Fort Worth Business | November 9, 2020
Written by: Robert Francis
Texas and Australia have always had a bit of a simpatico connection.
There are the hats, the love of the outdoors, ranching and our Bowie knives and their “That’s not a knife” bit. We may throw ribs in the barbecue pit and they may throw a shrimp on the “barbie,” but it’s the same idea.
Now there’s another connection between the Land of Oz and the Lone Star State: coffee.
An Australian-style coffee shop and café, Ascension Coffee, has just opened in WestBend, the University District’s retail spot along the Trinity River. It’s a hell of a view to have while you’re sipping café au lait and downing a ricotta souffle pancake.
Ascension originally launched in Dallas in 2012, by restaurateur Russell Hayward. Growing up in Sydney, Australia, mealtime for Hayward meant sitting around a big table with family, friends, fresh food, bantering and debating. Hayward struggled finding a great cup of coffee in a warm, conversation-filled environment in the U.S., so he did what any entrepreneur does. He opened one of his own. After a year spent researching and…