After extensive renovation by designer Samantha Eades from Eades and Bergman, Camberwell’s newest café and dining destination has thrown open its doors.
Juno and May has breathed new life into the old Café Moravia site at 662 Burke Road. The brief: good coffee, pastries, all day breakfast; at lunch, kitchen made sandwiches, burgers, pizza and salads. Dinner gravitates to a relaxed, casual dining space after 5.30pm.
Henry Honner knows the area well having been the head chef of Italy 1 (14 out of 20 in The Good Food Guide) across the road for five years in the naughties and owning Barrio in Ivanhoe until a few years ago (14.5 in the Good Food Guide).
The story behind the name is just as good as the cafe itself. “As one of six kids growing up on a cattle farm there were a few things we didn’t have compared to the city kids”, says Honner. “The local shop only sold petrol and the paper. We even had to share the same phone line with every other family in the district. But, according to my older brother, it was a TV set that was the real sore point.”
Understanding the value of hard work, the industrious boys set about striking a deal with their father. “My brother calculated that if we got two dairy cows and milked them before and after school each day we would save the family enough money in milk to afford a TV.”
Luckily for them, their Dad agreed, and thus, Juno and May arrived. Dutifully each morning and afternoon the boys could be heard calling out ‘Juno! May!’ for their milking.
“The resulting volume of milk was far more than needed for a family of eight and soon Mum was trading milk, cream and butter with the neighbours for eggs, vegetables, honey, even fish and a couple of Billy Nash’s chickens (they were good chooks!)”, Honner continues.
“All the while, me and the rest of my brothers and sister bathed in the glow of a 24” Rank Arena.”
“And if you’re wondering what happened to my older bother? He became an accountant.”
Juno and May
662 Burke Road, Camberwell 3124
Ph: 8840 8006
www.junoandmay.com
Open: Tuesday to Saturday: 9am to 10.30pm
Sunday and Monday: 9am to 4pm