As Limerick cafe, canteen, celebrates a decade in business, owner and chef, Paul Williams, is determined to leave positive impact while continuing to cook great food and serve great coffee
canteen is a cafe in Limerick who love fast healthy food and make food simple and delicious. Expect unpretentious, tasty, fresh food, done right. Turn your perceptions about casual eating on its head.
canteen’s aim from the start has been the same; simply great local ingredients and amazing Irish and international coffee roasters. Starting small in 2012 on Mallow St. and moving in 2017 to their Catherine St. location. Now Paul and his team are determined to leave a positive impact as well!
Speaking about canteen leaving a positive impact, Paul says: “Our voice and resources are small but our creative energy and sense of purpose are great. One or two small changes every week will add up to big positive changes and hopefully achieve something worthwhile.”
Some of the recent initiatives by Paul and his team are installing a micro bakery, planting trees and partnering with hometree as part of their 1% for the Planet partnership, launching a call out to local artists to create a zeen (aka canzeen) and working with local suppliers and producers. Follow hashtag #impact2021 to follow the canteen journey.
Micro bakery:
canteen recently built and installed a micro bakery in the basement and are producing their own organic sourdough, cakes, baguettes which are also stocked in Neighbourfood Limerick.
Partnership for good:
canteen currently partners with hometree as part of their 1% for the Planet partnership. Hometree began as a small community garden project in winter 2015. Five years on, hometree has planted over 30,000 pioneer trees – scots pine, willow and alder – while hundreds of people have contributed time and resources to the vision of incorporating more trees into the Irish landscape, bringing all the benefits that woodlands create.
In 2021, canteen, along with its customers, helped raise €2,000 to support hometree’s work, something Paul aims to continue to build on in 2022, to make the planet greener and more sustainable for the next generation. In fact, Paul and the team are going to go down for a day tree planting.
cazeen:
This spring/summer, canteen are creating a zeen and inviting artists and makers to contribute.
Paul says: “We are creating a zeen to bring together the artists and makers in canteen and are looking for artists and makers to contribute ‘art’ of whichever ‘medium’ you work in, whether that’s visual, audio, poetry, video, essays.”
Submission from 25th March to 17th April
Email submissions: [email protected]
Suppliers:
Doons Social Farm
Doon Social Farm is a 33 acre organic farm which provides therapeutic services to people in society who are experiencing social isolation, particularly young people. The farm was inspired by the success of Social Farms in Holland and the United Kingdom which have proven successful in addressing the causes of isolation/exclusion along with offering choice and removing barriers to education for young people in the area.
Crowe’s outdoor reared pork
Crowe’s is a truly family operation, they make some of the best sausages and rashers in the country. Try canteen’s famous green eggs ham with eggs, avocado, chili sauce, sour cream on sourdough topped with Crowe’s bacon.
Menu highlights:
“We think food should taste good and do you good too,” says Paul. Paul gained experience in Heston Blumenthal’s kitchens, but brings a brilliantly casual, always reliable edge to Limerick dining.
- Start your day right with an epic breakfast at canteen; avo egg pot or the breakfast burrito with sausage, bacon, tomato, lettuce, chili sauce and sour cream.
- Two options for lunch that are a must; halloumi and falafel lunchbox.
- Paul creates specials each week like organic lamb meatball flatbread, mediterranean mezze and, of course, fish tacos for Taco Thursday.
canteen is a cafe in Limerick who love fast healthy food and make food simple and delicious. “We think food should taste good and do you good too.”
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 8.00-16.00, Saturday 9.30 – 16.00 and Sunday 11.00 – 16.00
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