Previous SlideNext Slide

You can get kilojoules and caffeine anywhere. Warmth and welcome are harder to stumble upon. When the food, coffee and feeling are crafted with intention, clarity and experience, you might be lucky enough to end up with a lovely place like Lumen People, a daytime draw and evening lure for simple, creative eating and drinking that speaks to the seasons.

Lumen is owned by Emma Sheahan and Marichi Clarke, who left jobs as managers of coffee institutions Wide Open Road and Seven Seeds, respectively, to open their first cafe in February. They’ve applied all they know about running 100-seat monsters to this 30-seat darling, which is inspired as much by indie Hobart venues as it is by the mainland fare.

The menu shows the stamp of chef Stephannie Liu, who has returned from Europe where she cooked in places including Copenhagen gallery cafe Apollo Bar and Paris wine bar La Buvette. Together, they’ve built connections with small local growers Dog Creek and Somerset Farm, and neighbourhood pals Bread Club.

The food is spirited and joyful. Smiley wedges of pumpkin are roasted, laid over ricotta that’s stained with spicy 𝄒nduja butter and served with fried sage and toasted pepitas.

Add an egg if you like. It’s an attuned, easygoing layering of good things. The sardines have a bit more going on – the fish piled on toast with sweet-sour onion furls, currants soaked in tea, and toasted hazelnuts – but it’s a satisfying, rounded harmony.

The night-time idea is drop-in, low-commitment, not-too-spendy snacks and beverages, though you could easily build a meal from nuts, olives, sausage, cheese and hummus. Again, ingredients are carefully chosen. Garlicky, peppery saucisson is by Sydney’s LP Quality Meats, Ossau-Iraty is a sheep’s milk cheese crafted in France, olives by Mount Zero.

Does it seem strange to think of coffee as a seasonal product? Not if you’re Emma or Marichi, who came through the ranks as roasters and work to harvesting and shipping schedules. Rwanda is done for the year, Ethiopia is dialling in now. Coffee specials turn the brew into an arena for learning and tasting.

It’s always a pleasure to walk into a place that knows what it’s about and can communicate it in a synthesised hospitality experience. The name suggests the ethereality of light but anchors it sweetly in the human realm. The design by Susu Studio is contemporary while fondly regarding the past. Everything edible or sippable is there for a reason and the Lumen People are friendly and informed, bringing energy and expertise. The sum is a delight: Lumen People is magnetic and humble, small scale and surmountable, a local hangout that regards the wide world with respect and hope.