Why I opened my plant-based café as a Mum of two
When I first dreamed about opening a café, it wasn’t just about the food and endless coffee. It was about creating a space to share my love of plant based food and baking, to bring the community together and create a welcoming, friendly space – while also showing my two kids that following your passion is worth it.
The Beginning: Family as my ‘why’
Like many mums, I spend endless hours with the daily decision, what shall we have for tea? We became plant based almost 5 years ago, after watching and reading about the benefits to our health, the environment and of course, to animals. With young children, the challenge has been changing our diet to be nutritious, tasty but also foods that kids will actually eat.
I’ve always been the hostess, the feeder, the one to cook and cater, so I thought why not share my food even further.
The leap of faith
Chestnut & Rose was born in my kitchen, making graze boxes, sweet treats and cakes for customers all around the Ipswich area. As interest grew, I kept looking for a premises and an old Butcher shop near our house became empty. With a lot of family support I took that leap and Chestnut & Rose the café was born. My children are my biggest motivators. I want them to see passion and purpose can fuel a career- and you don’t have to choose between family and dreams.
And as they say, the rest is history – here we are over 2½ years later, absolutely loving being part of the Kesgrave community.
