BE NO ON E ELSE WITH A DESIGN LIK E NOTHING ELSE

C omp let el y reim a gined, t he al l -n ew L exu s RX foll ows not hi n g el s e. Fronte d by a rebellious spindle body, it mirrors nothing else. Delivering driving dynamics so scintillating, especially that of the first ever RX 500h F SPORT Per formance Hybrid, it moves like nothing else. And with a driver-focussed cabin and intuitive interface centred around an expansive 14 inch touchscreen display, it feels like nothing else. This is the luxury SUV that defies convention, just as you do. Be no one else in the all-new Lexus RX. Arriving soon.

LEXU S RX hat a fantastic month we have had executing this bumper edition at FOCUS. As you flip through our 96 fabulous, glossy pages you’ll be introduced to all that makes up this unique city from the eyes of the FOCUS team and all that contribute to putting this wonderful publication together every month!

Daniel Hend is an artist who is best known for his incredible large scale murals and surreal painting style. He is currently living on the Mid North Coast and has painted murals in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and even Tassie.

Michael Theo, of Love on the Spectrum fame, will be a guest at the Spectrum Spectacular Gala Ball in Coffs. We had a chat with him about his experience on the show and what he’s looking forward to about the Gala Ball.

Avery Keller has a background in Biology and has worked at Australia Zoo, but her fascination with dogs and their behaviours, and her love of the environment has led her to now training Conservation Detection Dogs.

Featured on this month’s front cover is Ric and Bianca Divola. Ric and Bee are the owners of two iconic new venues in Sawtell, Bar Que Sera and Morty’s Joint. We caught up with them both to find out more about their journey and their businesses. If you haven’t been to check them out, we suggest you do!

Inside this edition

Hunter Leonard is a man of many talents;

Whe is a business coach, mentor, ghostwriter, speaker, author and musician. But in all of these endeavors, he always strives to help others and make positive contributions to the community.

Elizabeth Scott has been a Specialist Music Teacher at Bellingen Public school for the last 20 years, inspiring a great number of children with her passion, humour and kindness. She has also played a big role in the school becoming part of the Sustainable Schools movement and ran the school’s Garden Club. Now that she has retired from teaching she is taking her passion for the environment and starting a new venture teaching others the secrets to successful composting!

The third Birth, Baby & Beyond Expo will be held on Sunday 30th April at the Jetty Beach House from 11am to 3pm. We had a chat with Jessica Nash, founder and coordinator of the event, about what we can expect and how this event has been growing and helping local families to build their ‘village’ and support network since it started in 2018.

Michael Theo, of Love On The Spectrum fame, will be a celebrity guest at the upcoming Spectrum Spectacular Gala Ball in Coffs Harbour. We had a chat with him ahead of his appearance about his experience on the show and what he is looking forward to about participating in the Coffs Harbour event. Before we put this edition to bed we are already planning and thinking about the next. We have some super cool stories lined up and we are looking forward to bringing you a really interesting May edition. Do you know anyone with a good story? Reach out to us at nicole@focusmag.com.au

We hope you enjoy the April edition as much as we do.

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Nicci Seccombe nicole@focusmag.com.au

ART DIRECTOR Jay Beaumont jay@focusmag.com.au

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SENIOR DESIGNER Dylan Gaul dylan@focusmag.com.au

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Kyle Rathbone kyle@focusmag.com.au

COPY EDITOR Bev Mulcahy info@focusmag.com.au

PHOTOGRAPHY / EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTOR

Gavin Moroney gavin.moroney@austcommunitymedia.com.au

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Bianca and Ric Divola opened Bar Que Sera, a relaxed wine bar with yummy bar snacks and smaller seasonal dishes, in Sawtell almost two years ago and have recently opened the doors of their newest venture, Morty’s Joint, right next door!

Morty’s is a cool hang out spot that offers a simple, delicious take on the classics like burgers and fried chicken. And the locals are loving it!

Congratulations on opening your second venue, Morty’s Joint! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this new venture?

