Mount Gambier: Jontie's Cafe

For 22 year old Kristy Hill, life has certainly taken a little more hectic than she expected. About this time last year, she and her friend Michelle Van de Peer came to Mount Gambier to house sit for a friend. It soon became apparent to these two "foodies", that the Blue lake City was crying out for sustenance of a more modern kind. Both Kristy and Michelle had served their apprenticeship in the hospitality industry at Boltz Cafe in Rundle Street East. And many in the State's south east are thankful they did. These two young entrepreneurs took the gamble of their lives five months ago when they opened Jontie's Cafe in the heart of Commercial Street Mount Gambier. "It certainly wasn't planned and it just started as an idea and we noticed that there wasn't anything like what we do and not many places that show local artists work so we started that and along with anything else that people wanted to show." And it's that approach which has made Jontie's a hit with a range of age groups. Jazz nights and exhibitions by local artists have certainly attracted the young while the boardroom has provided a new meeting venue for highschool students and the Chamber for Commerce alike. Since their official opening in mid December, it's been a rapid shift from roasts to rosters as the orders and the staff have grown.

From their own special platter to Michelle's latest creation, the Lamb Cutlet Stack, Jontie's has been testing and taming the taste buds of the Mount with enormous success. So much so that from initial forecasts of just 30 to 40 meals a day, Jonties Cafe is now serving well over 130 meals from breakfast to dinner. And rather than just one assistant as first planned, Kristy and Michelle now employ fourteen staff with a wages bill in excess of $4,000 a week. "Well the sky's the limit and so are the ideas." The adage here is that while they're open - so too is the kitchen. Jontie's Cafe serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's located at 13 Commercial Street East, Mount Gambier. For more information you can email info@postcards-sa.com.au