Lulu's Cafe - the Heart of Mullumbimby

I was going to write this last November about my favourite cafe in Mullumbimby - to showcase them before the Mullumbimby Music Festival but, for reasons that will become apparent, it didn't happen.

I have been going to Lulu's Cafe in the Dalley Street arcade for the past seven years.  It's my refuge in the mornings for coffee, something delicious to eat, a read of the paper but, more importantly, a catch up with my community.

Lulu's is like the village square.  Somewhere where the women in traditional villages would go in the morning to buy bread and collect water at the pump - and the guys would go well, just to be guys, have a coffee a yarn and a smoke.  Lulu's is like that - but more -  it has the best vegetarian food in town.  Food made with heart and soul - food made with love that you can taste.

Delicious berry muffins, baked fresh every day

This comes from the dedication of the owners,  Linda Rutledge and Peter McNeilly - a committed couple and chefs who have been at the helm of Lulu's for the past 13 years.  They moved to the area in 1990 from Sydney but our paths probably crossed at Ryde TAFE in the 1980's when they were there studying cooking and I was studying horticulture (hanging out at the cheap hospitality kitchen at Ryde was a way of life for hort. students - we were always starving and poor!)

Peter and Linda, in the kitchen October 2012

Linda and Peter have an ethos that could well be emulated by other restaurants and cafes but unfortunately rarely happens; they recycle as much as possible - composting all the organic waste from the cafe, (they only put out one small wheelie bin per week of waste) and, as much as possible, they buy organic fresh local produce - their flours, beans, eggs, coffee, nuts (and more) are also all organic.
They use local cooks for supplying pakoras/samosas, croissants and cakes and Sol bakers for their organic breads - and they use washable cloth napkins. 

Jerry, the barista doing his best to get everyone's coffee right - not easy!

Linda and Peter have always been very supportive of the local community through local arts, drama, sport and music as well as regularly showcasing local musicians at the cafe on Saturday mornings (in another life Linda would have been an actress/singer and Peter a cricketer - what's the score Pete?). And, everyone is welcome at Lulu's - the lost and found, rich and poor, kiddies and old folk and even the blow-in's who were looking for a bacon and sausage fry-up - there's something on Lulu's menu to satisfy everyone.

Late last year Peter was diagnosed with cancer and they are now faced with a very difficult journey, consequently his quiet demeanour and cheery grin have been absent from Linda's side in Lulu's kitchen for a while now.

The heart of this community was expressed a couple a Saturday's ago when it came together for a fundraising night to say thank you to them both for what they have put in over the years and, in particular, to pay tribute to Peter.  Any night is guaranteed to be fun if local comedian Many Nolan is MC'ing it and it wasn't long before everyone was doubled over with laughter and then up dancing to the many acts that have played over the years at Lulu's.  Being part of a vibrant, loving and welcoming community is at the heart and soul of happiness and, as Mandy said on the night -" it's what Mullumbimby (and Lulu's) is all about and I don't think this would be happening in the suburbs of Sydney?"  Some money was raised for Peter and Linda but just as importantly the community was expressing their gratitude - saying thank you.

Parmesan Crust Tarts with Caramelized Onion, Tomato and Gorgonzola (makes 6) - one of Lulu's lunchtime specials.

For the Pastry:
200 g plain, biodynamic wholemeal flour
100 g unsalted butter
Handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese
Pinch of salt
Splash of cold water

For the Filling:
1 cup caramelized onion (Lulu's uses their own recipe - ask Linda?)
6 cherry tomatoes
150 g gorgonzola cheese

1.  Rub flour and butter together to achieve breadcrumb like consistency.
NOTE: Pastry can be made in food processor
2.  Mix in parmesan and salt
3.  Add a splash of water to moisten.
4.  Mix until pastry forms a ball - don't overwork
5.  Rest in the refrigerator for half an hour.
6.  Roll our walnut sized pieces on a floured board -  into rounds large enough for tartlet mould.
7.  Bake in moderate oven (180oC) for 10-15 minutes until golden
8.  Fill with a teaspoon of caramelized onion, a single cherry tomato (halved) and a generous chunk of gorgonzola.
9.  Heat under a grill until cheese has melted.
Serve with a simple rocket and shaved parmesan salad tossed in a little oil and balsamic vinegar
NOTE: You can put any savoury filling in these tart cases.  I have also had them at Lulu's grilled with fresh fig and goats cheese - delicious.

