Chef jackets have a couple of little slots in the sleeve of the upper arm for you to keep a pen/sharpie and a tasting spoon.

Every so often I'd forgot to take a spoon out of my jacket.

Now they are just lovely little reminders of all the different kitchens I've worked in :)

Love lo mai gai.
They really are the perfect quick lunch!

Every once in awhile we might have something fun on the misc shelf.

Some produce that a customer brought in, or harvested from our rooftop garden.

It really taught me how to be creative with cooking methods and how to play around with textures and different methods of flavour extraction.

Every Friday, I would put all of these random things into a huge gastro (metal oven tray) and stare at them until I could come up with something cohesive and tasty that people would want to eat.

It was really good training.

In one of my first jobs as a chef de partie (section chef), I was in charge of helping the head chef come up with specials for the weekend.

We had a shelf in the coolroom which we called the 'miscellaneous shelf", where we put vegetable offcuts and other bits and pieces that needed to be used up.

I will always remember Ken.

His earnest thank yous to every member of staff as he would leave.

How he liked his coffee.
How he loved our caramel bundts.
How he was so proud to introduce us to his family every time they came to visit.

Rest in peace gentle sir.
Have a pint for us up there 💜

The thing I love the most, above feeding the people that come into our establishment, is them letting us become a part of their lives.

Cafes, while private enterprises, can be beautiful community spaces.

This is not the first time this has happened. We've had other regular customers pass away over the years.

The grief of their loved ones seeping into our lattes and scrambled eggs.

The stories of their demise finding their way to us by proxy.

I love him and his quirky bowtie.

Also wonky teeth make him highly relatable.

We're ok.
Just exhausted. It's been a long day.

Trying not to think about how much it will cost to reprogram the car and get new keys 😬

We feel so lucky to be part of this community.

And while it sucks to have our home and personal space violated, we are thankful to be surrounded by so many good, generous people.

Wouldn't want to live anywhere else.
#westisbest

Some neighbours combed through their security footage, while others offered to loan us their cars.

Some dropped off beer, and many stopped by just to see if we were ok.

One local locksmith even came by after we finished work to change all our locks for us. No charge.

This could have been an extremely shitty day, and it was in part...

But what really shone through was how amazing our local community is.

#innerwestmelb

@benjamino.bsky.social

Also, the Women's Circus in West Footscray is a wonderful, supportive and inclusive space for anyone who wants to fly their freak flag high. 🤸‍♀️🏳️‍🌈

Is the audi still there?