Date2021Description2021 City Photographer, Helene Cochaud: My last stop for the day is a visit to married couple Tess and Louis, owners of the long standing Ritz Café on Ware St, who are just closing up. A friendly, community focused pair, who have been doing business in Fairfield for over 35 years. As they talk to me I hear remnants of their Greek accents. They are from the Peloponnese region in Greece but have lived in Fairfield for the last fifty years.
"Not many cafes round like this."
The café has an American diner style décor with black and white portraits of classic Hollywood stars and vinyl records decorating the walls. Both the Australian and Greek flags greet customers as they come in to order generously filled, freshly made rolls and coffee.
Tess and Louis used to own a small doughnut shop selling traditional Greek loukoumades. The old shop was also located in Ware St, when the road was closed off from traffic creating a pedestrian plaza. When council decided to open the street up again Tess and Louis decided to expand their business and move to the current larger site.
The majority of the Ritz Café clientele are regulars - having this loyal customer base helped Tess and Louis get through the tougher times. Due to COVID restrictions they were only able to offer takeaway for a large part of 2021. Happy to have customers back in the café, Louis shows a jovial photograph on his phone of a group who frequent the café regularly.
A framed photograph of community members participating in a large scale local charity event, 'The Trolley Run', proudly sits on the counter. For a number of years the Fairfield community has rallied together, filling shopping trollies with non-perishable products to donate to the local soup kitchen at Christmas time. Tess and Louis have been keen supporter of the event over the years.
It's a fitting place to end my stay in Fairfield. While Tess packs up the outdoor seating after another long day's work, I reflect on my time spent in the community and the people I have met. Fairfield is made up of many different people from a range of backgrounds who have kindly shared their stories and allowed me to see a slice of their life. I feel fortunate to have been able to experience their kindness, warmth and humour. My time Fairfield has been short but extremely positive and I am looking forward to returning again and again in the near future.
PhotographerHelene CochaudGeolocation[1] Civic Plaza Dental Care
43 Ware St, Fairfield NSW 2165NotesThese photographs are part of the 2021 City Photographer project.
Details
Image ColourColourTypeDigitalCopyrightPartial restriction. Please contact Fairfield City Heritage Services for image use.AcknowledgementHelene Cochaud, 2021 Fairfield City Photographer. Image courtesy of Fairfield City Heritage Collection.
Tess & Louis the Cafe Owners (2021). Fairfield City Heritage Collection, accessed 06/03/2026, https://heritagecollection.fairfieldcity.nsw.gov.au/nodes/view/4199
