Dovetail verb – to connect; to fit skillfully to form a whole
‘Finding that common ground. Connecting with the wider community and showcasing the best of the Philippines and Australia. This is what dovetail stands for. It’s all about service’, Rejoice Thomson humbly states. As pastry chef and owner of Brisbane based cafes Dovetail Social and Dovetail on Overend, she candidly looks back on how it all started ‘Stepping into the unknown wasn’t easy. It was a huge risk for me, coming to Australia, starting all over again and stepping away from a lucrative corporate career in pharmaceuticals in the Philippines. But when you find your passion, find what sets your soul on fire, you do it scared. Thousands of hours perfecting my craft, I became obsessed with getting all my recipes just right. I knew I wanted to put my culture on a plate, be authentically myself. Luckily, both Filipinos and Australians alike embraced our signature offerings.
Running a small business has its ups and downs. There were sleepless nights especially during the lean season. ‘I would sometimes second guess myself. Maybe I made it too Filipino that the greater multicultural community of Brisbane wouldn’t be able to relate. However, I was surprised when they embraced my dishes wholeheartedly. In a sense, I felt seen and accepted.’ Food has the power to break boundaries, like breaking bread together, it’s has a more nuanced socio-cultural implication. Some of their best sellers include the famous Adobo bowl served with Kale laing. Together with Dovetail’s signature donuts baked fresh daily – the Ube Pavlova and the ‘Yamington’ (Purple Yamington). Dovetail is also the first Filipino-Australian cafe to offer “The Ambassador’s High Tea” created when hosting Philippine Ambassador Ma Hellen De La Vega.
IN Coffee and Food Festival
To celebrate Rejoice’s tenth year of operations, a unique opportunity to embark on a journey back to her ancestral home of Ilocos at the invitation of Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc presented itself after his recent travels to Brisbane. The province of Ilocos Norte in collaboration with Dovetail will be hosting an IN Coffee and Food Festival at the Arte Luna Gallery and Paoay Church Complex on the 13th & 14th of December. Rejoice and her husband, Adam, will be sharing some insights with the local hospitality industry as well as inviting the Ilocanos to try their award winning coffees and baked goods. There would be seminars as well as competitions to create a conducive atmosphere for learning and development.
The culmination of this three-day extravaganza is the Christmas edition of ‘Himala Sa Buhangin’ (Miracle at the Sands) an art and music festival at the famous Paoay sand dunes commemorating the official launch of a new domestic route (Laoag- Cebu) of Philippine Airlines set to officially commence regular operations on the 15th of December 2023. This is a homecoming of sorts, walking the streets of Ilocos where her grandmother lived and introducing her daughter, Bella, to her Filipino heritage. In more ways than one, this is about reconnecting, reversing the diaspora, and venturing back home to inspire our kababayans. ‘You can find a Filipino in any corner of the world, all the way to Antartica but for me, going back home isn’t about just seeing the sights. It’s effecting change. Sharing what I know to improve the current local offerings and to also inspire others to find what sets their souls on fire. I wouldn’t be where I am today without my family, they’re my support system and my ‘why’.
Rejoice Thomson is a proud and active member of the Brisbane Filipino community, and has been named Lord Mayor’s Multicultural Entrepreneur of the Year in 2021, one of “Today’s Filipino Australian Women” by the Philippine Embassy in Australia in 2019, and Qld Filipino Australian Women Achievement Award Winner in 2018. Currently Rejoice is the President of the Qld Filipino Excellence Awards (QFEA), recognising the special achievements of Qld Filipinos across 5 different categories. QFEA is currently taking nominations, with the Awards Gala Night scheduled for April 2024.