Named after our strange little dog Morty, our inspiration comes from a mix of different neighbourhood and late-night bars we loved in Melbourne. The vibe was always welcoming and social; food and drinks were simple and easy. We wanted a fun and relaxed atmosphere for individuals, couples, friends, or families to hang out and catch up, more of a bar than a sit-down restaurant which is more common in the area. It’s the kind of place we want to go to on our day off or enjoy a knock-off.

Tell us what people can expect on the menu at each venue.

We’ve intentionally made the offerings at both venues quite different. Bar Que Sera is a city wine bar in a beachside village serving bar snacks and seasonal dishes alongside boutique wines and cocktails.

Morty’s Joint is all about fried chicken and burgers; American classics with an Asian influence. We offer a few smaller snacks and sides with specials rolling through but at its core, just simple food, done well.

Morty’s Joint is all about fried chicken and burgers; American classics with an Asian influence. We offer a few smaller snacks and sides with specials rolling through but at its core, just simple food, done well.

The drinks at Morty’s work with the food - offering craft beer, 4 taps and 15+ tins, natural leaning wine, cocktail slushies and basic mixed drinks. Who creates the food offering at each venue and what is the thought behind them?

To date, the food offering at both venues has all been created by me (Ric). The menu at Bar Que Sera is modern Australian and intended to be ethnically ambiguous. We use the best produce we can get our hands on and prefer to keep it local. Our beef comes from Dorrigo, our chooks come from Patch Organics and most of our vegetables are from New Life Farm. We prefer a shared style of dining, so we have a good selection of small and large plates intended to go into the middle of the table for everyone to enjoy.

Morty’s Joint is more about elevating fast food classics. We use all freerange chicken and our beef, bacon, tempeh and vegetables are all sourced locally. We make all sauces and pickles inhouse too. Our yuzu mayo, duck fat chilli oil and ‘98 szechuan sauce have all proven to be crowd favourites so far.

Continued over.

Both locations have a unique style and personality in their decor and overall vibe, how did you go about styling each venue?

At Bar Que Sera we actually took over our friend’s business (Lord Nosh) which had unfortunately closed during the pandemic. The fit-out was incredible and only a year old, we decided it was too good to waste. We added lighting, artworks and greenery to start and have slowly evolved the rest over the past 2 years.

For Morty’s Joint, we started from scratch. Tokyo dive bar was the brief we worked towards. Similar to the food, we wanted a classic American style with a touch of Asian influence. We love American-style booths and are big fans of Japanese art so we wanted to join these two together. We’re just at the start of our journey at Morty’s, we’ll keep adding to the space and make changes as we go along, our intention is to fill the walls with art and bring in a lot more plants. We’re excited to see the space transform.

Both of our venues have a big focus on lighting and music. Both elements play an important part in the venue’s overall atmosphere. We love mood lighting and want it to be a stand-out feature in both venues. Bar Que Sera has an architectural light feature while Morty’s Joint has dimmed amber lighting which creates a warm tone across the venue. For music, Bar Que Sera plays everything from upbeat electronic music to laid-back hip-hop. Morty’s Joint is our rowdy neighbour and suits rock & roll, indie, blues and old-school hip-hop. What has the reception to Morty’s Joint been like so far? love a free right?! Friday afternoon Happy Hour is our favourite time, lots of locals rock up solo and find their friends there.

Each week we get busier and busier which is really positive. We’ve added some great deals during the week which people are really enjoying. We have a Schnitty night on Tuesdays (Schnitty & drink for $20) and on Thursdays you get a free serving of our sticky wings with your first drink.

Your two venues are right next door to each other, why Sawtell?

It’s been amazing! Everyone is obsessed with our burgers and who doesn’t love a free game of pool, right?! Friday afternoon Happy Hour is our favourite time, lots of locals rock up solo and find their friends there. It’s really cool to see people use the venue as a local hang spot. It’s exactly what we had in mind when we first opened.

We both grew up in the Coffs region and moved back to the area during the pandemic. When the opportunity came up to take over our friend’s business on First Ave we couldn’t be happier. Sawtell has such a lovely vibe and a really friendly community. We’re happy that both venues add something different to the strip which gives tourists more reasons to visit.

