If you’ve eaten at Boneless in Bermagui, you’ll know the food. But you may not know much about the people behind it, Tenzin and his partner Emily (Ems). Tenzin Butt grew up in Central Tilba, ‘My parents owned the Gulaga Gallery, which is like the hemp, crystal hippie store, and we lived in the house directly behind the shop, which was an awesome place to grow up.’

After finishing school in Tilba and Narooma, Tenzin headed off to spend ten years snowboarding. ‘I did winter to winter, southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere. The best way to earn a living while snowboarding was working in restaurants at night, starting off in the dish pit, and then slowly working up into cooking. I always said I would stop snowboarding when I stopped having fun doing it, but it just kept getting funner and funner!’

Tenzin became vegetarian in his final year of snowboarding, and then discovered Veets Vegetarian Cooking School in Byron Bay and, along with his partner Ems, decided to give it a go. Their time there led to managing a catering company on the Gold Coast, followed by a job as a personal chef. After heading home, they first experimented with a hemp smoothie bar but soon thought about opening a restaurant. Tenzin’s mum spotted the building that became Boneless. ‘We went and had a look at it, and we just said, “No way, that is way too big.” But we just took a leap of faith and said, “Let’s have a go.”’

‘When we started, I was pretty passionate about Mexican food and our first menu had tacos and burritos. We still get asked for the tofu tacos very regularly but I don’t think it’ll ever happen, because Ems basically has PTSD from making so many tacos! These days, the menu follows the seasons and gives the chefs room to play. We use whatever produce is in season, and we also really try and keep it exciting for our chefs, letting them decide what they want to do.’

Somewhere along the way, Boneless became about much more than what was on the plate. ‘We didn’t realise what Boneless would become, that the place would start to mean something to people. It’s almost like it’s not ours, but something we need to keep on feeding and supporting, so everyone can keep enjoying a comfortable space where they feel seen, and are treated kindly and greeted with a smile. If we can make people leave with a little pep in their step, a smile on their face, then that can flow on to whoever they interact with next, or improve their day somehow. We do that to hundreds of people a day. That feels like a big impact to me.’

There have been moments that have made the meaning of that especially clear. ‘When people come in for their special moments, whether they be anniversaries, birthdays, family get-togethers, dates or even just a moment to themselves, the fact that they choose Boneless is not lost on us. You can’t put into words how special and meaningful that is to us. The food, the coffee, all these things that we put so much work into are just a byproduct of being able to create this place of kindness. Staffing is a lot of the work, but it’s also a very rewarding part of it. Nothing happens without the staff, so they have to be happy, and inspired to be on this mission with us, or else none of it works.’

Tenzin left the Triangle area when he was 17, but says he always knew he would return. ‘I knew that I would be back here at some point in my life, but I didn’t realise how special it was until I left. With our outlook from the café, looking at the mountain, seeing the whales jump, I get constant hits of gratitude. I really feel good about raising my children here. I have family here and lots of support and good friends, and the community is amazing. If I could have anything, it would be to be living here and doing what I’m doing. I just feel so grateful for my life in the Triangle.’

Flick Ruby

Photo: Tenzin Butt, photo by Flick Ruby.