Vanessa Bunn comes from a long line of Nomchongs who have been operating businesses in the Braidwood region for 140 years. Photo: Supplied.
In January 2025, a milestone in Braidwood’s history came and went with only a mere Facebook post to mark its occurrence.
One of the region’s oldest families, the Nomchongs, celebrated 140 years of commerce in Braidwood. The legacy that began with Chinese immigrant Cheedock Nomchong, who opened his first store on Braidwood’s main street in 1885, is held today by his great grandchildren Edward Nomchong, who owns RJ Nomchong Electrics, and Vanessa Bunn, who owns Vanilla Catering. The cousins hold tenancies on the very street their great grandfather helped to establish.
Many of the historical Nomchong family photos are stored for posterity by the National Library and the National Museum of Australia, yet without a hint of conceit, Vanessa, the author of the Facebook post marking the 140-year anniversary, shrugs it off in the most pragmatic way.
“It’s just something you grow up with. My family is just my family.
“But as I grow older, it’s quite humbling; people tell us stories about how our family helped out the community. My grandfather used to go to sheep sales in Goulburn; he was Chinese and looked like Buddha,” Vanessa laughs.
“He’d fill his car full of food and come back and give it to people with no food. Back in the 50s and 60s they used to give Christmas presents and food to families in need, and that continued through the 70s and 80s.”
Vanilla Catering is hidden within a garden. Photo: Supplied.
With commerce and the Braidwood community in her blood, Vanessa opened Vanilla Catering in 2020.
“I came with COVID as I had a catering business and there were no weddings. I thought I’d rent the space for six months,” Vanessa explains.
Those six months turned into nearly five years, and Vanessa uses the cafe, which is tucked away at the back of the 1885 Commercial Bank building, as an outlet for her love of food. It’s a passion that stems from her childhood.
“We were never served a plate of food. We always had a spread on a large table, and everyone helped themselves. In the 70s and 80s when I was growing up, we did have normal food, but we had a lot of Asian food, like dried fish and things that would be considered exotic or weird for the 70s,” Vanessa reminisces.
“I’ve always loved food and cooking. I have a fascination with food science and reading. I have maybe 1000 cookbooks, but I never cook straight from a recipe; I use them for inspiration.”
Vanessa likes to keep her menu flexible on a blackboard. Photo: Supplied.
The menu at Vanilla Catering is primarily run from an extensive and ever-changing blackboard, which allows Vanessa the freedom to cook a diverse range of dishes that are based on the produce that looks best at the time.
One day will have foot-long banh mi’s, crispy prawn tacos and southern fried chicken, and the next you may find mega chicken sandwiches or Asian broth with poached ginger chicken, shiitake mushrooms, Asian greens and rice noodles. The produce is always beautifully fresh, and generous servings are Vanessa’s hallmark.
Vanessa credits her ability to switch out her menu regularly to years of learning from friends, family, and her cookbooks, always incorporating new dishes into her repertoire.
“Over the years I’ve lived with people from different cultures. I’m a thief of many people. Someone cooks and I think, oh, that’s delicious, I’m going to make that. I’ve lived with a Palestinian girl and a Sri Lankan guy and they all made traditional food and I don’t see any point in eating if it isn’t delicious,” explains Vanessa.
The large open kitchen at Vanilla Catering allows Vanessa to see the customers, and she has made it a sport to guess what people will order. In jest, she remarks that all Reuben eaters have beards. She later clarifies that there are women who eat Reubens, but the stereotype she has developed from the wisdom gained from her open kitchen, is a bearded 26-year-old male.
Caramalised onion and mushroom barley soup topped with garlic fried mushrooms and parmesan, just one of the many menu delights. Photo: Supplied.
Born and bred in Braidwood, Vanessa has witnessed many changes in the town. There seemed to be a tipping point when prices started to increase in the area and the town started seeing a new and varied demographic coming to the region. Vanessa ties many of the changes taking place to the sale of the local homestead Mona in 2018. Its subsequent renovation and transformation into a high-end wedding venue has been a coup for the region.
“The wedding business at Mona brings a lot of new people to Braidwood from Sydney and they send their guests into town to eat. The owners of Mona also bought the buildings that Provisions and the Albion are now in and renovated those, giving new tenancies for more food businesses to open on the main street,” says Vanessa.
While the town may change, for the better or worse, and businesses come and go, there is one thing that has stood the test of time in Braidwood, and that’s the Nomchong legacy, which isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
To find our more about Vanilla Catering, head to its Facebook page where Vanessa updates the specials, tells stories of local life and posts opening hours.
Loading ...
