Right next door to the Caltex service station
Ph 4773 4488 …..

3035 The Northern Road,Luddenham, NSW 2745
https://www.facebook.com/DanLVC

Dan Berardinelli is the patriarch of a large and growing family. Not in the traditional sense of husband, wife, and children. But as in the proud owner of the Luddenham Village Café and expanding legion of coffee devotees.

I know, because I’m one of them.

My introduction to Dan began by chance. I was in dire need for a morning coffee-fix – a daily occurrence for me, born from the conviction that coffee is on par with oxygen as a life-sustaining necessity.

Desperate, I heeded a friend’s recommendation to visit Dan’s café. But not without doubt when I pulled into it’s parking lot and saw that it was situated next to a service station. Ye God, I thought, chances of getting a decent brew here are about as likely as celebrity chef Curtis Stone announcing he’s retiring from TV to open an all-night kebab van.

Was I ever wrong.

Despite the early hour, inside was jammed wall to wall. A line of at least 20 customers patiently waited, while the sound of espresso machines whirred from behind a display case filled with Italian cakes and pastries, each made with artistic flair.

And within full view were fresh roasting coffee beans, casting an intoxicating aroma that convinced my olfactory nodes I had entered the Shangri-la of coffee shops. Homemade blends justified this belief. As did the availability of imported single-origin coffee, which to coffee lovers is the equivalent of single malt scotch to scotch drinkers.

Wow, I thought to myself. This is not someone’s go-through-the-motions business, this is someone’s passion.

The passion of Dan Berardinelli.

On an average day, Dan and his tireless crew of 15 will serve more than 500 cups of coffee. Regardless of what time you visit, it’s always busy. And as the Luddenham Village Café’s numbers continue to grow, so does its menu.

In addition to Panini sandwiches and Italian desserts, highlighted by five-star cannoli, the café now serves Sunday breakfast……… Yes Dan I will get there promise!

When time allows, Dan focuses on his other passion – going from table to table, getting to know his customers on a first name basis. This despite a reasonably pronounced limp caused by the removal of large chunks of bone from his foot because of a sarcoma – a form of foot cancer.

And this is how I came to know Dan. In one of our almost daily conversations, he asked, did I see you on TV last night? This is how Dan discovered my practice as a podiatrist.  And just as I became a regular at his café, Dan became a regular at A Step Ahead.

We have since fitted Dan with an orthotic insole for his shoe, giving him extra support and comfort. And while he still limps, he says the pain has somewhat subsided. Hopefully with continued visits he’ll continue to improve.

But to Dan this is of no consequence. He says the only thing that matters to him is providing the best service to his growing family of customers. A family I’m proud to be a part of.  

Not to forget the special offers! All you need do is call our practice at A Step Ahead Foot + Ankle Care and mention you’d like to enter the competition. Now what is it for? 2 prizes of a Breakfast for two at the café for the first 2 caller valued at up to 50 dollars. So get calling 9673 2987 or 4732 2007. Oops gotta go I think that’s the phone !

Ok so I have to note one final thing …….

Another trade mark of Dan’s, that I love is his terrible and I mean terrible poetry !!! He has been known to place words together in a sentence that should never be held even remotely near one another. To have a look go to https://www.facebook.com/DanLVC but Dan please don’t stop my Latte wouldn’t taste the same not snorted through my nostrils after reading your prose!

For all your Foot and Lower Limb Care needs, come and see us at:
A Step Ahead Foot & Ankle Care
24 Phillip Street, St Marys; or
Suite 4, 36 Woodriff Street, Penrith
www.astepahead.com.au