The Australian coffee wave hits Hollywood

The Vegemite and butterscotch shake is making ripples at the new Los Angeles outpost of Surry Hills' Paramount Coffee Project, but there is a Bells-Beach-sized wave of Australian hospitality players sweeping the US city.

West Hollywood's E.P. & L.P. serves Asian food with an Australian accent, and now Monica Saunders-Weinberg, daughter of Westfield founder John Saunders is in on the act.

Saunders-Weinberg is part of the team behind Au Fudge, which just opened on Melrose Avenue and has a very Hollywood list of owners, actress Jessica Biel among them.

Sydney-based Vittoria Coffee has partnered with Au Fudge and is waving the flag for Oz coffee. Vittoria's chief, Les Schirato, pinpointed LA to tap the massive US market.

"There's really great growth there. We're already in 50 or 60 venues after a year and a half," he says.