CAFÉ SCENE

Local Folk is a central hub for the community.

LOCAL FOLK

43 Epsom Road, Kensington, Victoria, 3031 Open Monday to Saturday 7am – 3pm And Sunday 8am – 3pm 0410 639 393

What started as a pizza restaurant is now a cosy family-friendly café in the heart of Kensington. Local Folk, as its name suggests, is a place for the community to relax with a cup of coffee and tasty brunch.

Café Owner Ashley Benson says with the help of Toby’s Estate’s Brunswick blend, the café has developed a steady stream of regulars filtering in each morning.

“The Brunswick blend is very unique, with caramel, hazelnut, and praline notes. It’s well-liked by our customers and my personal favourite,” Ashley says.

Having partnered with Toby’s Estate for six years, Ashley says he’s always enjoyed working with the roaster.

“We’re well supported by Toby’s Estate on the coffee side of things. We have a very strong relationship with them. They’re all about supporting the community and small businesses,” says Ashley.

“I’m very passionate about getting the right products for the customers, and to know that they’re always one phone call away to provide the best quality beans is really fantastic.”

For the gnocchi obsessed, Local Folk puts a breakfast spin on the much-loved Italian classic, elevated with an assembly of mushroom, bacon, haloumi, and crowned with a fried egg. Although far from traditional, Ashley says it’s one of the cafés most popular dishes.

“The menu also offers some great breakfast staples, like our smashed avo and breakfast burger, what I would call comfort food. We keep it simple, with fresh, local ingredients,” says Ashley.

Little Folk’s menu also incorporates kids favourites such as cheese and vegemite toasties, and chicken nuggets and chips.

With lots of shady street-side seating and plenty of space inside, the café is split into two levels, with the sunny upper level more suitable for families.

“If you carry the pram up a few stairs, you’ll find a little kids corner complete with a chalk board, mini table, colouring activities, and books,” he says.

Ashley says he always strives for customer satisfaction, making it his main priority to employ local staff who enjoy the work to maintain a sense of community.

“Local Folk is a quiet, friendly, neighbourhood hub where you can grab a coffee or settle in for a more substantial meal while the kids can be entertained,” he says.

Ashley adds that he hopes to expand the Local Folk community, with new venues on the horizon.

“In the next few years, we’re planning to expand with some Little Folk venues in residential areas. They’ll be smaller cafés with basic coffee and menu options similar to Local Folk.”

AGAINST THE GRIND

9 Young Street, Neutral Bay, New South Wales, 2089 Open Monday 6:30am – 2pm, Tuesday to Saturday 6:30am – 3:30pm and Sunday 7am – 2pm (02) 9953 5896

Homemade food and fast-paced friendly service is the experience one receives when visiting Against The Grind café, located in the central city suburb of Neutral Bay.

Managing Director John Lepouris has upheld the family business for the past five years after his father developed an apartment building with the café located on the ground floor.

“I co-founded the company with two baristas who worked at my local coffee shop: Davide Crespi and Hoky Michael. While we started the business together and had a great relationship, last year the boys moved onto their own ventures, and I now head-up the café on my own,” John says.

Located just a few doors down from Military Road, Against The Grind has a stylish European fit-out with a curved timber wall feature, long terrazzo benches, and hanging ferns.

One of its most unique features is its open plan design, with no counter tops separating staff from customers.

“We didn’t want the café to have any barriers. We want people to come in and feel like they are having a coffee with friends,” John says.

Having grown the business exponentially, John was able to expand the café to include the shop next door, integrating a deli into the space.

“Our deli is stocked with award-winning chorizo, house made taramosalata, and we also make a range of paninis fresh to each order in house,” John says.

His love of Asian culture has strongly influenced the café menu, with staple favourite the Brekky Fried Rice, including Chinese style fried rice and lap cheong (Chinese cured sausage).

“I wanted to incorporate something different into our menu. Now it’s a highlight among customers, and I think that’s one of my favourite dishes too,” John says.

These are all presented beside Campos Coffee’s Superior Blend, a coffee the café has served since its opening in 2017.

“We chose Campos because we wanted to deliver exceptional coffee to our consumers,” says John.

Alongside the usual flat whites and cappuccinos, Against The Grind serves up a quadruple shot coffee called the ‘brutale’ (Italian for brutal) which includes two shots of Campos Superior blend espresso and

Henry M’s offers brunch seven days a week and uses Five Senses’ Dark Horse blend.

HENRY M’S

27 Welwyn Avenue, Manning, Western Australia, 6152 Open Monday to Wesnesday 6am – 4pm, Thursday and Friday 6am – late and Saturday and Sunday 7am – late

Tucked away in the heart of Manning is Henry M’s, the new kid on the block, having recently opened in December 2021.

Operations Manager and co-owner Earl Randall says due to the overwhelming response of its original venue, Hoopla Espresso in Kensington, specialty coffee roasters Five Senses turned its attention to a venue that came available, as they knew the team was looking to expand.

“We fell in love with the space and committed to it. We had the really talented design company Rezen Studio design the fit it out, stayed true to our roots and replicated Hoopla’s coffee program and combined a wine bar component to the venue to cater for all demographics,” he says.

