Overview
While cliche to say that the heart of Sydney can be found in its patchwork of neighbourhoods, it's true. You see it every morning when you duck out for coffee and in the venues we choose to celebrate birthdays, farewells and everything in between. But its more than just postcodes, it's the people who truly make Sydney.
Chef, surfer, and Sydneysider Joel Bennetts (ex-Three Blue Ducks, Fish Shop, Pier) has teamed up with Square to produce a three-part docuseries, Good Neighbours, on the independent hospitality operators who form the backbone of Sydney's 'hoods.
In what feels equal measures of Parts Unknown, How I Built This and The Bear, Good Neighbours traverses Sydney from the Mediterranean deli-lined streets of Haberfield to the polished alleyways of Potts Point through the lens of the venues, people and food that make them so unique.
Bennetts sets out with a simple question: what does it mean to be a good neighbour? In between bites, he discovers that the answer is pretty simple.
Keep It Local
For a start, it's about keeping it local. "All of our pastas we get from Peppe's across the road," Chris Theodosi, co-owner of Haberfield's Happyfield, shares with host Joel Bennetts in Good Neighbours. Peppe's has been providing fresh pasta for the neighbourhood since 1993, while the groceries for Happyfield come from Zanetti 5 Star Gourmet Deli, which has been around since 1967.
"Businesses that have been here 50 years, they were like, we've never seen a business like this here—ever", Theodosi and co-owner Jesse Orleans shares in the series. Now, the viral pancake spot has become a reason people from all across Sydney make their breakfast pilgrimage to Haberfield.
For the team at Pillar—a specialty coffee spot in Burwood—they're all about giving their community "a consistent third space where you always know you're welcome." Co-owner Edwin Lou says his business is about being a pillar (mind the pun) for the community. Whether you're a local photographer who needs an exhibition space or a pastry chef trying to sell your creations, at Pillar, you'll always be welcome.
"We really give a damn about the suburb," shared Bennetts' longtime friends, Mike and Lucy Haskas of Bondi's The Shop & Wine Bar. The husband and wife duo even built a community garden so local residents could have access to fresh produce.
Honour Your Neighbour
Rather than keeping it insular, in Good Neighbours, Bennetts found that it's also about what hospitality brings into the community, too.
Take MLK Deli, a cobalt blue deli doing 100% halal sandwiches, for example. Owner Myra's mother is Uzbek, her father is Afghan and her husband is Turkish. That means you'll find innovative, halal-friendly takes on cured meat—like beef mortadella and lamb prosciutto—in their frequently sold-out sandwiches.
For Candy and Gaia at Bondi's Lox In A Box, they're not just serving bagels. "Bagels are kind of the centre point of my life, being Jewish," Candy told Bennetts when they catch up in the series. "In our culture, a bagel represents the circle of life, good luck and prosperity." Each bagel is made with Candy's grandmother's recipe, alongside more of her family recipes.
Kimberley Low
Care About What You Do
To get started in the industry, you don't need to be a chef with years spent cutting your teeth in professional kitchens. Bennetts found a love of hospitality and a desire to do something good for the area you love will take you far.
"You hear on the street, out surfing with people, what they want and how they're feeling," The Shop & Wine Bar's Mike shared on how they've created a beloved local spot that the community was asking for.
For Pillar's Edwin, it was a life-changing cup of coffee. "I didn't know coffee could taste like that!" he told Bennetts. Then, he hired the barista and started his own place in his local Burwood.
Pasan Wijesena was drawn to Newtown as Sydney's lockout laws wreaked havoc on nightlife. "I knew I wanted it, so I thought other people might too," he said of his idea for a cocktail meets music bar. He decided to open up Earl's Juke Joint in the Inner West thanks to its reputation as "a safe spot for people of diverse backgrounds."
Anna Postnikova
For Donato Salomone, one day, he was running the Italian delicatessen he opened to fill a gap he'd been missing since leaving Italy. The next, he was the owner of Sydney's latest viral sandwich spot. Thanks to an 8am Instagram post, he was met with a crowd of hundreds at his teensy laneway joint, Salumerie. In shock, Donato handwrote dockets for a free sandwich for the next day when he sold out of gratitude for his neighbours for showing up.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that Sydney's hospitality scene is in direct competition. For Pasan Wijesena, owner of Earl's Juke Joint, it's more like a case of "a rising tide lifts all ships." Likewise, for Mike and Lucy, "We should be in direct competition, but we're not." Rather, "we all look out for each other, it's a beautiful family."
It makes you wonder what cafe concept is marinating in someone's head right now, waiting for them to start.
Find out how your local favourites use Square at their website. Watch Good Neighbours in full on YouTube.