Since September 2016, Hope Street Cafe has been operating in the heart of West End, providing opportunities to the disadvantaged as a not-for-profit enterprise. In early May, Hope Street Cafe opened a second space in South Brisbane, providing a greater range of opportunities in addition to an expanded cafe-style offering. The concept is a conjoined effort between TAFE, Micah Projects and chef Rory Doyle (formerly of Red Robin Supper Truck) as a way to give useful experience to those that have been excluded from the workforce or are looking to pick up some skills for future employment. Members of the community that have an unstructured work history – including single mothers, those with mental health issues and the homeless – can volunteer to work at Hope Street Kitchen as part of a work and study program with TAFE South Bank, helping participants earn a Cert III in Hospitality. Volunteers are taught valuable skills as baristas, kitchen hands and as service staff, helping earn experience that they can apply to future applications.

Chris Mollee (formerly of Popolo) is at the kitchen’s helm, helping oversee volunteers as they whip up Hope Street Cafe’s menu of morsels on site using local and sustainable products. A sit-down menu features a bevy of tasty classics ranging from bubble and squeak, pancakes, shakshouka-style baked eggs and haloumi and pea fritters. In addition to these lip-smacking selections, a cabinet is stocked to bursting point with an ever-changing selection of salads and treats to grab with a fresh cup of Abrisca coffee or organic tea from tTotaler.

For more information on Hope Street Cafe, click over to the Stumble Guide.