Henry M’s has a casual and contemporary design that complements any time of day and service.

“It’s a relaxed yet sophisticated atmosphere. We’ve included little touches like a mural created by renowned local artist Kyle Hughes-Odgers in the alfresco area, which adds a beautiful pop of colour,” Earl says.

Henry M’s serves Five Senses’ Dark Horse blend, which Earl says offers a complex and dynamic cup whether in milk or as a black coffee. “We’ve worked with Five Senses for 11 years now, and we can’t think of any other brand that we’d want in our grinders. They always make sure our coffee offering is of the highest standard, and we’re proud to be partners with them,” he says.

Thanks to Head Chefs Matt Novak and Aarin Fraser, brunch favourites include the café’s chilli scrambled eggs with native greens, housemade sambal, crispy shallots and parmesan, and the seasonal avocado with greens pureed, danish feta, lime, sweet chilli and a poached egg.

“At night, we offer a beautiful share menu concept with dishes like chicken liver parfait, Tasmanian salmon tartare, and pan roasted Amelia Park lamb rump proving very popular. There’s something there for everyone,” Earl says.

He adds that opening during the pandemic was a challenge, however the café has been well-received from the community from the get-go.

“That’s the whole premise of our business plan, to open a community hub and be somewhere people can hang out, meet their friends and enjoy a great quality coffee and food offering,” Earl says.

two shots of Campos single origin.

“You would be surprised how many people come in at 7.30am and say, ‘I need a brutale,’” says John.

“Providing that energy source for my customers is the most rewarding part of the job.”

Against The Grind is focused on specialty coffee and customer service.

VENEZIANO COFFEE WEST END

369 Montague Road, West End, Queensland 4101 Open Monday to Friday 6am – 3pm, Saturday and Sunday 6am – 2pm (07) 3846 0011

Veneziano Coffee West End roastery café is creating a buzz up north, and it’s not just a result of the coffee menu.

Following an intensive and contemporary renovation process, the space is set to welcome back regular customers and attract a whole new crowd of coffee lovers.

Veneziano Coffee Queensland State Sales Manager Michaela Gerard, who’s worked in the hospitality industry since she was 18 years old, is thrilled with the West End transformation.

“It’s so rewarding to see the space come to life. With the expansion and relaunch of our Brisbane location, I’m excited for new customers to see the beautiful renovations,” she says.

Amongst the warehouses in Montague Road of West End’s riverside, the café stands out with its bold grey and yellow colour scheme, which Michaela says catches the eyes of passers-by and engages their senses with the glorious smell of roasting coffee.

“Functionality was the main influence of the new design to make service a lot more fluid, create a nicer environment for staff, and expand the customer base,” says Michaela.

Veneziano Coffee has been a fixture of the West End inner suburb of Brisbane since 2009, serving the local community with a laid-back and welcoming vibe.

The café’s tiered dining space now offers more windows that drive more natural sunlight. A glass wall that separates the inside dining space from the roastery provides guests with a full view into the backof-house operations, while another window peers into the training space next door. It’s here that baristas from Veneziano’s wholesale partner cafés, and even home enthusiasts, can brush up on their skills regarding espresso foundations, latte art, workflow, and brew ratios.

“It creates such an immersive experience for customers who dine with us, to see what goes on behinds the scenes before the coffee’s brought to their cup. It brings back that connection between consumers, staff and coffee,” says Michaela.

And while the new design grabs people into the new space, it’s the coffee that holds them there.

Veneziano’s seasonally-rotating house blend Soar is the brew of choice for any milk-based coffee, while an assortment of rotating microlots via filter pour over are ideal for those eager to explore varying coffee origins.

“We try and run something different every

The café’s renovations come more than a decade after Veneziano opened in West End in 2009.

week, to offer customers something new and exciting with each visit. At any given time, we have four to five microlots on the retail shelf, which gives customers wanting to buy beans for home an opportunity to sample the coffee,” Michaela says.

Also available is Veneziano’s Pinnacle Series, a selection of ultra-premium microlots as well as a range of ready-to-drink cold brew creations.

“As you can imagine, Queensland dominates our retail sales for cold brew, so we always have plenty of those on hand,” says Michaela.

To pair with the specialty coffee, Veneziano West End’s kitchen has launched a new menu with some vegan and vegetarian-friendly additions.

Michaela says some of the favourite all-day breakfast dishes include the vegan croquet with house-made cashew cheese and pesto, eggs benedict served on zucchini fritters, and chilled coconut rice pudding.

“With a brand new state-of-the-art kitchen, our capabilities to create new and exciting dishes has expanded,” she says.

Having been there for several years now, Michaela says it’s a part of Brisbane’s coffee culture as a roasting house, distributor, coffee shop and provider of barista training courses.

“Veneziano is in the coffee business, but we’re always evolving and adapting, and that message is reflected in the new design of West End,” Michaela says.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA AQUATIC AND LEISURE CENTRE CAFÉ

443 Morphett Road, Oaklands Park, South Australia 5046 Open Monday to Friday 7am – 7pm, Saturday 7am – 4:30pm and Sunday 8am – 4pm (08) 8198 0198

When asked to describe the most unique characteristic of the South Australia Aquatic & Leisure Centre Café (SAALC), Manager Owen McLeod says there’s no café more committed to the environment than this one.

