Mount Waverley cafe Corner Table paying it forward

Mount Waverley’s Corner Table café is as much about feeding the soul as it is about filling hungry stomachs.

Lauren Maher, 38, and husband Brendan Leeds, 36, fulfilled their dream of owning a café in the area they grew up in, finding a sweet spot next to the Waverley Cinema in Pinewood Shopping Village.

“We opened in February 2019 and were on track for a year before COVID struck,” Lauren said. “We have survived - not by looking at it in a selfish way, but rather at how we could help our community get through this.”

“We provided nutritious house-made, take-home meals and grocery boxes to help the community manage during the lockdowns.”

When a fourth lockdown hit, Lauren organised a pay-it-forward meal project for Monash University students, many from overseas or interstate.

Community members donated $5 each to cover the cost of ingredients and her chef prepared almost 200 meals.

“We were overwhelmed by the support, including a $250 donation from the Pinewood Community Bank (Bendigo Bank),” she said.

Although the café has just 9 staff, including Lauren and Brendan, they stick to corporate social responsibility principles, like sustainability. They also invest in other Monash or Melbourne businesses by sourcing produce - even table flowers - from them and catering for a range of business functions.

“We have always been very mindful of our carbon footprint,” Lauren said.

“The chef makes stock from leftovers; there’s no waste. At the front of house, everything is recyclable or we’ve swapped it for a more sustainable version, like paper napkins for reusable cotton ones. The result is we don’t have a commercial bin, just two normal bins.”

A busy mum, with daughter Ryan just turning 6 and Hugo, a 3-year-old handful, Lauren says small-business owners always need to juggle their work-life balance.

“It’s not always easy, but it’s rewarding,” she said.

During this time, Brendan has also fulfilled a volunteer role as president of the Pinewood Chamber of Commerce, and has built and launched a start-up digital business, Clipboard Hospitality.

For a taste of goodness, see the Corner Table website.

Corner Table is at Shop 8/33-39 Centreway, Mount Waverley. Phone: 9887 7261.