BADAOUI @ BOWDEN CAFE

I get to know the Badaoui family who runs the Bowden Cafe on the intersection of Bowden & Victoria where the Metro Inn is located. This picture was taken when I introduced Dora, and to say our goodbye. The matriarch is Wendy, seen here with son Joe & daughter Marlyn ... big brother and little brother were not in the picture. I was blessed by their support, friendship but above all, for their adopting me as 'family'. Of Lebanese origin, the senior Badaouis emigrated to Australia in the 1960s, the children were born and raised on the same site where the family home used to be. 'People from the neighborhood coming in for coffee still remember us as kids .....' What is heart warming is their decision to open a neigborhood cafe after moving out of the suburb. They serve Lavazza coffee, and my mission was to sample every item on the menu - as shown - which I almost succeeded. Wendy's 'Chicken Schnitzel' & 'Greek Salad' recipes are worthy of inclusion in any cook book, it is just marvellous home cooking at its best. What impressed me most is their closeness to each other, and how that is translated into the workplace and work ethics they so obviously display. These fine folks are not after any 'Hats' in Sydney, not after any mention in the Good Food Guide, not after expansion plans or celebrity status but let me tell you, anyone who appreciates the virtues of 'comfort food' will find solace at Bowden Cafe. I certainly did, the Cafe and the Family were a key chapter in my LCB tenure.