The lurid pink lamingtons available at Cambridge Corner Store hint at the expertise Kristina Jensen gathered at bakeries in her hometown of Copenhagen and perfected at restaurants and cafes around the world.
The beautiful looking and tasting sweet treats have been a big hit at the Floreat cafe, which Jensen and her husband, and fellow chef, Sean Marshall took over in March.
While she hails from Denmark, Marshall is originally from New Zealand and between them they boast decades of experience working in Michelin-starred restaurants across the UK and Europe.
The couple met while working at Sydney’s acclaimed Quay restaurant during the 2000 Olympics.
Trained as a pastry chef in Copenhagen’s The House of Marzipan, Jensen also has experience in kitchens alongside French culinary legends Michel and Albert Roux at the Grand and Amstel hotels in Amsterdam.
After travelling and working throughout the UK, Europe and Australia, they settled in Marshall’s homeland and opened their first restaurant together in 2004.
Three years later, Marshall started as executive chef for Wellington’s world-renowned Matterhorn, which was named Cuisine NZ restaurant of the year in 2008.
Jensen and Marshall moved to Perth for a more relaxed pace of life and to raise their twin teenage kids, Oliver and Estelle.
The couple say they instantly fell in love with Cambridge Corner Store’s proximity to Floreat Beach and history as a family business.
Working the day shift as opposed to the late dinner services of their previous jobs also has an undeniable appeal. However, they add that the cafe will eventually open on evenings.
Cambridge Corner is open 11 hours a day, seven days a week, so it’s all consuming.
Marshall jokes that Michelin-star restaurants are in some ways easier to work in than a family-run cafe.
“They are very controlled, structured environments and there are people to do all aspects of the business,” he explains.
“Any small cafe or restaurant owner knows what it’s like to be ‘the everything’ person.
“Cambridge Corner is open 11 hours a day, seven days a week, so it’s all consuming,” Marshall continues.
“In the suburban situation, you need to be a lot more conscious and responsive to your customers’ wants and likes more so than a Michelin star environment.”
Breakfast has been their main game since March, with a menu featuring some “greatest hits” from their restaurants in New Zealand.
Marshall has updated his confit duck hash from the Matterhorn brunch menu to instead use slow-roasted porchetta, while the oat porridge dish from The White Rabbit in Auckland is “proving to be a bestseller”.
Meanwhile, Jensen is building a new fan-base with her cakes, many of which she made at the Chelsea Sugar Factory in Auckland, including those bright pink lamingtons.
The store also sells takeaway meals, such as curries, lasagnes and family-sized pies.
Located at 442 Cambridge St, Floreat, Cambridge Corner Store is open daily from 6am to 5pm for coffee, breakfast, lunch and grab-and-go meals, with dinner service to come.