Prahran’s got a new Head Honcho in town

When you think of toasted sandwiches, cowboys aren’t necessarily the first thing to come to mind. But that hasn’t stopped hospitality young guns James ‘Chooka’ Pettenon and Fintan Redmond from taking their love of the Wild West, good coffee and the classic toasted sanga, and melding them together the way gooey melted cheese binds two pieces of white bread together in perfect harmony with Head Honcho.  

Their mantra, ‘Good coffee, made right’, goes beyond having a well-trained barista. Chooka and Fintan are passionate about making sure their business is run fairly, and their supplies are sourced ethically – because who says you can’t do some good in this world with a good cup of coffee? 

They’ve put a lot of thought into what coffee beans, cheese, bread and even milk they’re serving – choosing local suppliers that are transparent about their supply chain. As a result, they’re upfront about where everything is sourced on their menu, proudly using milk and bread from STREAT Kitchen, cheeses from Savour and Grace and getting their beans from Rumble Coffee Roasters. 

Feeling frustrated at times with the hospitality industry and the treatment of its workers, Pettenon and Redmond also focus on making sure there’s no shortcuts, and are passionate about creating a positive culture, which includes training and treating their team well.  

The duo are big believers in keeping things simple but doing it right, and the menu really is as simple as hot drinks and toasted sandwiches – all of which are western-themed and many of which can be made gluten-free and/or vegan. 

While the toastie is a much-loved classic, you won’t find any plain old cheese and (mouth burning) tomato here. If straight up cheese-on-cheese-on-cheese is your thing, go with the three-cheese Greenhorn. For the more boujee sanga slingers, there’s the decadent Prospector where truffle paste heightens the experience. And for those of us that like to keep it spicy, the heartier Vaquero boasts black beans, avocado, smoked scamorza, jalapenos, red onion tomato puree and crunchy spiced corn. 

The sweet toothed sandwhich lovers are also covered with two sweet options – including the Cowprint filled with oozy choc-hazelnut and white chocolate spread. 

Lucky enough to open their doors just as COVID-19 restrictions were lifting, the team at Head Honcho are extremely customer-centric and pride themselves on being on a first-name and coffee order basis with their increasingly steady stream of regulars.

These guys have big dreams for this little coffee and sandwich shop, but with their positive attitude, drive to do things right, and customer and community focus, and lots of cheese, they’ve got all the right ingredients to get there. 

Head Honcho is open seven days, 7 am–3 pm at 30 Chatham Street, Prahran.

Head Honcho
30 Chatham Street, Prahran, 3181
Open 7 days, 11am–3pm; 5pm–11pm
facebook.com/headhonchocafe