2016 HUNTER LOCAL BUSINESS AWARDSADVERTISING FEATURE

FridayOctober 21, 2016NEWCASTLE HERALD32 theherald.com.au

Setting Table to perfectionPERFECTION is the pas-sion at Merewether eateryand dining destination Ta-ble 1 Espresso, located onCity Road.

Be it the coffee, the foodor the service, owner GeorgeJames and his dedicatedteam are always focused onexceeding expectations.

Table 1 Espresso is thisyear nominated in the Cafecategory of the 2016 HunterLocal Business Awards, freshfrom taking out the Best NewBusiness category in 2105.

“We went on to claim theNational NewBusiness of theYear last year, which was theproudest moment of my life,being seated there next tomyparents and winning such ahuge award,” George said.

“This year we’re back, andwe’re really proud that ourcustomers have taken thetime to nominate us. Theyare our number one focusand it means a lot to earnthat recognition in the localrestaurant awards.”

George has grown up inhospitality, his parents well-known operators in the localindustry and his brothers,Peter and Harry, owners of anumber of local outlets.

Table 1 Espresso isGeorge’s first venture onhis own, and although stillsingle, he classes it akin tohaving a baby.

”You have to nurture andfeed it, and if you don’t, it

goes AWOL,” George said.“It’s a 24/7 operation and

even when I’m sleeping I’mdreaming about the busi-ness, but I love it and it’s truewhat they say, ‘If you makeyour obsession your profes-

sion, you’ll never work a dayin your life.’”

Key to the success of Ta-ble 1 Espresso, according toGeorge, is his dynamic staff.

“I have five chefs workingthe kitchen and 14 floor staff

and baristas.They are themost amzing team; humble,hard workers who all getalong and all love their job.

“We’re like a close-knitfamily, inspiring and moti-vating each other, and we’ve

alwaysgot eachothers’ back.”George reserves special

mention for apprenticechef Avi Tanglao, who hasbeen with the operationsince Table 1’s inception 2.5years ago.

“He is the wizard behindour food and the styling ofour products,” George said.“He has has been with ussince day one, and has ahuge future in the industry.

“We are very lucky to havehim, and as a born-and-bredNovocastrian I’m proud tobe helping young Novocas-trians get a foothold in theindustry.”

Table 1 Espresso boasts aModern Australian menu,featuring a tasty global mixof flavours ranging fromSouth Amerian, Mediterra-nean, Mexican, Moroccan,Turkish and, of couse, Greek.

“It always comes back toflavour,” said George, whohas been overwhelmedby customer support andis looking forward to theawards night.

“We got a taste of the localawards last year and we’rekeen for success again thisyear as we continue to growand expand.”

SUCCESS ON THE MENU: Table 1 Espresso, located at 89-91 City Road Merewether, has raised the bar in terms ofwhat a cafe can be in Newcastle.

AW30

8599

8