While dishing up exceptional food, Kununurra’s Blak Tapas Bush Food Cafe is creating fresh opportunities for the community.
Story + Photos Nathan Dyer
On a steamy, wet-season morning in Kununurra, WA, Blak Tapas Bush Food Cafe is bustling with customers keen for their coffee fix. The early morning crowd chats casually as they wait for their orders, and you get the feeling everyone knows everyone.
For owner Temali Howard, that sense of community is what Blak Tapas is all about. It’s also a place where she can channel her passion for bush foods while creating opportunities for local people and connecting with her own culture.
In a lull after the morning rush, Temali talks about the journey behind the food and coffee: offerings like wattleseed lattes, native pepperberry sausage rolls and barramundi croquettes served with lemon myrtle-infused aioli.
This story excerpt is from Issue #159
Outback Magazine: February/March 2025
