tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38816914766384042842011-09-07T09:16:57.917-07:00Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.comBlogger541100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-6285264405687165852011-05-28T16:31:00.000-07:002011-05-28T16:31:41.655-07:00

I'm terrible at blogging.  I know I could write more often, but the man-baby and the infinite challenges the cafe throw at us never allows for such luxuries. Twitter affords a 5-second brain fart to guff onto the masses, spefically the food-obsessed yeggers I feel driven to feed once in a while, such is their influence and friendliness to us country folk out here in the tiny hamlet/ oil refinery

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-3480767548815699672010-12-05T14:56:00.000-08:002010-12-05T14:56:34.279-08:00

I feel rather sad about doing this....there's bad news and good news.... After three years of existence, we're cutting our opening hours back to 5pm.  There are a couple of good reasons: - there just isn't enough business coming through the door after 5pm.  We get busy after 7pm but it's rarely enough warrant being open.  The cafe has experienced some fantastic growth this year, but the majority

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-43320735989404569052010-10-27T23:48:00.000-07:002010-10-28T00:34:41.963-07:00

This blog is a bit of a mish mash of business and personal.  I'm actually rather critical of people that do this but I justify my approach by the fact that I don't really promote the blog via the website...so I kind of feel it can have a place in the hearts and minds of those who've discovered it. My grandfather passed away yesterday. He is responsible for Cafe Haven being in existence.  Back

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-29765217044906714872010-07-15T00:50:00.000-07:002010-07-15T00:50:13.048-07:00

Over the last couple of months we've been working with Sherwood Park's very own coconista (a chocolatier is a more famililar name to us), of JACEK chocolate, to develop the very best chocolate-based drinks.  We have two types: 1. Moccaccino 2. Hot chocolate Owner of JACEK, Jacqui, has spent an inordinate amount of time trying to get the right balance of dark/ milk chocolate; the right balance of

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-50491605635433653232010-06-20T01:28:00.001-07:002010-06-20T01:28:55.624-07:00

The other day, I was preparing lunch for Matheo.  This involves unearthing a ziplock from the freezer, retrieving a few cubes of various foods his mother has prepped, cooked and frozen using an ice cube tray.  There's tuna which are brown cubes, green pea cubes and then two very similar purple/blue cubes: beets and the other blueberries & yogurt. You can probably guess where this story is going.

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-26054813785998684442010-05-28T10:44:00.000-07:002010-06-02T01:54:14.626-07:00

3 days till June. And while there is still talk of snow storms, we have to believe that the summer is pretty much here.for establishments that serve coffee it sets a new challenge. Cafe owners and baristas alike, push their heads against the glass wondering what the warm weather feels like. The oncoming balmy days drive a significant amount of business away from The Park and into the mountains

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-38137128844627797862010-05-19T23:06:00.000-07:002010-05-20T11:54:14.267-07:00

independent cafes, like any small local business, has its challenges. one of the biggest is trying to generate enough volume so that suppliers take you seriously and offer reasonable pricing or shipping.Lately, I've been creating supply partnerships with the likes of Transcend Coffee, Credo and the soon-to-be-open Elm Cafe. Such collaborations allow us to achieve attractive pricing on basic but

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-27351592450567317512010-05-14T11:04:00.000-07:002010-05-14T11:22:34.183-07:00

Cafe Haven wins...1st for Best Brunch2nd for Best Coffee Shop2nd for Best SandwichThank you, thank you, thank you!An astonishing achievement and one we are very proud of indeed. Look out for a profile on the cafe in Vue in the next few weeks (I'm sure I'll tweet about it!). For a full list of all the winners: http://ht.ly/1KSjtBear with us as my good friend, Scott Cairns, wrestles with updating

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-53621535175412921822010-04-27T14:23:00.000-07:002010-04-27T15:02:10.580-07:00

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

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-11118170819498197512010-01-29T22:45:00.000-08:002010-01-29T22:53:35.257-08:00

I'm rubbing my eyes a little too much at the moment because it seems we're on course to have our best month to date at Cafe Haven. This is somewhat peverse: it's January! Who has money in January? I guess caffeine craving Sherwood Parkians (and I'm thankful for it).I'm confused, although with my new and very shiny dad-brain, that doesn't take much.So, this month has been less watching the bank

