Old Lauristonians' Association (OLA)
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Fiona Carns (1982) and Quat Quatta
Thursday, 15 October 2020
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During March 2020 and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic Quat Quatta closed its doors for the first time in 50 years. With over 170 forward bookings for weddings and corporate functions, staff and all casual contractors were stood down and bookings rescheduled. With the introduction of JobKeeper, Fiona decided to re-work the business model and has since developed a not-for-profit take home meal initiative called 'Relief' . This enabled Fiona and her staff to make and provide food for organisations such as the Salvation Army, Port Phillip Community Centre and other charities that are in need. By the end of October Fiona and her team will have donated over 15,000 nutritious meals to those in need, and their weekly capacity for donations continues to increase. 'Relief' has enabled Fiona to pay employees who are on work visas and who did not qualify for assistance under the JobKeeper scheme. With the eminent opening up of outside dining as the number of cases of infections decrease, Quat Quatta has been working on a new bar/restaurant concept called 'Summer House'. With Quat Quatta's extensive and spectacular outdoor areas, the venue can provide outdoor dining and music in a safe, beautiful and fun environment. 'Summer House' is intending to open its doors in late October and will be accessible to the public for the first time in 130 years. Fiona is hoping that Quat Quatta is able to return to catering for Melbourne’s brides as soon as possible, but until that time Fiona intends to continue 'Relief' with their take home meal business to support their not-for-profit initiative. On another positive note, Fiona is delighted to have had the pleasure to work with her daughter Georgia Carns (2016). Georgia is managing the social media on all Quat Quatta platforms and amongst other things, is designing logos, writing content and taking the photography while completing her final year of business and design at Monash. Fiona is so proud of her and how they have all pulled together during these extraordinary and challenging times. |