Confessions of a Reluctant Café Owner.

Let’s be honest.

Only masochists open cafés right now.

The hospitality industry is wobbling, margins are thin, weekends disappear, and everyone seems to be running on caffeine and grit.

So yes, by all rational measures, opening the Purple House Kitchen in March 2025 looked slightly unhinged.

But here’s the truth.

I’ve been running one my whole adult life already.

Did you know that in my twenties, thirties, and forties, I was known as the food police to my six children?

Processed food was not allowed past our front gate.

If it came in a packet with a long ingredient list, it would end up in the rubbish bin. 

This did not make me popular, but I took the role of bad cop in my stride.

It went with the territory.

And by territory, I mean homesteading in remote Tasmania.

I was motivated by a deep desire to live differently from my own mother, who had endured a life shaped by pain, sugar, and well-meaning ignorance.

At the back of beyond in north-east Tasmania, we grew our own meat and vegetables.

I baked bread, sewed clothes, fermented everything that stood still long enough, and lived as a traditional wife long before that label existed.

Little did I know that while I was busy being different from my mother, my children were busy wanting to be different from me.

They were mortified by their weird upbringing.

At school, they threw their homemade lunches into the bushes, traded them for other kids’ lollies, and eyed processed food like it was forbidden treasure.

Meanwhile, I carried on baking, fermenting, growing, and cooking, completely unrepentant.

For around 20 years, I cooked three meals a day for eight people.

After that, for another 25 years, the table grew and shrank with who stayed, who left, who returned, and who brought friends.

If you do the maths, that’s 175,200 meals in those first twenty years alone — and let’s not even talk about the next twenty-five.

So opening a café didn’t feel like a business decision.

It felt like muscle memory.

At one point, we also grew 50 heirloom varieties of garlic, because I genuinely thought I was doing my bit for the world.

But after an enthusiastic radio interview about garlic in the year 2000, long before podcasts, my kids were dubbed the smelly Robertsons! 

This desire to preserve heirloom varieties from extinction explains why we now cook with ancient grains, Emmer, Kamut, Khorasan, and Spelt,  grains that existed long before modern interference.

Our bodies can eat these grains without bloating and irritation. 

These days, the Purple House Kitchen has a new heartbeat.

Lisanne, my daughter, is now the creative brain and intuitive hands behind the menu, and she has a magical touch.

She cooks the way she was raised: from scratch, without compromising health or taste. 

At the Purple House Kitchen:

• We cook with tallow and butter
• We do not use seed oils
• We do not microwave food
• We don’t cut corners.

Lisanne is also well known for her raw cakes, which somehow manage to be indulgent, beautiful, and deeply nourishing all at once, a small miracle in themselves.

Today, the Purple House Kitchen opens from Wednesday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM, in alignment with the Purple House Clinic

On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the entire place hums with life: our therapists moving between sessions, clients coming and going, reception staff answering questions, Lisanne in the Kitchen, friendly faces at the counter, cups clinking, conversations unfolding, people reading, chatting, or simply enjoying being alive. 

It reminds me of the old family home, only more rewarding, with more compliments and fewer complaints!

If you enjoy real food, thoughtful cooking, and places with a story baked into the walls, you’ll feel right at home here.

I can’t wait to see you at the Purple House Kitchen! 

Upcoming Workshops

Raw Cakes & Guilt Free Desserts Workshop

Date: Sunday, 22 March 2026

Time: 09:30 AM to 12:30 PM

Cost: 139.00 per person

Click here to secure your ticket as spots are limited

Click here for more information on our workshops

A friendly reminder, We welcome clients at Purple House Wellness Centre on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 9am to 5pm.

We’re also happy to assist with postal orders.

Please call 03 6428 3007 to place or secure your order.

You can also visit our website to:
• Book online appointments (including Full Health Audits with Peter or Caleb)
• Read past blogs
• Download free eBooks
• Order supplements at your convenience

If you’re feeling called toward a career shift, deeper healing, or connection with a supportive, like-minded community, you can learn more about the Miracle Method Immersion by clicking here.

To learn more about the living water we use in our home, at the Purple House Clinic, and at Purple House Kitchen, please call Peter on 0428 283 007.

For updates, seasonal menus, and a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re creating, follow Purple House Kitchen on Facebook and Instagram.

Purple House Kitchen hours
Open Wednesday to Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM
(Kitchen closes at 3pm)

Grada Robertson, MNM
Master of Natural Medicine
Doctoral Candidate in Natural Medicine (Psychosomatic University / Holographic Manipulation Therapy with Drs. Gabe & Tiffany Roberts)

Grada is a three-time Amazon Bestselling Author of the trilogy: You Are the Miracle, The Underbelly, and Alchemy of Love.

Disclaimer:
Our content is for educational purposes only, based on our personal journey and research. It is not medical advice. We are not medical professionals. Always consult your doctor or healthcare provider for any medical diagnoses or treatment. The information we share is intended for learning and discussion and should not replace professional medical guidance. Any actions you take based on this content are solely your responsibility.