Serving sustainability on a plate makes difference

THIS little cafe at Redcliffe proves chefs, growers and consumers can come together to make a difference in reducing waste and creating ethical cuisine.

Flock Eatery Redcliffe's Geoff Abel. Photo: Dominika Lis

FOODIES are flocking to a Redcliffe cafe that’s offering its patrons a unique experience while helping preserve the planet.

Chef Geoff Abel and his wife Lexie opened Flock Eatery just over a year ago with the goal of bringing their personal ethos, of minimising their carbon footprint with more sustainable practices, to the food industry.

Geoff, who has a background in fine dining, is passionate about creative food while minimising waste. His menu is evolving and reflects the freshest produce in season.

“We specialise in a farm-to-plate dining experience offering fresh, seasonal and local produce from the Moreton Bay Region,’’ Lexie says.

“Geoff prides himself on the relationships he develops with the farmers and producers.’’

“Our customers like to know who grew their food. We love it when someone comes in and says ‘yeah that food was amazingly fresh’ and we know the farmer dropped the produce in a day before. The customers can taste that it is really fresh.’’

A dish on the menu at Redcliffe’s Flock Eatery. Photo: Dominika Lis.

Flock Eatery is just one of the local businesses taking part in the first ever Moreton Bay Food and Wine Festival on September 8 and 9.

The cafe will be open throughout the event and is also hosting a ticketed dinner which has sold out.

“The festival will show people what’s going on in the region — what people are producing and what people like us are doing with it,” Lexie explains.

“I’m looking forward to getting more people into Flock and learning more about what we do with sustainability and supporting local growers.”

Lexie describes the eatery as following a “closed-loop system’’ with sustainability at its core. Loop Growers at Samford collects and composts all Flock’s food waste, turning it into organic matter which is used to grow produce which ends up on the eatery’s menu.

“We minimise all sorts of waste,’’ Lexie says. “We don’t have plastic or wrapping on the produce coming into the kitchen. Suppliers bring their produce to us in cardboard boxes. Our waste is so minimal. We usually only have half a wheelie bin of rubbish each week … that’s pretty exceptional for a really busy cafe.’’

Sustainability is at the core of Flock Eatery at Redcliffe. Photo: Dominika Lis

The eatery specialises in catering to customers’ dietary requirements such as vegan, gluten-free and alternate diets. But for the carnivores, there’s plenty of meat choices.

The house blend ethically-produced coffee comes from Tim Adams on the Sunshine Coast and is part of the Chapola Project that ensures coffee growers in developing nations get a higher price for their beans and the profits support the local communities.

There is always a single-origin coffee — a unique blend from a single area — on offer and this changes weekly.

Disposable coffee cups are an environmental nightmare, but Lexie and Geoff provide their takeaway brews in compostable cups that are also sent off to Loop Growers for recycling.

Customers are encouraged to bring along their own reusable cups for a 50c discount on their coffee. The eatery’s plates are made by Redcliffe potter, Redraku.

“So our customers can eat local food off locally-made plates and bowls. That’s pretty special,’’ Lexie says.

Flock Eatery Redcliffe's Geoff Abel. Photo: Dominika Lis

FLOCK EATERY

Where: 99A Redcliffe Pde, Redcliffe

Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 7am-2pm

Phone: [phone]

Visit: flockeatery.com