kitchen gardens

What’s all the fuss about Kitchen Gardens these days?

Every school seems to have one. High end restaurants seem to have them. 

We're being told we should be striving to have one of our own on home improvement shows.

Admittedly, it is an almost romantic notion that one would have access to a geometrically structured and designed feature garden of edible delights.

It does leave me feeling, however, quite inadequate that I don’t have at least an eight by ten metre plot of fertile ground from which I lovingly pluck my perfectly ripened fresh fruit and vegetables just moments before preparing a restaurant quality meal for my family; of course using a recipe passed to me by my mother’s mother’s mother…

Okay okay. Perhaps I’m getting a little too worked up now.

Nevertheless, there’s no hiding the fact that there is a lot more pressure placed on the “home-chef” than there used to be. Steak and three-veg seasoned with salt and pepper and maybe some tomato sauce no longer seems adequate evening fare!

My ten year old cousin not only spruiks a knowledge of crème fraiche and pate, but a desire to eat the stuff! I’m not even sure if it’s socially acceptable to serve party pies and cocktail frankfurts at kids parties anymore!

I’m not advocating a return to "simpler" times. Personally, I cringe a little at frankfurts as finger food, but the new gourmet phenomenon does bewilder me somewhat.

The Weekend Australian Magazine recently published its Top 50 Hottest Restaurants in Australia, concluding that we want to eat simple, casual, quality food in a relaxed, friendly environment.  

Why then, do I feel I need to poach, roast and confit my chicken before it’s adequate to serve to friends and family? Can’t I just throw it in a pan and be done in ten minutes? Then we can get onto the casual, relaxing friendliness?!

Fruit and vegetables fresh from the garden are undoubtedly in their ideal state for eating – and we most certainly source the freshest and highest quality local produce we can for service at Doubletake Cafe – but it’s not as simple as this for all of us.

It’s a time consuming and physically demanding task to keep on top of weeds, pruning and garden critters. That is, in fact, if we even have the luxury of space in which to create our perfect Kitchen Gardens! Let’s not forget also, that gardening is a slow process. It will be a good many months before I can roast anything off the three pumpkin plants I have somehow managed to sprout from seed. (Which reminds me – they probably need a water… and a bigger pot... Oh dear!)

In the meantime, I’m glad to have the option of frozen vegies or eating out at a good local café. 

I’m grateful to those farmers who put the effort into providing us with fresh produce every day, because if the state of my Kitchen Garden is anything to go by, we would all be lost (and very hungry) without them!

Avo on Sourdough with Ristretto Double Shot... 

What more could you want?

If you’d like to see some very cool kitchen garden’s though (yes yes, I am eating my hat right now) – this blog-page has some inspiring stuff http://selina-veggiegarden.blogspot.com.au/2011/07/bit-of-design-inspiration.html

wine with breakfast?

As I sat down to lunch in a smart but friendly Melbourne restaurant recently, I found myself ordering a wine with my Artichoke & Mussel Soup with Crème Fraiche & Sourdough Garlic Toasts.

“You are obviously a very conservative thing Maryann.” I thought to myself, having really only ever drunk wine in the late afternoon or evening and never ever on my own! 

There are undeniable social norms about when certain beverages are acceptable to consume. I have never, for example, ordered a Pinot Noir with the Mushroom & Brioche breakfast special.

A coke with your scrambled eggs? I think not!

What about a freshly squeezed orange juice to finish off your evening meal?

As a child, I used to order a glass of milk with dinner when my parents would take us out to restaurants. The look of bewilderment on the wait-staff’s faces stays with me even to this day!

I remember how shocked I felt travelling through Europe (many moons ago), when I noticed a middle aged man sitting down to breakfast with his wife at a quaint street-side café, nursing a hearty glass of red! He wasn’t alone. Other tables were specked with a bright orange aperitif known as a Veneziano (Aperol, Prosecco, Tonic Water) or Champagne.

The question must be asked, “Why not?” The pH of the wine may indeed act as an effective aid to digestion! Those Europeans were on the ball with the Olive Oil thing after all!

