Hammondville opens much-loved supported employment Plant Room Café

HammondCare has launched its second Plant Room Café at its flagship Hammondville location in Sydney’s southwest, creating new supported employment opportunities for people with disabilities. 

The Plant Room, a successful social enterprise model run by The Disability Trust, has received passionate community support from day one.

The café, which offers barista-made coffee and fresh food crafted under the expertise of hatted chef Lorenzo Pagnan, serves residents, their families, staff, and the wider Hammondville community. 

HammondCare CEO Andrew Thorburn and The Disability Trust’s Acting CEO Tarryn Bracken officially opened the Hammondville location at a launch event attended by residents and employees on February 27. 

Mr Thorburn emphasised the alignment between HammondCare’s mission and The Disability Trust’s goal of fostering inclusivity through employment.

“We are delighted that a wonderful venture like this that can change the lives of supported employees will be part of our Hammondville community,” he said. 

“With this café, there is a wonderful alignment of HammondCare’s Mission and Values with those of The Disability Trust. We know from our experience working with The Disability Trust organisation at Horsley that this will be another big success story.” 

This marks the third Plant Room Café to be opened by The Disability Trust, following the first in Spring Hill in 2019 and the second in partnership with HammondCare at Horsley in 2023.

The Disability Trust’s Chief Operating Officer – Employment & Enterprises Mathew McIntyre highlighted the organisation’s commitment to equipping employees with skills for future careers in hospitality.

“The Disability Trust’s philosophy is to create a more inclusive world through employees and customers alike having a fantastic experience,” he said.

“Our goal with this venture is to develop the skills and experience of our supported employees so they can pursue open employment in the hospitality industry, should they choose to do so, and to maximise the chances of that transition being a great experience for them and their future employers.

Chef Pagnan, who has previously run renowned Illawarra restaurants Ristorante Due Mezzi, Sweet Lips and The Cheeky Fig, has curated a menu similar to that of the Horsley café, featuring customer favourites like the signature chicken schnitzel wrap.

“The cabbage gives it a real crunch. It’s got a real Asian flavour to it,” Lorenzo said. 

The new Hammondville Plant Room Café will be staffed by two supported employees and two café coordinators at any given time. Employees undergo training not only in hospitality but also in engaging sensitively with people living with dementia.

One such employee, 27-year-old Oliver, is thrilled to be part of the team. 

“I have many jobs to do, including taking orders, serving food, washing dishes, and cleaning up,” he shared. 

As part of the process, supported employees also outline their goals, including where they would like to be in 12-18 months. Oliver’s personal dream is to travel the world, having already visited Las Vegas and Los Angeles, with a South Pacific cruise planned for April.

The Plant Room Café at Hammondville is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 3pm, welcoming all members of the community to enjoy quality coffee and food while supporting a meaningful social enterprise.