When you picture a traditional park kiosk you might not think of gourmet food and single origin coffee, but the owners of a cafe soon to be opened at Cahill Park in Wolli Creek said the community can expect to "be spoiled".
Rasha Enterprises, consisting of Hussein Rachid and Sal Senan, together with Huss's sister Amani Rachid, won the Bayside Council tender for the lease on the newly-constructed Cahill Park cafe.
The owners of Nineteen43 Bakehouse at Rockdale said their new cafe, to be named Milk and Honey, would pay homage to Australia's migrant community.
"We want to have an international influence from around the world but, with us being of Lebanese heritage, we will have a Lebanese influence," Mr Rachid told the Leader.
Fans of Nineteen43 Bakehouse - known for mixing middle eastern favourites with Australian bakery classics - will be able to enjoy the team's bakery delights at Cahill Park.
"Expect to see sweet croissants and savoury danishes. We'll also have substantial sandwiches and 'grab n go' options, and our dining menu will focus on seasonal produce with a rotating menu - we want to keep it simple, family friendly, using high quality ingredients," Mr Rachid said.
They plan to focus "heavily" on specialty coffee, rotating single origin offerings from guest roasters around Sydney.
"One of the biggest problems you see in a lot of these park kiosks is the coffee is of a low standard, so we're going to do the opposite," Mr Rachid said.
They'll also sell picnic hampers with baskets and blankets to borrow, and in the future they hope to offer a bike hire service.
They enlisted an environmentally-sustainable architecture professional for their tender application.
"We put a really big emphasis on making it a place where people could come and enjoy good food and also the park. We want it to be a community hub," Mr Rachid said.
The cafe is part of a multi-million-dollar upgrade to Cahill Park that includes an amenities block, a new seawall, pathways and an off-leash dog area.
Rasha Enterprises' tender was one of 13 submissions evaluated by Bayside Council for the cafe lease.
Mayor Joe Awada said it was an "added bonus" that Bayside locals won: "Council is very excited and we are confident Rasha will not disappoint."
Sarah Falson
Daily Liberal journalist. I love telling people's stories. Get in touch at sarah.falson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
Daily Liberal journalist. I love telling people's stories. Get in touch at sarah.falson@austcommunitymedia.com.au