Or perhaps, the occasional, moderate splurge on fine wine with breakfast or lunch simply makes the dining experience that little more memorable.

I don’t know what I had yesterday, but I still remember every moment of my lunch in Melbourne. I remember how much I enjoyed the experience and I remember how I had to, in fact, stop myself from skipping down the streets of Melbourne for the remainder of the day. 

I will add here that I am certain this wasn’t just an effect of the alcohol either! I honestly don’t think a pre-packaged Iced Coffee would have had the same effect.

Eating out should be an enjoyable experience. It doesn’t have to be gluttonous, but I know I will be leaving my options open when it comes to choosing what beverage I consume with my meals from now on – whatever the time of day!

Lake's looking lovely today everyone - come on in!

Coffee Training at Peaberry’s Gourmet Coffee – October 2012

Regular customers at Doubletake Café often say, “You know. When my coffee comes out to me, I know exactly who is working that day.”

This may seem like a simple observation, but to a café manager who loses sleep worrying about the quality of coffee being served at the café, it is very significant. It says a great deal about the consistency of product being served each day and it reinforces the pivotal role of the barista in the success of any café.  After all, the barista and customer clearly share a strong connection in the coffee experience!

Peaberry s recently tailored a coffee training course for the barista staff at Doubletake Cafe, which overlooks beautiful Lake Macquarie in Toronto.  

The larger than usual group spilled into Peaberrys’ new, state of the art training facility at Islington, alongside their impressive new Roastery and Café.  For a little over two hours, Joe imparted his massive knowledge of coffee to the group, in a session that was fun and informal yet hugely informative also.

It is one thing to be able to make a coffee, but another to understand what it takes to make a truly awesome cup of coffee. The training therefore ensured that all of our baristas understand and appreciate the most simple, as well as the more technical aspects of coffee preparation. The course highlighted the importance of cleanliness, maintaining the correct grind settings and correct care of the beans. There was also a hands-on session where our baristas could adjust the grind and craft the perfect piccolo latte.

Doubletake Cafe, just as much as Peaberry’s Coffee, strive to create an awesome coffee experience for our loyal clientele. Equipped with their new understanding of how to consistently provide a high quality coffee product, our barista’s are now much more interested and enthused about creating a great cup, each and every time a coffee is poured.

Training with Peaberry’s will now become a regular event for baristas at Doubletake Cafe. The world of coffee is constantly evolving and changing. There is always something new to learn and every training session will lead to a better cup for our customers.  

You can now also be sure that our staff will be happily buzzing when you come into the café, because they will all have had several piccolo lattes of a morning.  Joe, I think you’ve created a bunch of monsters with that one!

Thanks to Joe and Peaberry’s Coffee for a great training session. 

an awesome introduction

A little while ago, when I asked my brother how his day was, he blurted back with utter innocence, enthusiasm and sincerity, “Awesome.”

Now, John has Down Syndrome and has the most carefree life of any person I know so I have no doubt that his day was, in fact, no less than awesome. But I hadn’t ever felt that I could describe my day as “awesome ” and that worried me!

Life was good. I was healthy; I’d travelled; I’d had opportunities to study and live in great places; I had a good group of people around me at home and at work.

What was missing?

I concluded it was fun and creativity and direction.

I can’t remember exactly how I reached that conclusion, but I do know I didn’t need a soul-searching tour through India, Europe and Cambodia to get there!

I had always wanted my own business – to create something vibrant, that stood out from the average daily routine and made people happy. So for better or worse, I quit my office job and went in search of a more “awesome” life path.

On my career path to date, I have discovered the art of producing a killer coffee and learned the complexities of buying, establishing and operating businesses. I have learned about people – the good and the bad - and ultimately, it’s brought me to my current position managing Doubletake Café.

As hard as the hospitality industry can be, I love the opportunities it brings to create something special, to make people smile and to bring people together. 

I am hugely lucky that I can now focus my energies towards giving people a simple, fun, creative space where they can enjoy themselves and come away thinking, “I’m so glad I went there for coffee. It’s made my day.”

It makes me feel, well, “awesome.”