Photography: Natalie McComas
With its windows full of fancy cakes, pastries and meringues, Home Alstonville is the kind of place that makes eyes light up. It’s exactly the reaction owner Cherie Bevan pictured when she decided to open an old-fashioned food store in the historic village of Alstonville in northern NSW.
AT A GLANCE
Who Chef, stylist and shopkeeper Cherie Bevan.
What she does Recreates a bygone era with her old-fashioned food store Home Alstonville.
Where The charming hinterland village of Alstonville, NSW.
Why she does it “I wanted it to feel like it was a comfort for people,” says Cherie.
Visit homealstonville.com; @homealstonville
For Cherie, it was a chance to recreate a treasured memory from her childhood in New Zealand. “I remember as a little girl going with Nana or Mum to the home cookery and choosing what I was going to have from the window before we went inside,” she says. “So when I saw this shop with its double windows, I thought one of those windows has to be full of food. Now when I see people looking in as I load up the windows, it’s so special and makes me quite emotional!”
After a long career in hospitality, running various businesses including a deli and a cafe, Cherie moved from Sydney to a property in the Northern Rivers during the pandemic. At the time, she was adamant that she wasn’t going to open another food business. “I really didn’t think I had the energy in me,” she confesses.
But, inspired first by the quality and abundance of the local produce and then by the charming century-old vacant shop at the top of town, Cherie couldn’t hold back, opening Home in early 2024. “I’m a shopkeeper at heart,” she says. “I’ve always loved having a shop; it feeds my creativity. And I just love the interaction with customers.”
“It’s very nostalgic with the old-school baking and the quirky wares we’re selling”
Cherie Bevan, owner
Two years on, stepping inside Home is like stepping back in time. Cherie, a lifelong collector, has filled the small space with vintage treasures, while music from the ’50s and ’60s has visitors tapping their feet as they queue for treats.
Shelves groaning with homemade pickles and jams line the walls and a large communal table fills the space, encouraging customers to sit and chat over tea and cake. “I wanted to bring in a bit of everything that I love,” Cherie says. “My style of cooking is very old-school. I have a passion for making jams and chutneys and pickles; I love flowers; I love plants. I wanted it to be eclectic.”
It’s hit the spot with locals and visitors alike, with customers travelling from interstate to soak up the Home experience – from the buttercream-laden cakes to the crochet tea cosies. “It’s very nostalgic with the old-school baking and the quirky wares we’re selling,” Cherie says. “It takes people back.”
