Coming back from the station this afternoon, I noticed that work has started on the recently mooted deli and coffee shop next to La Vina on Wightman Road.
I stopped and introduced myself to Kevin who owns the business-to-be (but is leasing the premises from the 'corner shop' next door).
From a brief chat it sounds like good news all round. First timescale - Kevin hopes to be open in six or seven weeks once he's finished renovating the interrior.
First impressions of the interior look good. He's stripped the tongue and groove wood panelling from one wall to take it back to the brick. On that wall he's also taken out the lower part of two brick piers and inserted two metal columns which looks quite striking. On the opposite wall he's leaving the origial tongue and groove.
I also saw a pair of church doors waiting to be fitted. Those'll be used as the entrance way out to the garden which will be brought in to use as an outside seating space. It'll also be a growing space for herbs for use in cooking as well as for sale. (Sounding good?)
Born in Maurtius, Kevin's been a local for the last four years having moved in to his girlfriend's home in Burgoyne Road. Kevin has a background in physical fitness but blends this with a family passion for cooking. So as well as being a fitness trainer, he also runs a catering service working for a small number of corporate clients. The one client he named was one anyone would love to have on their list - which suggests that he must be doing something right.
In the cafe/deli the fare won't be 100% organic, but lots of it will be. Kevin's fearful of what it will do to his pricing if he were to go completely organic. He's planning to source 60-80% of his produce from his mother's property in Surrey - so fairly local as food miles go.
I asked if we could expect to see some yummy Mauritian food and he told me that apparently there will be some. He explained that Mauritian cooking is 'the original fusion food', being a mix between South Indian and French cuisines.
Sounding even better?
I also asked if he might think about offering some home cooked ready-meals that people could pick up on their way home from the station. Apparently this is on the cards too as it will help him to be productive during the quieter late afternoon period. But he's also thinking about wooing local mums or other groups during that period. What can he do to woo you?
Just before I left to let him get on with the work of creating what might be called Moka, Kevin also mentioned his plans to reserve some counter space for other local food producers. Apparently he's already in discussion with a couple of local cake bakers!
It all sounds very exciting to me. It's wonderful to see work started and I very much look forward to being one of Moka's first customers!
Tags for Forum Posts: Wightman Road, moka, moka review, wightman deli
Hurry up Kevin!
If anything will encourage me to take my library books back on time, it's the thought I can reward myself with something scrummy on the way home.
That's fantastic.
My wife is from La Réunion (The island next to Mauritius) so she is very pleased.
if he has a garden out the back then he will woo the mums well with coffee and safe place to sit and drink it with small people who wont get hit by a 4x4 on Wightman road...
and, if he offers skimmed milk as an option with his coffees he'll do well with that also!
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