A RENOWNED Melbourne chef will bring fresh energy to an all-inclusive café in Baxter, where people with disabilities are trained to become the state’s most capable hospitality workers.
Zac Poulier, former chef to actor Russell Crowe and the award-winning restaurateur behind Stillwater at Crittenden, has taken the role as head chef at Sages Café, located at the Sages Cottage Farm, a 38-acre heritage listed property on the Mornington Peninsula. Run by disability support provider Wallara Australia, the café offers people with disabilities hands-on experience in a fully functioning hospitality setting – an approach Poulier is passionate about.
The move is personal for him. His 19-year-old daughter who has special needs, recently transitioned into open employment with his support. Now, he’s helping others take the same step.
“The people at Sages are exactly the same as those that I’ve hired without disabilities over the last few decades, but they bring so much enthusiasm to the job as they want to be there so badly,” he said.
Sage’s Café is fast becoming a local success story in Baxter, not only as a social enterprise but as a destination for quality food and genuine service.
The initiative also comes at a time when hospitality staff are in short supply across the country. The most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics employment data found only 56 per cent of people living with disabilities are employed.
Chefs, bakers, and waiters all feature on Jobs and Skills Australia’s current national skills priority list.
Dr Libby Callaway, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy at Monash University, said several barriers often kept people with disabilities out of the workforce.
“Australia’s Disability Royal Commission further highlighted evidence of the discriminatory attitudes people with disability may experience during recruitment and in workplaces, as well as limited awareness of workplace rights, insufficient job availability, and lack of employment support services,” she said. “Addressing these systemic barriers, like the work of Sages Cottages Farm and Wallara more broadly, is crucial for creating truly inclusive employment opportunities.”
Poulier hopes to elevate Sage’s Café into a fully operational commercial kitchen that replicates the pressures and pace of mainstream hospitality, helping trainees gain real-world skills. “I have no doubt these employees will all find opportunities in the open workforce,” he said.
Sages Cottage Farm has also added serious hospitality firepower to its team with the recent hire of Sal Licciardello, who previously ran Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant in the UK. Now working as hospitality specialist, Licciardello is helping develop the café’s training and commercial capabilities. Wallara’s aim is for Sages Cottage to be Australia’s most inclusive farm.
First published in the Mornington News – 23 September 2025