What are your future plans for Morty’s Joint and Bar Que Sera?

We have a lot in store for Morty’s Joint - we would love to start delivery asap and we’re hoping to start fun monthly events. A few ideas we have are a Sunday BBQ lunch, karaoke nights and fingers crossed, Drag Bingo. We’re also keen to get live music happening and a pool comp too.

We have plans to continue expanding Bar Que Sera, we hope to do small renovations to increase our capacity and move into external event catering. We’ve had a successful start and want to keep moving the business forward.

At Que Sera we’re planning on hosting a series of wine events where we focus on a specific region and showcase our favourite wines with accompanying snacks using ingredients from the area.

Starting in April, we’re extending our trade at both venues and will be open for lunch on Saturdays.

What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in opening a second restaurant/bar, and how have you overcome them?

The biggest challenge by far was staffing. We’re in a good position now and have a fantastic team who work across both venues but that does take time to establish.

We invest a lot in training our team to ensure our guests have the best experience possible. We’re so grateful to have a committed team who step up to this challenge and go above and beyond, we would be lost without them! How have you both adapted to running multiple venues?

It’s been a crazy few months since opening Morty’s and we feel like our routine is finally starting to settle into place.

We rely on our team alot, they help to share the load. We recently hired a Head Chef and full-time Front of House person at Bar Que Sera, this has made a huge difference in our day-today operations.

We both had to learn how to prioritise to a whole new level and have adjusted our operating hours at both venues to make things work.

And lastly, what do you have planned for the future?

Right now, we’re just focusing on our businesses. Morty’s Joint is just at the start of his journey and has so much potential. We’re really excited to sink our teeth into it and watch it grow.

We have plans to continue expanding Bar Que Sera and we hope to do small renovations to increase our capacity and move into external event catering. We’ve had a successful start and want to keep moving the business forward. We love what we do and are proud of what we have achieved so far. We’re so grateful to have the support of the local community, bring on 2023!

Thanks Guys.

Learn the native foods, ancient medicines and various fibre plants used in healing and weaving by Gumbaynggirr people for thousands of years! And afterwards, come back to the Centre to sample some gourmet bush tucker treats made by local Gumbaynggirr Chef at The Pipeclay Café. When 2nd April Where Yarrawarra Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Corinidi Beach

To book Call the Centre on 9188 4370

This multi-award-winning singer-songwriter is known for his iconic song “American Pie,” which has continued to be a radio staple for over 40 years. Now, he’s taking his music on tour across the country, performing songs from his extensive catalogue of hits.

When 12th April Where C.ex Coffs Tickets $105 from www.cex.com.au

Join us in commemorating ANZAC Day with a Luncheon at C.ex Coffs with entertainment from Comedian and Ventriloquist, Darren Carr. Darren Carr is recognised as Australia’s Number One Stand Up Ventriloquist. He and his cast of crazy characters deliver professional and hilariously entertaining performances at corporate events, special events, clubs, theatres in Australia and worldwide. When 25th April Where C.ex Coffs Tickets www.cex.com.au

Saije is an award-winning, contemporary folk duo whose soulful harmonies, dynamic guitar-lines and percussive breakdowns breathe life into heartfelt stories When 7th April Where Element Bar Cost FREE

Fabulous, filthy and downright hilarious! Brace yourselves for a wild ride of sidesplitting hilarity with the modern-day Queen of Sass, as she takes you on a laugh-outloud adventure of her trials and tribulations of parenting, dating and all things female. When 13th April Where Jetty Theatre Tickets $38.50 jettytheatre.com.au

Kailey Pallas is a 20 year old singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist based in Coffs Harbour, NSW. Kailey’s sounds are a blend of soulful, bluesy tones with the ability, range and experience to go between a mix of Genres from Pop, Jazz, Country, Musical Theatre, Rock, Soul and Blues. When 30th April Where Dark Arts Cafe & Bar Time 9am until 11am Cost FREE