Healthy vibes at plant-based café

Just off the Surf Coast Highway at Mount Duneed, plant-based food haven High Vibes is on a mission to give locals the chance to taste and learn more about food that is grown in their own backyard.

The cafe serves meals that are 99 per cent made from scratch, including house made pastas, sauces and pastries, while the seasonal menu features locally sourced produce including pine mushrooms from Anakie, seaweeds from 13th Beach on the Bellarine Peninsula, and vegetables, herbs and spices grown on the Surf Coast.

 

 

Owner Giacamo Mandica opened High Vibes to provide residents across the region and visitors with a place to try plant-based food made lovingly from ingredients and flavours that they may have never tried before.

“We pride ourselves on our plant-based food and ultimately it’s our personal choice and we feel better eating less animal products in both our mind and body,” he said.

“We want High Vibes to be somewhere you can eat and learn more about some of our region’s fantastic plant-based foods, have a cake, have breakfast, and enjoy the overall natural experience.

“It all about having the high vibes within our space as well… that includes our quiet backyard area as well as our front yard setting which is close to the road but still romantic!

 

“I want nature to be among what we do and to for our customers to feel safe and comfortable to enjoy a setting where everyone is welcome.”

 

 

Having grown up on a hill surrounded by nature in Bologna, Italy, Giacamo said that he became passionate about nature and what grows on the land from a very young age.

When he found out that he wasn’t a fan of school, Giacamo turned towards food, which gave him the opportunity to express himself in ways that he only dreamed of.

“I grew up on a big hill in the countryside of Bologna and spent 14 years surrounded by nature… I started to develop a huge passion for it.

“I didn’t like studying and wanted to discover what I could do to express myself and food was the answer and has led me to where I am today!

“I’ve been here for nine years and I just love being between the sea and the forest on the Surf Coast.

“I can just roll down to 13th Beach to get my seaweed for my dishes and then head 25 minutes the other way to get my mushrooms in the Otways.

“Ultimately, when people come to eat at High Vibes they appreciate nature and recognise that their food is from their own backyard, which we think is pretty cool!”

Before being the founder of High Vibes, Giacamo was the owner of Il Bolognese, a business that sold pasta, sauces and homemade gnocchi at markets.

Many customers from Il Bolognese have kept in touch with Giacamo and have already rushed towards High Vibes and praised the venue for its delicious food and sustainably minded approach.

“Some locals have followed me over from my previous business Il Bolognese and are loving what we are doing here,” Giacamo said.

“Customers like that it’s less ingredients and better taste… you can extract the best from those hero ingredients that you are using rather than over-ruling it with too many ingredients.”

Some of the hero dishes High Vibes features on their menu include a spaghetti dish with pine mushrooms, garlic, olive oil, truffle oil, chilli, smoked paprika and handmade spinach, a gluten-free apple tart with coconut yoghurt and chocolate and a spinach, braised wombok, linseeds and smoked paprika sandwich.

 

 

“Less is more, and we just want to bring these natural products forward to show locals how to use these foods to live sustainably.

“You can go to the forest and get these ingredients and not have to go to the supermarket and pay if you know what you’re doing.”

On top of accessing any of the menu items, locals can also order homemade pasta and sauces in bulk to take home and use at their own convenience.

High Vibes can be found at 1135 Surf Coast Highway, Mount Duneed.

For more, head to instagram.com/high_vibes_surfcoast/