For Eva

Yeah, I'm terrible at blogging - always something else supposedly more important to be done and before I know it, the blog finds itself gathering dust on my office shelf.

So, dearest Eva, since you asked so nicely and Mr Matheo is currently having his afternoon nap, I'll splurge something on the page. It also means I can avoid tallying receipts and sorting out the cafe recycling!

Lots of news from past, present and future....

The last couple of months at the cafe have been overwhelming. More and more exposure from the media meaning more and more people coming to check out the cafe. Blogs, Edmonton Journal articles and word-of-mouth via Facebook and Twitter has made the business thrive. The brunch boomed on the back of a review from Edmonton Journal and I'm not joking when I say that a whole day of Sunday's sales this time last year is now achieved in the first hour of business!

We're getting more involved in sourcing local product and Original Fare has been a really interesting experience for us - very positive. We are involved in the Alberta pulse/ seed promotion week in May as well as the Wild Boar BBQ (via Slow Food Edmonton). Then there will be another Tomato Fare in Strathcona, which was real fun last year. We are also working with farmers directly: Viking Colony Farms for our chicken and eggs for example. It's not enough - I want to source local produce this summer too. Our regular supplier, Northern Light Produce Network, is pretty good at doing local when the season permits but it all comes down to the success of crops that year. And pricing of course.

A new menu of sandwiches, salads and bites will launch next week. They are result of a number of weeks work. I'm looking forward to the free-range chicken, strawberry and melted brie with mint on foccacia! Julie & Jenna - you are both so creative! And I think one sandwich is the culmination of three people's ideas! Watch this space for more about the new menu.

Coffee news. I've just read God in a Cup that had me all excited about coffee (yet again). Honestly, you would never believe just how much there is to coffee. I've been fighting with the Fetco again as I search for the sweet spot. Technically speaking, the coffee is in the zone - according to the refractometer I have borrowed from Transcend - but there is this edge I can't shake off it. I'm talking miniscule details but it still irks me. So my solution? Scott Rao has a new book out purely discussing brewing techniques. I'm going to be devouring that for sure.

Family news: Julie, Matheo & I all went off to South Africa to enjoy my sister's beautiful wedding in Cape Town. It was such a beautiful wedding: set on a cliff overlooking the ocean with a violin quartet playing and mountains behind us. Wow. We did some incredible things while we were there like cage diving with Great White Sharks! Nothing like having someone dangling 3 tuna heads just in front of you and getting 4m sharks in a frenzy. Scary, magical and slightly stupid all at the same time!

The staff did an amazing job when we were away. Courtney was fantastic - 2.5 weeks of sole managing a store that normally takes two of us. She is simply double-awesome. One unfortunate incident involved the oven and potatoes. The oven was switched to self-clean at the end of the day on Sunday but no one checked to see if anything was in there. The end result was a 3am phone call to our cabin in the middle of an elephant safari, "Hello Mr Harvey. Yes, the fire department has just cut through the lock on the door. Yes, that's right the cafe is thick with smoke." Slightly traumatised, we made our 36-hour journey home (thankfully our 6-month old was amazing well behaved on the flight). The cafe was fine - the smell went away quick enough.

So, we're looking forward to the rest of the year. we'll keep developing the music night and the story-telling slam and see what else comes our way. The patio will open up soon enough and we are working with a couple of green houses to make it look all pretty.

All in all, things are just swell!