Wood and Stone Cafe takes over Squeeze & Grind Co and plans artistan eatery

Wood and Stone Cafe set the standard for outdoor spaces in the city when it opened its new enclosed alfresco garden in May.

Behind the scenes, the owners have taken over an adjoining nail bar which has been converted into a prep kitchen.

But where the excitement really lies are plans for an artisan eatery with woodfired pizzas around the corner from the current Mandurah Terrace café, and a dessert bar just two doors down.

The hard work and constant attention to detail hasn't gone unnoticed, with the business last week being announced a finalist in four categories of Catering WA's Gold Plate Awards.

"It's a massive deal for Mandurah," manager Josh McMahen said.

"We're sort of pinching ourselves a bit."

They are finalists for Best Café, Best Modern Australian Dining, Best Breakfast and Best New Restaurant.

"We know we're doing something good for Mandurah and the feedback is that."

Josh said despite all of the successes, in management it was easy to focus on the things that weren't going well - being short staffed, COVID and the lone bad review.

"Sometimes you just think you can't be up there with some of the better places in Perth...we're just trying to do a good thing, we're not about being the best."

Josh said his dad, long-term Mandurah entrepreneur and Wood and Stone owner, Mark McMahen, was "going gang busters with it all".

In July he took over juice and smoothie bar, Squeeze & Grind Co, with plans to turn it into a dessert bar. Its previous owners Jordan and Joy have taken on a new business, The Good Life Limousines.

MORE: Read our interview with owner Mark McMahen after the opening of Wood and Stone last year.

The juice bar would be rebranded Coco Loco Dessert and Smoothie Bar.

It would still be selling smoothies, juices and coffees but would add giant cookies, waffles, loaded shakes and more to the menu.

Plans are in the pipeline to create a Californian tiki-style alfresco area for about 130 people including a mature $15,000 Poinciana tree for the corner of the site, subject to approvals.

'Craving decent woodfire pizzas'

The takeaway woodfired pizza restaurant would go by the name, Wood and Stone Fired Artisan Eats.

"We've got a massive new technology pizza oven with rotisserie and smoker oven," Josh said.

But the new venue would serve far more than pizza - there would be hot foods, cakes, desserts and other bakery items.

Josh said it would be a similar style to Mandurah's recently closed artisan bakery and café, Samudera.

"We will be doing all the similar stuff but in our own way," Josh said.

"The pastry chefs that were working there are working for us now."

Wood and Stone's head chef position was advertised close to the time that Samudera closed in March, citing COVID impacts.

Dozens of café and bakery staff lost their jobs overnight and several of them found their way to Wood and Stone.

"The word around Mandurah is that everyone has been craving decent woodfired pizzas and all sorts of other delicacies," Josh said.

Entering and winning awards was the furthest thing from Josh and his wife Pipa's minds until a fancy night out made them rethink things.

Last year the pair were invited to the Gold Plate Awards presentation as special guests of sponsor Ferngrove Wines, whose wines they stock in the Mandurah café.

They went along to this year's announcement of finalists "not really expecting anything".

"We went along thinking it would be cool to get through in just one category," Josh said. "We just couldn't believe it."

"Apparently it's a really big deal to become a finalist - we are only up against two other finalists in some of the categories because you have to get over a certain number of points.

"To get through in all four categories is a really big deal especially for a first time venue."

He said the awards were solely based on performance - judges attended the venue anonymously and took note of everything from how straight the tables were standing to the knowledge of staff.

For businesses that made it through to the finals, another round of judges visited and critiqued the business again.

"You could have a bad day, have a staff member who is a bit rude or something and that would ruin your application," Josh said.

"Four separate lots of judges came through at four separate times, that shows my staff are consistently doing the right thing."

He said they still felt "like the new kids on the block".

"Most of the major venues in Mandurah are owned by local families that own multiple places."

He said a big challenge was finding chefs as bigger venues were sometimes offering more than a small place could match.

The award finals will be held in late November.