(I tried to chat Peter up once but he was on to me - he knew I just wanted his muffin recipe!)

Sunday May 27th 2013
Vale Peter McNeilly 1956-2013.  Peter's innings came to an end on Sunday May 13th.  A tribute to Peter was written by Brian Mollett and published in Byron Shire Echo on May 21st 2013.

August 12th 2013.  Linda has started a wonderful initiative at Lu'Lu's - following on from the Italian model of 'suspended coffees'.  Patrons at Lu'lu's can forward buy a coffee, juice or vegie burger in advance for those in the community who can't afford one themselves.

(Also see Linda's top tips on Preserving Lemons)

Economics of Happiness Part 2 - Share and share alike.

Sharing aubundance

Unbelievably the phrase 'share and share alike' first appeared in Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe in 1719 but came to mind just recently as a way of expressing what happens among people who grow their own food - THEY SHARE.  No money changes hands.  The only thing the giver expects is the joy of giving.  Pleasure is received from produce grown by your own hands and passed on.  It's kind of the way I grew up in London in the 50's and certainly what I am experiencing again in a small rural community in Australia in 2012.

On the morning of our monthly Garden Group last week I found myself unexpectedly showered with homegrown abundance:  lemons from Megan, bananas ginger and chillies from Grant, a beautiful jar of pickled cucumbers from Chris, a pumpkin from Alison and camellias from everyones garden.

From this, later in the day, I made a ginger and pumpkin soup - I gave some of this to my neighbour and in return she gave me some lemon pickle - the local produce cycle.

What has happened during this whole process of giving and receiving?  Heart and hand have been engaged AND NO MONEY HAS CHANGED HANDS.

I used to visit and revisit it a dozen times a day, and stand in deep contemplation over my vegetable progeny with a love that nobody could share or conceive of who had never taken part in the process of creation.  It was one of the most bewitching sights in the world to observe a hill of beans thrusting aside the soil, or a rose of early peas just peeping forth sufficiently to trace a line of delicate green.  ~Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mosses from and Old Manse


A lot of giving that I have experienced in my life has been associated with obligated reciprocity or indebtedness - something was definitely expeccted in return.  Gardeners are not like that.  They are all together a pretty equilibrious bunch - there's a certain generosity of heart that is very refreshing - nothing, except a smile is expected in return. It's one of the reasons why gardening, and the whole garden fraternity is so nurturing.

 There can be no other occupation like gardening in which, if you were to creep up behind someone at their work, you would find them smiling.  ~Mirabel Osler

We live on the most easterly point of Australia, Byron Bay, and last Sunday was full moon with two minutes separating the sun setting and rising.  A picnic at the lighthouse with friends was a great way to  celebrate and be grateful.

THE WAY FORWARD:  Back to the Future?

Roadside produce stall, Skopelos, Greece

"You Have to go Backwards to figure out how to go Forwards"Katya Larisaiou
Poor Greece, it's now three days since the latest election with no government, a massive debt crisis and all seems doom and gloom.  But, I came across an article in the UK Telegraph that gave me hope.  "Bartering Greeks begin austerity Marathon"

It appears that in the town of Volos 320 kilometres north of Athens, the Greeks are taking matters into their own hands in ways that involve reversion to the past.

A common sight in Greece, drying wild picked herbs

The locals have implemented a bartering and exchange scheme that eliminates the shaky Euro.  Farmers are avoiding the large supermarkets and selling directly to customers at substantial discounts.  People are selling dried wild herbs picked from the mountainside and roadside produce stalls have sprung up everywhere.