“We’re dedicated to educating our staff, members, and guests about sustainability, while also providing baristamade coffee,” Owen says.

Located in the suburban area of Oaklands Park, Owen says this is a landmark year for the local aquatic centre café, that has recently undergone $150,000 worth of renovations to modernise its service scape and ecological efficiency.

“The café was recently crowed as plastic-free champions by the South Australian Government-endorsed PlasticFree SA, which we worked with to convert cutlery and packaging from single-use to recyclable and biodegradable options,” he says.

Owen says the SAALC also partnered with reusable cup brand KeepCup to design and manufacture custom KeepCups for patrons and staff, to help combat the rising costs of takeaway cups, lids and coffee beans.

“Not only does this idea negate the need for packaging, but more importantly, it reduces our carbon footprint by reusing coffee cups,” Owen says. Along with its admirable environmental initiatives, Owen says few sporting venues in the country offer a cup of coffee with quality on par with a traditional specialty café.

“We may not be your conventional specialty café, however we strive to be by becoming the first café in an Australian aquatic centre to adopt these practices,” he says.

The café serves Rio Coffee’s Blend 64 brew. This is a signature blend which Food & Beverage Director Jay Vijayakumar says has a round, full, and creamy taste, balanced by stone-fruit sweetness, and is a refined choice for espresso lovers and true coffee connoisseurs.

“We’ve worked with this prestigious brand for nearly 10 years, almost since the day we opened, and we’re proud to pour this great coffee for our customers,” says Jay.

“Because we have over 3000 people coming through our doors every day, we chose a blend we knew would capture the mass market.”

Alongside its coffee, customers can choose from a variety of quality menu options, including freshly made burgers, pizzas, grab-and-go sandwiches, wraps, and salads.

“The café certainly plays a big role in our overall success at the centre and our customers satisfaction,” Jay says.

Owen, who has such a passion for coffee he began brewing cold brew in his backyard several years ago, says the aquatic centre is the perfect space to enjoy a morning coffee over the paper, relaxed lunch, or take-home meal.

“Walking into work and spelling fresh coffee being ground every day and maintaining that connection with our regular customers through great coffee is the most rewarding part of my job,” he says.

“Whether you need an energy hit or a space to relax, our café has you covered.”

In 2021, SA Aquatic & Leisure Centre diverted 82,680 single-use cups from landfills and saved 77,291 MJ of energy, which is enough to power 311 homes for one day.

The SAALC has partnered with reusable cup brand KeepCup to design and manufacture custom KeepCups for patrons and staff.

Little Grump is a small pastry and sandwich shop in the heart of Wellington City.

LITTLE GRUMP

142 Featherston Street, Wellington, New Zealand, 6011 Open Monday to Friday 7am – 2pm

When searching for a morning pick-me-up after waking up on the wrong side of the bed, look no further than small pastry and sandwich shop Little Grump.

Created in November 2021 amid COVID-19, Owners Andrew Craig and Lisa Fierro decided to open the new café in the heart of Wellington City after the success of their other business, Goods café, which is just two kilometres away in Thorndon.

“We’ve been running Goods café for four years now, and I’ve always wanted to open a coffee shop in the city,” says Andrew.

“After downtown Wellington was hit hard by the events of the pandemic, we found this space available, and it just snowballed from there. It’s been well received by customers, and we’re happy with how it’s going despite the challenges we’ve faced.”

Andrew says everything is made and supplied by Goods café and baked fresh daily.

“Because we bake all of our own pastry on site, we felt creating another business to showcase that seemed like a natural fit,” he says.

“We only sell what we make, which is a selection of pastries in the morning, and then we evolve into fresh sandwiches and toasties during the day. We plan to expand and change that offering as we move forward.”

This is paired with Coffee Supreme’s signature Supreme blend. Andrew says this blend is based around a combination of Central American coffees which provide the core flavour elements and refined acidity.

“We use the Supreme blend through our La Marzocco Linea PB and Mahlkonig E80. We also have a Mahlkonig EK43 which we use to run our filter and decaf coffee through,” says Andrew.

“While we don’t have a huge offering, that’s actually on purpose. We want to perfect our offering before we expand.”

Andrew says the café was designed with an open layout to easily interact with the customer, and hand them a quality coffee that will turn any grumpy frown upside down.

“It’s quite open and inviting with big glass windows and white tiled walls. We tried to complement that with warmer colour tones on the counter bench and round, wooden tables.”

“We’ve also placed several plants in the café, with the plan to slowly add to the collection as time goes on.”

Andrew says having opened at such a difficult time and watching the café blossom and accumulate a regular customer base is what he’s most proud of.

“Little Grump is essentially 10 to 12 years of dreams evolving into a reality, and we’re really pumped so far,” he says.

“The idea is that it’s just meant to be inviting. We want it to be a place that people look at and decide to venture inside for a great coffee.”