Five Minutes with Nate Swift, Little Luxton

Who are you?

Nate Swift, founder of Little Luxton. I am the husband of Tara and the father of four wonderful children. I am also someone who loves connecting with people over a good coffee or a game of soccer.

Tell me about Little Luxton.

The goal is to be the friendly neighbourhood coffee shop in Gordon. We are located onsite at the Gordon Community Centre, which is a partnership between Anglicare and Lanyon Valley Anglican Church. We’re a separate social enterprise, but we do rely on the relationship working well between the three of us, so we’re very grateful for their support. And so far we’ve raised over $78,000 for the centre.

We aim to serve great locally roasted specialty coffee in an environment where people want to linger and enjoy each other’s company.

How did you get involved in the cafe business?

My previous role was community chaplain at the Gordon Community Centre – the goal of the centre is to build community and serve the people of this area in practical ways. We figured out that a great way to build community is over coffee, which is how I got into it. I’m really excited about the role that small, suburban cafes play in creating a sense of connectedness and belonging in a neighbourhood.

If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing instead?

I actually spent six years training to be an Anglican minister. But everything that happens at Little Luxton is our attempt to love our neighbours and to provide services that meet the needs of people in our community, so I guess I’m not really doing something very different at all from what I trained to do. But in some ways, it’s totally different!

What is your food philosophy?

I think that across time and culture, food and drink are undoubtedly two of the ways in which we connect with each other, serve each other, and show our love for each other.

What is your favourite ingredient when cooking?

I love pickled veg, pickled anything. I’m a big fan of a pickled jalapeno!

What’s an underrated Canberra venue that you love?

There’s a little Vietnamese place called O Bach in Greenway and the pork belly banh mi there is fantastic.

Who do you admire in the Canberra food scene?

The crew at Cafe Stepping Stone in Dickson and Strathnairn. I really admire what they are doing and there are a lot of similarities between us. We both use Six8 coffee roasters in Yass, who are themselves a social enterprise coffee roaster, and we love those guys.

Where’s the best place for a coffee in Canberra?

If I’m not at Little Luxton, I really like going to Cafe Beetroot in Greenway. I’m such a Southside bum! For me, being close to home is nice.

Who is your dream dinner party guest, and what would you make them?

Jesus! I’d be so fascinated to get some wisdom from him.

Or otherwise, I’ve always idolised Pat Rafter, so it’d be great to talk about tennis and professional sporting stuff.

I like making fresh pasta, so I’d make a nice ricotta ravioli with a burnt butter and sage sauce and some roasted pumpkin.

What is your current food obsession?

Wood-fired pizza! I’ve said that if I ever opened another venue, it would be a wood-fired pizza place. I went on a bit of a pizza crawl with some of my staff recently. I’m a sucker for a Margarita pizza: I think it’s the best gauge of how good a business is.

What’s the best thing you ate this week?

We had Capital Woodfired Pizza come and cater for our recent second birthday party and they were great!

What’s a food that reminds you of your childhood?

The first thing that comes to mind is 2-Minute Noodles! I used to absolutely love coming home from school and making 2-Minute Noodles. It was such a happy moment for me.

What’s a typical breakfast for you?

Currently, it’s a toasted sandwich. I start work at 6:30 am so I don’t eat before work. After we’ve worked through the morning rush, and I get a quiet moment, I’ll sit down and have a toastie. We get them from a supplier in Fyshwick called Melted and they’re really good.

Where do you shop for groceries?

A mixture of the convenience store across the road at the IGA, and we also do a fruit and veg co-op with some neighbours so we get a mix of fresh produce in a box from that.

When you can’t be bothered to cook for yourself, where do you go and what do you eat?

The most common takeaway that we get as a family is Indian from Bharat in Phillip. Kids will generally go for butter chicken, and I like any lentil or vego option. They’ve got a really lovely chickpea and eggplant curry, and we always get heaps of garlic naan.

Where are you travelling next?

We’re taking our kids overseas for the first time soon. We’re headed to New Zealand for two weeks. Tara’s got family that live on a little hobby farm over there and they have a glamping business, which looks like a pretty good spot!

Tell me something you love about living in Canberra

I always describe Canberra as the perfect blend of city and country. It’s a nice size, not too big, not too small, with good neighbourliness and community. Down where we live, it’s a five-minute walk down to the river, and you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere.

What TV show are you watching?

We just finished watching the ABC comedy series Austin, which is set in Canberra. The actor Michael Theo became famous off the back of Love on the Spectrum. He’s just genuinely funny, and it’s good to watch something set in Canberra.

An easy one to finish – what’s your go-to coffee order?

Before I became a ‘cafe guy’, my standard order was a large extra hot cappuccino. I remember going to the Cupping Room and being told that it would not be served extra hot and we don’t do chocolate on the top of our coffee. I realised my coffee order was not accepted in the specialty coffee world! So I’ve come to love a small, extra shot, flat white.

Little Luxton is located at Gordon Community Centre, 110 Lewis Luxton Avenue, Gordon. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram.