Coronavirus in Ballarat: Cafe al nord owner Andrew Flockhart speaks about difficulties he faced opening his new venue
One of Ballarat's most senior chefs has opened a new cafe after returning to the hospitality industry for the first time in eight years.
Andrew Flockhart has continued to battle through the difficulties restaurants and cafes have faced during the pandemic after opening his new venue, Cafe al nord, in Ballarat North.
Mr Flockhart said after spending so long away from the kitchen in a hospitality setting, he was itching to get back.
"I've been a chef in Ballarat since 1984," he said.
"However I've spent the last eight years at McCain Foods as their innovation chef.
"Over the last few years, I was getting the itch to start cooking again. My wife had a laundry and ironing service, so I opened a little cafe there in October last year. That started to scratch the itch, but I thought to myself "I wouldn't mind doing something bigger."
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Something bigger would ultimately come in the form of Cafe al nord, which Mr Flockhart began working on in February.
Unfortunately, unlucky timing saw him facing an uphill battle from the beginning as the pandemic began to hit the industry hard just as he moved into his new venue.
"I found the premises and signed the lease in February, right before the pandemic hit hard," he continued.
"That was tough because I knew we wouldn't be able to open."
I kept hoping that things would get better but they haven't.
Cafe al nord owner Andrew Flockhart
Because of the pandemic, the cafe had its opening delayed significantly, however Mr Flockhart did not let it dampen his spirits about ultimately getting people into the cafe.
"We were hoping to open around the first week of May, instead that was delayed until July," he said.
"It took longer to get things done, longer to get our trades in, but that's just the way it goes.
"The first lockdown didn't really affect us because we would go up to the shop and just work... it's more the second one that has really hurt because we'd love to be open in a full capacity not just for the financials, but because this is a space we're really proud of."
Because of its location and the lack of similar establishments in the area, Mr Flockhart said the Ballarat North community has fully embraced the new venue, even in its take-away only capacity.
"The public response has been fantastic... because of our location, there's not much around us. People have gotten behind us, it's been absolutely amazing to see the support we've received so quickly."
Moving forward, he said a sense of excitement still remains as he waits in anticipation for a return to normality, and to see his new project operating in a sit-down capacity.
"It's really exciting to have that ahead of us. While we can only seat 18 people inside and 10 outside, having the community come in and get the full experience will be fantastic.
"This is something myself and all our staff are so passionate about... we just want to showcase it to the rest of the community."
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