Chloe Smith and Brenden Gradidge have returned home after working in hospitality in Canberra, Sydney, Brisbane and London to open a cafe that encourages patrons to try familiar favourites with a twist.
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Think gingerbread waffles, lamb toasties and a long list of specials that will change like the menu. Not to mention the quality coffee, tea and hot chocolate made from grated chocolate.
All of this can be found at Grand Ettie in Taralga, which opened on November 1, taking over the space that was The Ploughman Cafe.
Mr Gradidge, who grew up in Bigga and worked at Taralga's hatted restaurant, The Argyle, for two years, wants people to try new things without being discouraged altogether.
Dishes will be made from fresh produce sourced locally where possible and food such as bread will be homemade daily.
"I have a standard I want to achieve and if I can't find it, I may as well make it," Mr Gradidge said.
The young couple is still looking for a regular supplier of pork and lamb, having found most of the local pork has been exported and a lack of lamb for reasons unknown to them.
They are also keen to exchange excess fruit and veg that can be turned into pickles or other delights for free coffee.
Some may already know Mrs Smith and Mr Gradidge from their successful 'scrub dinners' - pop-up dinners in rural spaces - the first of which was held at The Ploughman Cafe on Valentine's Day 2019 and the second was at Taralga's Old School House.
They plan to hold future scrub dinners, with early plans for a mystery picnic already in the making.
The space feels different to when it was The Ploughman Cafe, although not much has changed apart from the new, textured wooden counter and stripped back walls.
The couple wanted Grand Ettie to be a space locals love and are equally proud to show visitors.
They also see it as a refuge for the drought-affected community, with coffee one of the remaining luxuries people will afford themselves.
"We want to do good for the community," Mr Gradidge said.
The couple isn't phased about starting a new business amid a drought and now a bushfire crisis, either.
"It is what it is. Particularly in rural communities, there's a lot of adversity, whether it's fire, drought or floods," Mrs Smith, who grew up in Laggan, said.
They said their first few weeks were already a hit with locals and passing through visitors alike.
Mr Gradidge's parents and grandparents owned Bigga's pub for nearly 30 years, as well as the village's now disused service station.
Aged 16, he moved to Canberra to start a cheffing apprenticeship with Hyatt. Mr Gradidge then moved to Sydney before he and Mrs Smith moved to London for a couple of years.
Returning to Australia, the couple worked in Sydney again for a while, then Brisbane and eventually returned home to be closer to Mrs Smith's parents ahead of the arrival of their first child, Gulliver.
Mrs Smith said they never knew what their joint venture would look like, but always knew they wanted to do something together and here it is - Grand Ettie, named after Southern Tablelands' first female doctor, Ettie Lyons, who set-up a practice in Taralga in 1917.
Mrs Smith decided on the name after doing a lot of research about Ettie.
"In the early 1900s, she worked in the slums in Sydney and one year she was on record as seeing 10,000 patients. She moved to Taralga with her partner who was also her nurse and they lived opposite The Argyle; that was her surgery," Chloe said.
Mrs Smith said it's a tribute to the individual and Taralga's history and has enjoyed hearing tales from locals who remember being seen by Ettie.
Mrs Smith and Mr Gradidge welcomed their second child, Gideon, over Christmas and are taking a break to spend time together as a family before re-opening Grand Ettie on January 24.
Grand Ettie is open from 7am-3pm from Monday to Friday and 8am-3pm on Saturday and Sunday.
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