Tiffany Adams left a 20-year career in the maritime industry to pursue a lifelong passion for cooking that has led her to an unassuming, old-school arcade in Cardiff.
In August she opened Over The Top Cafe & Catering at the former Shells Cafe, which was owned by Gerry and Rosa Persona for 28 years. The couple retired in July to travel and spend more time with family.
Adams has put her own stamp on the menu while staying true to the homestyle, comfort food foundation the cafe's reputation was built on.
"I have always loved cooking and presenting food. My family would always say that I couldn't keep meals and parties simple, I would always put on a lot of food, way more than needed, and my family would tell me it was over the top, hence the name," she explained.
"My parents owned a cafe on the Central Coast and I would go there after school. At the same time my mum was also working as a nurse at night and my dad was working in Sydney as his day job, so from a young age I would be cooking meals for us while mum was at work.
"I guess that's where my love of cooking came from."
Adams made the decision to make her love of cooking a career in 2020, during the COVID lockdowns.
"Being locked down gave me time to bake and research," she said.
"I took on training through a patisserie college in Sydney which helped me refine my skills. I would then post photos of what I had made and give them to neighbours and friends. People said I should sell them, so it grew from there."
When trading restrictions began to wind back and people were permitted to socialise again, Adams decided to branch out to grazing boxes and grazing tables under the Over The Top banner.
"We began catering for weddings, birthdays, christenings, engagement parties and so on," she said.
"We were starting to get requests for corporate catering and we did some mid-week conferences, which was pretty hectic with both my partner and I working full time and the kids at school.
"It was starting to get too big to run from home. We couldn't fit the weekly shopping in the fridge, so we looked for bigger premises to work out of.
"I came across Gerry's advertisement selling Shells Cafe and we took the plunge to take it on full time. It was a great little cafe but we knew we could grow it by adding the catering and bringing in the Over The Top touch."
Adams listened to Shells Cafe regulars when designing the Over The Top menu.
"They are all wonderful and supportive people. All of the regulars have remained with us and we have plenty of new ones as well. We have some customers come in every day just for their morning toast and a chat."
All meals are available for dine in or take away.
"With everything made fresh, it's a team effort. I prepare the majority of the dishes but I can't take all the credit," Adams said.
"We have Lyndal working with us a few days a week - she is fantastic and has the same passion for good food and service that I do. My partner Paul comes in on Saturdays to help man the grill."
She says the Big Brekky Roll is a popular breakfast option, and the Mexican Halloumi Wrap with scrambled eggs, halloumi and spicy beans. The vegetarian lasagne is a lunch-time favourite, up there with the slow-cooked pulled pork and gravy rolls, and freshly made sandwiches and salads.
"We also have salmon patties, arancini balls, spaghetti and meatballs, fettucine boscaiola and other lunch specials," Adams said.
"Our signature home-made cakes and slices are perfect with our tea or coffee specials. Among the favourites here are our sticky date boxes which have shards of toffee and fresh whipped cream."
Then there are the Over The Top high teas, a chance for Adams to raise money for charity - and to indulge in her love of all things "over the top".
"There are not too many things that are more over the top than a high tea. I just love them, and I wanted to bring that experience to Cardiff at a price that is good value for money," she said.
"We ran the first one to celebrate the Queen's life and we had such a fantastic response we just had to run another one.
"We have even started receiving group bookings for high teas during the week. They are great value, and we make just about everything in-house, so it's fresh, and customers are responding to that.
"We have also partnered with our neighbours Wicks and Bits to provide our guests with a lovely gift which adds to the value. Our last one was a fundraiser for the McGarth Foundation and our next one will be a special Christmas high tea."
Over The Top Cafe & Catering, Shop 4, 286 Main Rd, Cardiff (ottcafe.com.au). Ph: 4954 5819.
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