Iconic Leyland family opens Café in Maleny
They have travelled all over the country side and been asked questions from all over the nation and now Mal Leyland and his family now call Maleny home.Lara’s Café has opened in the RSL building on the banks of the Obi Obi creek.Laraine Leyland and daughter Carmen Scott started their family business and attracted 73 diners on opening night.Mal Leyland, explorer and documentary film-maker, was well known for the popular television show Ask the Leyland Brothers.His wife Laraine said he does drop in to the cafe, “Mal does help, he clears tables and talks to people,” Mrs Leyland said.Their daughter Carmen agrees with her mother, “He’s good at that and he is also at home today doing some paperwork for us,” Ms Scott said.It truly is a family operated business with her 13-year-old son doing the dishes to save for a car.Lara’s Café is shortened from Laraine to continue the family theme. “This building has the old fashioned country feel that we love," Laraine said.Traditional Café food is on offer during the day including: nachos, fish and chips, hamburgers, quiche and salads. “We care about what we put into our food," Laraine said. “We make our own tempura batter for the fish and prawns and all the dressings are made from scratch.The Cafe is open every Friday from 8.30am for breakfast and is open all day, morning and afternoon tea as well as lunch and dinner is available.Ms Scott said they also cater for all diets, “My son has a peanut allergy so I am very conscious of what is in food, where it comes from and how it is prepared,” Ms Scott said.The evening meal choices include: beef and Guinness stew with mash, pork with apple, Thai green curry and roast vegie lasagna, “A lot of these recipes are old family recipes we have been cooking for years," Ms Scott said. “My grandmother was a baker and had cake shop in the 1960s and we are still using her recipes today.”The Leyland family moved to Maleny from Glenn Innes and Toowoomba to enjoy the warmer climate they said the connected community was also appealing.Maleny is a well-known magnet for creative people and Ms Scott says her Dad plans to fulfill a life long dream and write some novels.He has his autobiography coming out in February, “It is a really exciting time for us all as we start new adventures.”Ms Scott said.As the Leyland family settle into the Hinterland lifestyle Maleny are delighted to welcome them to the community.