Charcoal Lane making waves around the world

The UK's influential Guardian newspaper recently featured Melbourne's shopping and tourist attractions in its travel section. Among the attractions labelled 'not to be missed' was Mission Australia's own Charcoal Lane restaurant.

Charcoal Lane aims to provide a career path into the hospitality industry for marginalised and unemployed young people, many of who come from an Aboriginal background.

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Further Reading:

•  Read the Guardian's article here:  www.guardian.co.uk/travel...
• Recent review by The Age:  www.theage.com.au/news/entertainment...

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Charcoal Lane wins rave review in The Age

Frequent visitors to Mission Australia's website will know of our terrific new Melbourne initiative, Charcoal Lane.

Developed by Mission Australia with support from the Victorian Government and the Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, Charcoal Lane is a 'social enterprise' restaurant that combines a top-flight dining experience with a transitional labour market program designed to assist disadvantaged young people – mainly from Aboriginal backgrounds – develop professional skills for a career in hospitality.

Opened in July 09, Charcoal Lane has already been an outstanding success giving Melburnians and visitors to the city a taste of contemporary Aboriginal food and culture while providing crucial training and mentoring.

Recently The Age's restaurant critic, Nina Rousseau, visited Charcoal Lane and was suitably impressed labelling her experience "bloody good".

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Read the review here and be sure to make a booking at Charcoal Lane the next time you're in Melbourne!

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Charcoal Lane featured in The Age's (Melbourne) Magazine

Charcoal Lane, Mission Australia's social enterprise restaurant in Melbourne's Fitzroy, has featured in The Age's award-winning (Melbourne) Magazine.

Charcoal Lane is a unique new restaurant that embodies the theme of indigenous cooking in a modern setting.  The menu blends international cooking with indigenous ingredients, with items such as salmon wildfire terrine with desert limes and crème fraiche, or kangaroo fillet with rosella flower jus - view the menu here.

While boasting the innovative menu, the restaurant employs up to 32 apprentices and trainees, who are mainly of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island descent.  The social enterprise aims to help disadvantaged young people acheive their life goals through education, training and teamwork.

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Learn more about this unique social enterprise at the new Charcoal Lane website:  www.charcoallane.com.au

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SBS's Living Black program covers our social enterprise cafe - Charcoal Lane

Last night SBS's Living Black program ran a story on Mission Australia's social enterprise cafe, Charcoal Lane.

Through the concept of social enterprise, Charcoal Lane aims to transform the lives of Aboriginal and disadvantaged young people who enrol in our program and see them achieve their life goals through the power of education, training and working together as a team.

Every year, the Charcoal Lane program will give Aboriginal and disadvantaged young people the opportunity to develop their professional and life skills to transition into a career in hospitality and other mainstream employment.

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Further Reading:

• Click here to view SBS's Living Black story on Charcoal Lane at the SBS website
• Location:  136 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy, Victoria.  For opening hours or bookings call (03) 9418 3400 or visit www.charcoallane.com.au