This month on The Dish we’ve got a partner story so inspiring that you’re gonna want to run right over to one of their cafes and get in on the action.
Our setting this month is two vastly different cafes, one overlooking the Brindabellas in Strathnairn which is full of historic homestead charm, the other with an edge of chic urban cool and tucked away in a quiet corner of Dickson.
We’ve also got two superhero business owners and their one gigantic mission to change people’s lives through hospitality.
We’re talking about Cafe Stepping Stone and the two owners – Vanessa and Hannah, who are changing the world one coffee at a time.
Cafe Stepping Stone grew from a seed that Vanessa & Hannah planted in Cartagena, Columbia in 2015. They had a vision to create a social enterprise where they could provide employment and training to underprivileged youth in the city. From that seed came the first Cafe Stepping Stone, the name reflective of their mission to be the stepping stone to employment.
When covid brought Vanessa and Hannah back to Australia they saw a need to become that same stepping stone for migrant and refugee women in the Canberra community. And so the concept was revived with the opening of their Strathnairn cafe in 2020.
Through their first cafe they’ve been able to break down barriers to employment like language, confidence, experience and formal training. In speaking to members of the Stepping Stone team you’re overwhelmed by the sense of community, gratitude and selflessness that Vanessa and Hannah imbue into the business.
And their good work caught the attention of the ACT Government who in 2023 backed the opening of the newest Cafe Stepping Stone located in Dickson where they’ve been able to expand on their mission to employ and train women most in need of a step up.
The menus at both cafes are vegetarian and are heavily influenced by the nationalities of the women who are the heart of these cafes. They deliver an evolving menu plus specials with dishes like Turkish eggs, Tofu Laarb, Burmese Laphat Thoke, Arepas plus a wide selection of sweets and cakes.
There are so many great dishes on the menu that it’s hard to just choose one to hero. But the Mushrooms & Broccolini on Toast is a real standout and loved by many of their regular customers. This hearty dish is perfect for brekky, brunch or lunch. It’s meaty mushies are panfried in a 7 spice mix alongside stalks of broccolini. A touch of lemon is added for some citrus zing and it’s served on top of Three Mills Bakery sourdough. This is all complemented with a side of white bean puree and some tart pickles which cuts through the earthiness of the mushrooms.
Want to be a part of the incredible work that Cafe Stepping Stones is doing in the Canberra region? Then head over to one of their cafes for a bite and a coffee. Every dish served is a step towards the society we should all be working towards.
Cafe Stepping Stones in open:
Straithnairn: Wednesday to Friday 9am till 3:30pm.
Saturday & Sunday Sunday 8am till 4pm.
Dickson: 8am till 3:30pm with the kitchen closing at 2:30pm.
Community donations are pivotal in helping Cafe Stepping Stone continue to offer training and employment opportunities to migrant and refugee women.
Donations can be made here: https://giving.handsacrosscanberra.org.au/event/stepping-stone