Rather than wait for the politicians to improve their lot, these Greeks are taking the future into their own hands that looks to the past for answers.

In addition many Athenians, now out of work or on short time (22 per cent unemployment and 52 per cent youth unemployment) have decided to head back to their ancestral villages to rediscover the virtues of village life.  "Villages are the future for the Greeks.  You can maintain an acceptable standard of life and Greek nature is fantastic.  We have to get back to simple things"(Katya Larisaio 35) Katya has just returned to Volos after 10 years in Athens, opened a small cafe and joined the local alternative currency scheme that allows members to exchange goods and services. And a quote from Theodoros Mitropoulos a carpenter who lost his job in Athens and has returned to his family village in the Peloponnese "We have land for animals and growing vegetables, I can use some and sell some.  Village life is less expensive, people share things" Sound familiar?

Michelaki, the little fisherman of Symi pointing the way forward

"A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in."
- Greek proverb

The Economics of Happiness

Last night I went to see the new film by social activist Helena Norberg-Hodge called the Economics of Happiness. This film highlights the effects of globalization on communities and is a cry from the heart for 'Keeping it Local' to help restore and heal our planet and it's people - and in my humble way, what this blog is all about.

The film's message was clear and convincing, but I couldn't help feeling frustrated that it was preaching to a hall full of the 'converted' and it's message needs to be heard by, say, the board members of Woolworth's (who have just foisted on our town an unwanted supermarket that will probably ring the death knell of our vibrant high street). But, the film was trying to say that the tide is turning and the real power lies with the individual and how we chose to spend our money.

So how do we heal our selves while healing our planet at the same time? A long time ago, in a basic psychology class, I learned that there were three fundamental things that make and keep us happy:

1. Family/Heart connections (to love and be loved) 

2. Work (having gainful employment whether paid/unpaid)

3. Community (being part of/connected to something bigger than ourselves). This has as much resonance for me today as it did then (at least it is something I remembered from class!). It's also the reason why growing your own food, volunteering, shopping at the farmers market etc. are ultimately much more satisfying than what we are told will make us happy - buying more stuff!

"The world has enough for everyone's need, but not their greed" Gandhi

An interesting fact came up in this week's broadcast of the Science Show on our ABC Radio National concerning food globalization. www.abc.net/rn/scienceshow "Where's the Beef"?

" About 20 years ago we were short of food, there was rather less food being produced all around the world than the number of people, so there really was genuine hunger through much of the world. But mostly through Chinese enterprise, farming became so much more efficient that for the last 10 years or so we have produced plenty of food, all the food that anybody in the world needs to eat.

 And the reason there have been famines is not because of a lack of food. When they had the big Ethiopian famine in Eritrea, for example, Ethiopia at the time was actually a net exporter of grain, if you can imagine that. It wasn't a lack of food that has caused famines, it's a lack of political goodwill that stops the food being distributed properly, that is what causes famines. "

"Grow your own Grassroots Defiance against the Capitalist Diet-Grow Vitamins at your Kitchen Door" Frances Phoenix

A good place to start is by getting out into the garden and growing as much of our own food as possible and buying from local, honest producers. The food we eat is only as good as the soil it is grown in and it’s something, as gardeners, that we do have control over – nurturing the earth and returning what we take - a carrot is not a carrot!  Even a handful of fresh herbs, grown in a container on a backyard deck, gives a deeply satisfying and nutritional boost to any meal, and I can guarantee that it will make you happy.

This is where real power lies and returns control to the individual - the economics of happiness.

NOTE: I first saw this marvelous poster by artist Frances Phoenix in the Queensland Art Gallery.  It's from the 1970's Sydney green/feminist movement and published by the now defunct Matilda Graphics. The plant/nutritional line drawings around the outside are exquisite.  Just about sums up my life's work really.