When it comes to hospitality, industry veteran Joedy Kyle has probably seen it all across his 11-year career. When Joedy opted to break away from the world of fine dining to open a community-oriented cafe, he probably expected more early mornings, but maybe a few less headaches. Joedy’s Cafe officially opened on Sydney Street – tucked away in a chic and inviting space across the road from New Farm Park – on Wednesday March 18. Five days later Brisbane’s hospitality scene went into full-on lockdown as part of widespread coronavirus response measures. Safe to say these circumstances were unlike anything Joedy had experienced to date. Nevertheless, the Joedy’s team had no choice but to keep their wits about them, rolls with the punches and take things a day at a time. The cafe swiftly transitioned to a streamlined takeaway-oriented service, serving meals to-go alongside fresh pastries and hot coffee. Although the model of delivery had changed, Joedy’s core ethos of serving imaginative fare made using quality locally sourced and sustainably farmed produce (plus top-notch coffee) remained, and his team’s funny and candid repartee helped build rapport with locals. In a savvy display of his hospitality acumen, Joedy also implemented a few smart ideas to help diversify the cafe’s income stream and spread word of the cafe’s existence – debuting a range of picnic hampers (filled with gourmet cheeses, meats and fresh fruit), launching a series of pasta-making workshops with top-tier chef Dario Manca, and hawking a range of products via the cafe’s retail portion. Over this period, Joedy’s Cafe received a heartening amount of support from the local community, helping minimise the drop off in business until the restrictions began to ease and dine-in could recommence.
Now that things have returned to a semblance of normalcy, the Joedy’s team is starting to show what it can really do. Those that have managed to score a table recently might already be acquainted with winning dishes such as the ube (purple yam) waffles topped with fresh berries, white-chocolate ube sauce and black-sesame ice-cream, the chilli scrambled eggs with smoked West Australian octopus, breakfast panna cotta with house made granola, blueberry cream cheese and fresh local fruits, and the Balinese marinated-pork burger with fried free-range egg, house-made chilli mayonnaise and slaw. Next week will see the cafe shake up the offering with its spring menu, which will debut six new dishes worth adding to your must-try list. In addition to the plated fare, Joedy’s Cafe is getting tongues wagging with its range of freshly baked pastries, sweet treats and small batches of gourmet doughnuts – the latter are only available on Saturdays and are known to sell out fast. Joedy has selected Bellissimo Coffee as the cafe’s caffeine supplier, serving espresso-based and batch brews alongside cold-pressed juices from HRVST ST and kombucha from Probiotic Kitchen. Over in the retail space, folks can browse a selection of products including take-home packs of coffee, coffee-brewing apparatus, house made Murray River pink-salt scrubs, chutneys, artisan chocolate from Amy Sargeantson and even a collection of cafe merch.
The past few months have been a whirlwind for Joedy and his team, and although the cafe is still finding its footing in the New Farm scene a plan is already in place for the venue’s continued growth. Next year Joedy will look to take over a neighbouring tenancy, transferring the cafe set-up there while transforming the existing space into a relaxed wine bar. The bar will showcase a range of Australian wines alongside a menu of light tapas and charcuterie boards, filling the suburb’s need for more evening-appropriate locales. Until then, Joedy encourages everyone and anyone to pop in and see what exciting things the cafe is bringing to New Farm.
Joedy’s Cafe is open seven days. For operating hours and contact details, head to the Stumble Guide.