06/07/2026
EVANSTON Park’s inclusive café enterprise, Blending Our Futures, is set to create more opportunities for young people living with disability following the announcement of a new location inside the Hewett Centre.
The new venture, named Kingfisher Café and operated by Blending Our Futures, will open its doors for the first time this month.
Laura Waldhuter, the founder and owner of Blending Our Futures, said the sister café will offer a smaller, tailored environment to help people living with disability build skills, confidence and experience.
“Our Vadoulis café is a vibrant and busy operation, and we’ve seen firsthand the positive impact employment and training opportunities can have,” she said.
She said the smaller venue could serve as a perfect stepping stone to build vital hospitality skills.
What began as a single coffee trailer opened to help her daughter find employment has now grown to support 24 employees and trainees.
“We continue to receive wonderful feedback from customers and currently average around three new participant referrals every week,” she said.
Light Regional Council chief executive officer Darryl Whicker welcomed the news, labelling the new venture as a prime example of how organisations, council, and businesses can work together to make a difference.
“The Kingfisher Café will not only provide valuable training and employment pathways for people with disability, but it will also create another welcoming space for our community to come together, connect and support one another,” he said.
“We are proud to support initiatives that foster inclusion, participation and belonging while bringing new life and activity to important community spaces such as the Hewett Centre.”
The community is invited to join Light Regional Council Mayor Bill Close and Mr Whicker for a coffee at the grand opening on Friday, July 10 from 8am.
The café will then be open twice a week on Mondays and Fridays from 8am to 1pm.
