A philosophy of serving up local produce fresh on the plate to customers has propelled The Farmers’ Table to Outstanding Café honours at the recent Illawarra and South Coast Local Business Awards.

Nestled among Kiama’s historic Collins Street terraces, the cafe thrives on its communal spirit, which owner Alan Smith insisted upon when he acquired was was Amaki Cafe last year.

“The place was falling to pieces. People were falling through the floor, it was that bad,” he said.

“And it’s a heritage-listed building, which was part of the whole plan for buying it because it takes us back to a time when we all used to sit down and eat together and work together and help each other.

“Community meant something back then so it all sits with the story of why we're doing what we're doing.”

Alan is from the UK but his wife, Rachael Heald, is a local and when he came to Jamberoo for the annual sevens soccer tournament 15 years ago, she decided it was time to move back to the area.

So they relocated from Sydney for a tree change and “The Farmers’ Table is an extension of our farm here in Jamberoo,” he explained.

Alan had no prior experience in hospitality but with the help from locals, including architects and tradies, the cafe was fully renovated.

“Originally, we were going to do the shop on the farm and get people to come here but it turned out to be far more difficult than we wanted it to be. So we decided to take the farm to town,” he said.

“The idea is to get good Australian food, straight off the farm, straight into the cafe and we give the chefs the raw ingredients and they just create something marvellous.

“They've got their take on various things. You think to yourself an egg is an egg but it isn't.

“We use local seafood and produce and put it on a plate. If we can't supply it then we find somebody local who can.”

Alan is in the process of getting chickens onto his farm while growing the size and scope of their market garden of herbs and vegetables.

“The idea is to try and make our farms more productive. Keep our hills green because people work them get paid some decent money for their work,” he explained.

“If you come to the Farmers’ Table for a meal, you're not just helping me, but you're helping everybody else in the local food chain.”

Twelve of the cafe’s 15 staff live locally as well.

“The feedback is what a great idea - the food is really good because we have chefs, we don’t have cooks and it shows in the quality of the food,” he added.

“You're getting good, honest food straight off the farm. That's been cooked by someone who cares really knows what they're doing.”

Winning the award at The Fraternity Club in Fairy Meadow after such a short time in operation was a thrill for Alan and his crew.

“I was really taken aback because there are a lot of cafes in the Illawarra, there’s a lot in Kiama. To win it, I was really rocked back in my chair there for a minute because acknowledgement by your peers and customers is phenomenal,” he said.

“You can say whatever you want about your own stuff but it's what other people think. Being recognised by people is a humbling experience because you're giving people something that they really want.

“It's very nice to be recognised for the effort that the team has put in over the last year because there's been some long hours.”