Jackson Dodds

THERE’S off the beaten track and there’s, well, west Preston.

At the end of the 112 tram line, in a struggling shopping strip that’s gradually transforming into apartments, stands the pioneering Jackson Dodds cafe.

No one could be more surprised than Cameron Willis and his wife, Jackie, that their place — now approaching its second month of serving coffees — has become such a big hit.

They had been searching for premises for a long time. Initially planning to open in Thornbury or Coburg, after moving into the west Preston area, they realised there weren’t any cafes for kilometres.

On their first Sunday, they were planning to serve 35 to 40 meals; demand meant cooking 128.

''It’s really exciting but we’ve had to rush and get more staff, double up our coffee orders and get more deliveries,’’ Willis says.

Having worked in Brunswick’s Small Block cafe, Willis  is an old hand at coffee-making and he always planned to open his own place.

He knew exactly what he wanted to do.

‘‘We didn’t want to go the coffee-snob route, where you offer different beans from single-origin estates,’’ he says.

‘‘We just wanted to offer good coffee, a good menu, good service in nice surroundings.’’

As a barista, he says the coffee cognoscenti who order single-origin piccolos make him nervous.

He has opted for the coffee that he knows best — Coffee Supreme, which is roasted in Abbotsford. At Small Block, he  worked with their Supreme signature blend but chose the Fair Trade blend for his own place. Two deliveries a week ensure the beans are always freshly roasted.

He likes to operate the La San Marco machine himself; he grinds to order, has a shorter-than-normal extraction and produces a fairly mellow coffee.

The Fair Trade Organic blends two coffees from the Ethiopian Oromia Co-op and the result makes a brew with a creamy body, earthy notes and a soft finish.

Willis says the demand for good coffee is due to the area’s changing demographics, as young couples and families arrive, priced out of more established inner-city suburbs.

The cafe is named after the Scout camp where Willis spent many happy summers outside his native Montreal, Canada.

He started his career as a bartender but says he got the word from Jackie (who grew up in South Africa, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne) that coming home at 4am or 5am was not an option.

Jackson Dodds’  most popular dishes include fresh sardines with pink peppercorns and gremolata on toast, Preston beans (cannellini beans, ham hock and molasses) on toast, and the Great Northern Breakfast. All are made on the premises.

Jackson Dodds
Where 611 Gilbert Road,  
Preston, 94711900
When Mon-Fri, 7am-4pm;
Sat-Sun, 8am-4pm
How much? All coffees $2.80
Check out Cronulla handshake: toasted turkish bread, Vegemite and tabouli.


SOURCE: Epicure