Craig Shanahan had his left eye removed after having cancer when he was two years old.
He says he could see perfectly fine with just one eye and was able to finish school and train as a chef.
In 2014, he then had a tumour that damaged his optic nerve, leaving him with 6 per cent of his vision.
It did not deter Mr Shanahan from fulfilling his dreams of opening his own place. In 2021 he opened the Blind Chef Cafe and Dessert Bar on Penrith's High Street.
"It's really, really awesome to be still in the kitchen and have a job," Mr Shanahan told ABC Radio Sydney Breakfast.
"We can sit up to 58 people, so it's quite a large cafe."
Focus on accessibility
The 31-year-old designed the cafe to make it easy for him to continue working.
In the kitchen, Mr Shanahan can find his way around by following the edges of the benches. He folds his fingers out of the way of blades while chopping vegetables and has sets of scales that tell him the weight of the measurements.
"I still cook the same as I did before. I'm a little bit slower than I was," Mr Shanahan said.
"If I'm cooking something on the grill it's more about just touching or timing."
He's also designed the front of house to be friendly to his vision impairment. A wooden panel runs behind the tables which helps the tables stand out
The chairs are black, so he can notice if they have been left out from the tables, and avoid tripping over.
The plates and cups are solid colours to contrast with the wooden-style tables.
Mr Shanahan made these choices also to benefit customers with disabilities.
"The biggest thing for me is, I have designed it to be accessible for other people," Mr Shanahan said.
"I have disability groups come here and feel welcome … they really made me feel so happy and awesome that the place I've provided is doing what I want."
A close colleague
Up the back, the cafe kitchen is filled with the sound of head chef Carmen Gennari casually bantering with Mr Shanahan.
Mr Shanahan jokingly describes their working relationship as being "like an old married couple". Ms Gennari laughs, saying they have their disagreements.
While Mr Shanahan can cook, on a typical day Ms Gennari takes care of the cooking, so that Mr Shanahan acts more as an executive chef and manager who secures work including catering jobs.
Ms Gennari says some extra care is needed around him while he's in the kitchen.
"You just automatically think he can see. It's very hard to think that he doesn't," Ms Gennari said.
"When you leave things on the floor, or a knife at the edge of a bench — or something like that — you just need to be a little bit more mindful that he's around for his safety."
'Pretty amazing'
Recently Mr Shanahan was awarded the Employer of Choice Award at the Blind Australian of the Year Awards.
"He's inspirational to a lot of people," Mr Gennari said.
"To do what he's done and overcome what he has [is] pretty amazing."
Mr Shanahan remembers how hard it was to get employment when he had one eye. He hopes he can give back to the disabled community by offering employment in his cafe.
"We do try to employ people that can't really get a chance out there," he said.
Mr Shanahan wants the cafe to demonstrate how easy it is to cater for people with disabilities and create a space where people can "feel welcomed".
"I like to provide a great atmosphere and food, but also share awareness for disability and what people might not know about how to kind of cater for disability."
