Olivia Bramble’s tree change was also a homecoming of sorts.
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Having spent her childhood years helping her parents at Heritage Gardens Nursery in Ashtonfield, she has returned to take over the family business – with her own family in tow. She and husband Dwayne have refurbished the nursery’s cafe inside and out and hope to make it a destination in its own right.
Heritage Gardens Cafe re-opened to the public in February with a new menu and is open every day for breakfast, lunch, and morning and afternoon tea.
“We don’t have any experience in hospitality but we know what we like,” Mrs Bramble told Food & Wine.
“We believe that people are looking for a unique destination to visit, and the combination of the cafe and the nursery offers just that.”
Mrs Bramble’s parents, Bob and Pauline Dunn, started Heritage Gardens Nursery in 1984. She is the youngest of five children and has spent the past 12 years in Sydney working in marketing. Her Taree-born husband was most recently the managing director for Gucci Watches & Jewellery Group.
“We were expecting baby number two and we realised that our lifestyle and work demands were not sustainable with a young family, so we made the decision to purchase the family business from my parents, who had put the business on the market to retire,” Mrs Bramble said.
“We are now living in Lorn and have literally experienced a tree change. It is still very much a family business, though, as our third child comes with us to work each day. I grew up working in the nursery so it wasn’t a complete shock to me, however it was a completely new challenge for Dwayne.”
Heritage Gardens Cafe’s head chef Alexis Agapiou is in charge of the kitchen and a menu that, according to Mrs Bramble, serves “clean and classic food, presented beautifully with a focus on fresh flavours and quality produce, all sourced locally where possible”.
“We have a few signature items on our menu such as our house-smoked bacon, which is free of hormones and chemicals. Our poached eggs are slow-cooked for two hours and are deliciously soft and our scones are baked fresh daily.
“This is just phase one but we believe in this unique venue and are committed to fulfilling our vision for the cafe. So far the feedback has been great.”
