Fitzroy North vegan cafe falls victim to firebombing

Within three months of beginning to serve customers, early on Monday morning 12 October, the cafe And Bodega run by Ashish Sharma and Manali Purohit was severely damaged in a suspected arson attack that gutted the tobacco shop next door that had opened in recent weeks.

The day after the firebombing, about $5,000 worth of technology and equipment was stolen from the burnt-out cafe. When the couple entered the shop after the robbery, Sharma says it felt as if their “dream had been ripped away”. It comes amid a spate of firebombings targeting tobacconists across Melbourne, with hundreds hit since late 2023.

Emergency services were called to respond to reports of an explosion on St Georges Road at about 3.40am on Monday. Police investigators believe one or multiple offenders forced entry into the tobacco shop and set it alight. The tobacconist was completely destroyed, while And Bodega and other neighbouring businesses were damaged, police said in a statement. The Victorian Coalition this week said the state government’s new closure powers “had barely made a dent” and vowed that if elected next month it would bolster laws and increase police presence to close down illegal retailers.

The couple have set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for repairing and replacing equipment, paying outstanding staff and supplier costs and planning a new home for And Bodega. Purohit, who grew up in Mumbai and trained as a pastry chef in India, says the couple have also received offers from fellow small businesses to donate portions of their profits to the couple, host fundraisers and drop off ice-cream.