The Good Life
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The Patch: relaxed vibe, great coffee Fresh, healthier menu at Byron Services Club By S Haslam
Rommel Emilio and chef Paulo Andrade at home in front of their patch of green. Rommel renamed his Scarecrow cafe ‘The Patch’ to celebrate becoming the sole owner in 2017 By S Haslam Everyone has their favourite places to go for coffee. A lot of different elements go into your decision, but you need to feel welcome, to feel like you’re ‘at home’ with the vibe of the place. Before I’d even had a coffee at The Patch, named after the patch of green herbs next to the cafe tables on the footpath in the very centre of Mullum, I felt like a friend of owner Rommel Emilio, because he says ‘G’day’ to everyone in the street. He’s a big strong loud bloke who’d look equally at home outside a nightclub as on the footpath in Mullum, and he’s very serious about his coffee and his service. ‘I was born in Wardell, the son of a pineapple farmer’, says Rommel. ‘We used to come up to Mullum to put our pineapples in the Show, and I used to play footy here – it was like a goat track from Ballina to Mullum in those days, compared to now.’ Rommel’s not one of those cashed-up people who use an interior design team on their cafe; he grew the place organically, starting with just a metal bench. He made the artistic shelving himself one day from leftover boxes, and features such as the Alice in Wonderland mural have come from customers such as Tony Stephens, from Left Bank Rd, who just wandered into the cafe one day. ‘Developing the cafe happened gradually. I just waited to get the feel of the place,’ says Rommel, ‘and the customers had a lot of input. The staff too; we have vegans and vegetarians working here, and so we’ve added a lot of options that get positive feedback.’ The vegan roll gets a lot of praise (I’ve tried it, it’s great), as does the mushroom dish featuring portobello, porcini forest mushrooms, pickled fennel, confit tomato and green sauce. Although the place opens at 6am, even that early hour there are a lot of tradies, as well as locals who appreciate the freshness of the locally sourced menu. Guarana lattes are becoming popular with those who are having too much coffee. All the smoothies, iced coffees etc can be made vegan, combined with different milks; they even make their own nut milk, for example, using just almonds and macadamias with water, that contains no emulsifiers. ‘Our concentrates are all organic, like the jamu turmeric and ginger blend we use in the golden milk,’ says Rommel, and they are mostly made locally.
The annual open day (14 April) is family fun
Drink beer for charity Drinking beer is, of course, not always done with the sole intention of helping others, but if you drink Stone & Wood you can now feel that you are directly contributing to grassroots, environmental and social charities, because $1 per 100L of beer (that’s actually a lot of money because a lot of people drink Stone & Wood) will be donated through the local brewer’s charitable inGrained Foundation. Following the successful model used by the Northern Rivers Community Foundation, a charity supported in the past by Stone & Wood, a portion of the funds generated will also be placed in ethical investments.
Chef Glen Mason is back at the helm at the Byron Services Club, after a year as head chef at The Balcony, and he’s on a mission to look after the health of visitors and diners. ‘I’m bringing to the club the sort of fresh, delicious food that visitors to Byron, and locals, always want,’ he says. ‘Byron as a whole is a healthy town; rather than eating deep-fried and overly processed food all the time the locals have a greater interest in looking after their health.’ His comments were immediately borne out when, while we were talking, we were approached by a local woman who wanted to congratulate him on the new menu. ‘We source most of our food locally, we make our own vege patties, sauerkraut and pickles in the kitchen. It’s about keeping the food fresh,’ Glen says. He also points out that they know the provenance of the meat; he works with local butchers to get the best cuts from around the region.
Director of the inGrained Foundation, Jasmin Daly, said, ‘We are focused on building a pool of funds, so that investment income can form a part of future funding streams. This means the community can rely on us to be helping out their future generations.’
Glen worked with Bill Granger in Woollahra in Sydney, before flying to London to help Bill open his Granger & Co restaurant. He’s also worked in his home country of New Zealand, but was always a regular at Bluesfest, and in fact it was a ‘Chef Wanted’ sign sighted during a past Bluesfest visit that led him to make the move to live here.
The national not-for-profit inGrained Foundation is the formalisation of a community program operated since 2013 by the local brewer that has already raised and donated more than $630,000. By fostering long-term partnerships and responding to urgent situations of need, it aims to create sustained positive change by directing funds to support the community where and when it’s needed.
‘I’m happy now,’ says Glen. ‘I get out a bit in town, get to surf every day,’ he laughs. ‘I like looking after the health of the people who come to the club. We have a lot of vegan options and gluten-free options on the menu, but it’s really about making the food as fresh and healthy as it can be, at a reasonable price.’
Stone & Wood Brewing Co has committed to annually donate $1/100L of beer brewed to the not-for-profit, and in addition to the annual donation, the northern rivers independent brewery will partner with inGrained for their own events, such as their annual Open Day in Murwillumbah (14 April) and Festival of the Stone (9 June) raising funds for nominated local charities in the area.
While we were talking I tried the roasted eggplant, sitting in a fresh tomato sauce and smothered in fresh herbs, vegetables and with some grated parmesan on top. Delicious. Byron Services Club is open every day from 10am until 10pm or 11pm (Good Friday hours may differ). 132 Jonson St, Byron Bay. Ph 6685 6878 | byronbayservicesclub.com.au
The managing director for Stone & Wood Brewing Co, Ben Summons, said, ‘We’re inspired by the idea of being a village brewery and giving back to the community, so supporting the people who support us has always been a part of how we do business. The inGrained Foundation will now manage our donations in the future, together with raising further funds to create social change.’ In the future, a granting program will be established providing a mechanism for charitable organisations to apply for funding. To find out more and keep up to date with the inGrained Foundation’s developments and community activity, check out their website www.ingrainedfoundation.com.au.
If you’re serious about your coffee though, you’ll appreciate the single-origin coffee that changes every couple of weeks, ground to spec with Rommel’s toy, the EK43 grinder, allowing seemingly microscopic control of the number of grams. ‘We adjust the specs such as the pour too during the day to keep the coffee consistent,’ says Rommel, who really does seem to enjoy running his little patch of Australia. More info: The cafe is open at 6am (go Mullum!) and closes at 2pm each day. 49 Burringbar St, Mullumbimby It’s a tough job but someone has to do it.
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The Byron Shire Echo March 28, 2018 57