Richmond’s delightful local cafe
Alioke Eatery is fast building a name for itself amongst locals. Located in the heart of The Meadows, Richmond, owners Ali Kerridge and Marc Hunter quickly saw the potential that location offered and the dream space that they could create within it. With daughter Brooke on board as project manager, their shared vision was born. Alioke is a play on both Ali and Brooke’s names, with Ali’s twenty-plus years as a qualified chef, and Brooke a self-proclaimed food critic, the brand encompasses the family and their shared love for food and creativity. Marc helps things run smoothly in the weekends, when not working his fulltime job, and is also the chief taste-tester.
Since opening seven months ago the business has been going extremely well. The Richmond couple say that with their children having left home it was time to move on to a new venture and to grow Ali’s grazing business, Kerridge and Ko. “The café sits well within the area, and we love the community feel. We have hosted loads of private functions and themed events, along with afternoon teas for the kids. We also hold ‘high tea’ and are looking forward to making this a regular event on the café calendar. At the moment we have our famous Boobie Cookies available, where $1 from every sale is donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation, and we look forward to hosting a Pink Ribbon Brunch.”
With gourmet bagels, Belgium waffles, and Big Breakfasts on the all-day menu along with their delicious range of cabinet food and sweet treats, visitors are spoilt for choice. Bringing the community into the fold is an important aspect for Ali and a key part of the welcoming environment at Alioke. “We have young ambassadors for the café, who have been very carefully nominated by the team. “We have Charlotte as our cookie ambassador, Blake is our ice cream ambassador and Louie, who is our ‘puppacino’ ambassador. This is a way for us to bring the community in and help them to feel a part of what we do. We worked in collaboration with a local business initiative and had t-shirts made up by them for the kids. The children get a real kick out of it, and it makes them feel a bit special.”
Creating a warm, family atmosphere is easy when you have great staff, says Ali. “We have 19 staff on board, and we are a good, friendly group with a real team atmosphere. If it wasn’t for our awesome staff, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do!” Looking forward, there will be some exciting additions to Alioke’s offerings, Ali says, so keep an eye on their social media for what’s to come!