New cafe Oddfellows keeps a tight lid on the kitchen bin

A leading Hobart foodie, who co-created an award-winning restaurant a decade ago, is behind the new ethical eatery in Victoria Street.

Niall Maurici and Chloe Proud, co-directors of new eco-cafe Oddfellows in Victoria Street. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

THERE isn’t a scrap going to waste — mandarin peels are flavouring the cordial, bread crusts have fermented the vodka and leftover cream has been transformed into butter.

The new kid on the block of Hobart’s cafe scene has a low-waste ethos, treading lightly in an industry renowned for its heavy environmental impact.

Oddfellows bar and eatery, in Hobart’s CBD, is avoiding purchasing food in packaging and keeping the lid on the kitchen bin.

Foodie extraordinaire Chloe Proud, who co-created the award-winning Ethos restaurant a decade ago, is behind the new ethical eatery on the ground level of the Alceme yoga studio in Victoria St.

She said she wanted to “walk the talk” about environmental awareness, so was sourcing local food and using every part of it.

“It’s all about thinking before you throw something in the bin, ‘What might this be good for?’’

The results are delicious: cordials made with mandarin peels and tarragon stems, kimchi made with kitchen scraps and ricotta from milk “past its best”.

The outer leaves of cabbages are going into sauerkraut and the leftover pickling juices are enjoying a second life as digestive shots.

Oddfellows co-director Niall Maurici said the waste minimisation aim meant the menu would be limited, but would change regularly.

“We are not offering the world, it will be a small range but it will be made by hand, healthy and affordable,” he said.

Importantly, the smaller range means less waste.

“The food business has a pretty large environmental footprint, but we want to be on the front foot of the change that’s happening.”

Even the alcoholic beverages have a conscience, with vodka made from locally sourced day-old bread by Hobart-based Endangered Distilling Co.

Distillery co-creator Nathan Campbell said they collected the bread from eateries that would otherwise be destined for landfill.

“Our ethos is salvaging products from the waste cycle and converting them into tasty alcohol,” Mr Campbell said.

Of course, there will always be some food waste that will end up in the compost bin. But Ms Proud has that covered too.

“Our compostables are going to someone who is turning it into fertiliser, then we are bringing it back to put on our pot plants.”

Ms Proud took on the cafe site in Victoria St late last year, and opened the Alceme Kitchen cafe just before the yoga studio closed and went into administration. Her cafe, which is independent of Alceme, remained open while a new owner was found for the urban health retreat.

The rebranding as Oddfellows is a nod to the history of the building, which was originally built for the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. The benevolent fraternity has its roots in England in the 1700s and started in Tasmania in the 1800s.

The space has long resonated with Ms Proud, who had her first real date on the premises 15 years ago when it was the former acclaimed vegetarian restaurant, Sirens.

When Sirens closed, the building was left dormant for years and Ms Proud jumped at the chance to re-energise it when it was renovated and open for business again with the launch of Alceme.