Ritual co-owners take over former French Essence cafe in Marlborough
Del and Dave Lowther with dog Issey on the astroturf of their new Redwoodtown cafe, Haven, the site of the former French Essence cafe.
The owners of popular Blenheim cafe Ritual are opening a new cafe called Haven in Redwoodtown.
Dave and Del Lowther bought Ritual eight months ago, but found the small size of the kitchen meant they were struggling to produce enough food.
They were going to install a larger commercial kitchen but when the opportunity came to take over the former French Essence cafe three weeks ago, they jumped at the opportunity.
The couple raised their family in the area when the cafe was in the Redwoodtown Garden Centre, and Del Lowther said she had fond memories of taking their children there.
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"We want to bring that good community hub feeling back," she said.
The kitchen at the new cafe would produce food for Ritual and Haven, however the food choices would differ to suit the demographics of each area, she said.
Haven would still offer some of the gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options Ritual was known for, but it would also serve more traditional cafe food like pies and sandwiches.
Before the cafe opened on April 21, Del and Dave Lowther were busy landscaping the outside area, planting trees and laying astroturf around the children's playground.
They also planned to put potted plants inside and eventually install booths to create the peaceful environment the name of the cafe conjured up.
The small, polished black stones that used to line the outside area when it was a garden centre would also be removed, along with the large shade cloth pole, Del Lowther said.
Having more space would improve the working conditions of the Ritual staff, who had been tripping over each other in the cramped Ritual kitchen, she said.
"We've got the most amazing team of staff at Ritual and without them we wouldn't be doing this."
The redevelopment of the existing Countdown building, to include retail stores, alongside a bustling cafe would create a good atmosphere in Redwoodtown, she said.
"We want to help enrich the community and keep it moving forward."
- The Marlborough Express
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