where an eclectic approach to hospitality clicks with the local vibe. Hairy Canary, her flagship café, has been synonymous with inner-urban cool for more than a decade. Its combination of an idiosyncratic space, quirky ornamentation, great coffee and cocktails, cool music and wood-fired pizza resonates with locals and visitors alike. Flamenco-themed city nightspot Canary Club and classy Dino’s Deli in Windsor are further examples of Kristine and her team’s aptitude for ‘just right’ venues. “We’ve become a little Melbourne icon which feels wonderful,” Kristine says.

“It is such a warm, friendly city. Coming from a Latino background I am used to people staying up later, popping from here to there and socialising. I love that we are part of that, something that has become a tradition in Melbourne too.”

FAVOURITE DAY TRIP: Driving down the Great Ocean Road to Lorne in a two-seater car.

FAVOURITE FOOD EXPERIENCE: At Hairy Canary, my own pizza with loads of roasted garlic, crumbled Victorian fetta, oven-roasted artichoke hearts, and when it comes out, a drizzle of olive oil and cracked salt. (212 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 03 9654 2471)

FAVOURITE NATURE-BASED EXPERIENCE: Walking around the Yarra Valley and Healesville areas with my children.