Social Enterprise Scarf Launches Autumn Dinner Series With Zero-Food-Waste Venue Cassette

Social enterprise Scarf will partner with sustainable eatery Cassette for a 10-week dinner series in Kensington, Melbourne from 15 March to 10 May 2023. An exciting venue partnership where social impact meets sustainability, Scarf transforms the lives of young people facing barriers to work, through innovative hospitality training, and will conduct their upcoming program at the zero-food-waste venue Cassette.

Scarf is a not-for-profit social enterprise that supports young people seeking protection and those from refugee and migrant backgrounds to get a start in Melbourne’s hospitality industry. Through hands-on, in-service training and with support from experienced hospitality mentors, Scarf’s program aims to empower trainees through real, paid work experience with the skills, knowledge and networks needed to build confidence in themselves and to unlock future work opportunities.

Since 2010, and after over 100 hospitality partnerships, Scarf has reached some impressive milestones with over 300 young people graduating from their program, facilitating more than 18,000 hours of training and mentoring, and over 10,000 hours of paid work experience undertaken by trainees (which equates to over quarter of a million dollars paid to participants in award wages).

“Our team is so excited to launch into a busy 2023, kicking off at Cassette. This year will be full of programs and Scarf Dinners which provide tons of opportunities to young people keen to start their working lives in Australia. Our new group of trainees can’t wait to grow their skills and confidence during Autumn Scarf Dinners, and we reckon Cassette is a perfect partner venue, whose values are in such strong alignment with Scarf’s.” said Hannah Brennan, Scarf CEO and co-founder.

Opened in August 2022 and powered by 100% accredited GreenPower^®, Cassette champions sustainable food practices and delivers a seasonal menu that embraces local produce and makers. Cassette produces zero food waste; innovative root-to-stalk cooking techniques and waste management solutions like an on-site Closed Loop bio-composter are behind the venue’s food-waste-free operations.

Owned and operated by housing developer and community management business Assemble, Cassette was designed as a space to foster greater community connection and togetherness, and this partnership with Scarf is a welcome evening activation for the venue and the wider neighbourhood.

“Having been a Scarf mentor back in 2014, I know first-hand how life-changing this program can be for these young people. Seeing how safe and inclusive these programs are and how much trainees would grow in confidence each week, both in themselves and their new skillsets, was incredibly rewarding to be a part of. We’re thrilled to host the Scarf community here at Cassette and throw our locally sourced, root-to-stalk spin on this dinner series.” said Cassette’s Head chef Laura Boulton on this full-circle career moment.

A two-course, locally sourced menu at $55 per person has been crafted by Cassette’s Boulton with the dinner service to be run by newly engaged Scarf trainees and their mentors. This will be Scarf’s first seasonal program based in Melbourne’s west and marks the beginning of Cassette’s turn as a dinnertime destination.

Bookings have recently opened for the Autumn Scarf Dinner series and will be hosted every Wednesday evening from 15 March to 10 May 2023 at 399 Macaulay Road, Kensington.

Book your Scarf Dinner.