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-63970106646064668082010-01-21T00:02:00.000-08:002010-01-21T00:03:52.526-08:00

“STORY SLAM IN THE PARK” LAUNCH - 7:30 pm, Tuesday, February 9, 2010 At Café Haven, 9 Sioux Road, Sherwood Park, 780-417-5523 Contact: Katharine Weinmann, 780-467-9541 or go to Café Haven’s website: www.cafehaven.ca Based on models in Vancouver, New York and Edmonton, Story Slam makes its debut in Sherwood Park on February 9th. Cafe Haven's Michael and Julie Harvey, and long- time Sherwood Park

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-91585861443980055262009-12-24T00:34:00.000-08:002009-12-24T00:41:12.224-08:00

Dear Cafe Haven staff and loyal & loving customers,Julie and I are completely stunned by the efforts of our staff and the generosity of customers.It is a simply brilliant idea that must have been incredibly challenging to put together: for our staff to drum up $500 from paying customers, who already show such dedicated loyalty to the cafe, so that Cafe Haven can have membership to the influential

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-84559764592643071812009-11-27T22:27:00.000-08:002009-11-27T22:45:32.430-08:00

waste not want not - as probably any self-respecting mother from the 20th century would say. Business owners are without question the kings of one thing: reducing cost and avoiding waste. It KILLS a business owner to watch an employee, either through poor training or ignorance, use excess; throw away good product; make unnecessary errors; drop things; break things; lose things..."Isn't that

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-35560711814943844942009-11-17T23:39:00.000-08:002009-11-18T00:07:58.742-08:00

Being a boss can be great as well as horrible. A lot of it, I think, comes down to your judgement of who to employ. As employers, my wife and I have made our fair share of mistakes but thankfully you learn and get better at targeting traits of good workers.The problem in the cafe world is that most staff don't hang around too long. Starbucks, for instance, have a joyous turnover of 300%.

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-31185856676251838132009-11-11T13:34:00.000-08:002009-11-11T14:19:17.681-08:00

Here's the reason I've gone 3 months without a single post on my blog. A cutie indeed. Mathéo was born 9th October 6lb 15oz and Julie & I are as happy as two new parents can ever be. Now four months old, it's a testament to Mathéo's temperament that I am finding the business more stressful than a new born baby. He sleeps alot; doesn't cry too much and; generally has the relaxed vibe of his

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-27361540135105542022009-07-31T23:45:00.000-07:002009-08-01T00:41:45.718-07:00

after months of planning, pouring over the smallest details, we finally took the plunge, closed shop and ripped out the whole kitchen.it was a scary, stressful and uncomfortable time. i don't think i've slept as little in my life.it all started off with friends coming over on the saturday and helping us literally tear the place apart. the shock of seeing what has not probably been uncovered in

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-82191864060963664702009-06-15T23:26:00.000-07:002009-06-15T23:45:02.950-07:00

we're two and half weeks away from closing up shop for reno's.  Appliances are on order and I've accepted quotes from plumbers/ electricians and millworkers.  Money's been spent and there's no turning back!The aim is to be closed for six days, during which time we'll literally rip out the old kitchen and replace it with something bigger and far smarter.  The designs I inserted in my previous post

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-41528044627385124132009-05-05T23:18:00.000-07:002009-05-05T23:36:09.298-07:00

It might end up looking completely different from this drawing but I wanted to show you just what's been going on.  Working closely with chef consultant, Nate Box, he's come up with a rather brilliant and different looking kitchen area...  There are five distinct areas to the proposed layout:1. food prep area (the central island infront of the two tall fridge/ freezer units)2. food building area

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-3972071626077469582009-04-15T19:41:00.001-07:002009-04-15T19:59:14.165-07:00

is what I think POS stands for (not quite 'Point of Sale').  "The wonders of a new till system!", I was promised as I stared at the row of flashy computer touch screen systems.  "They will change your life! Run your business, manage your books, rub your feet and let you take 6-week holidays!"I was sold from the moment I walked in the store but never truly understood what I was getting myself

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-77470022299553366542009-03-19T21:16:00.000-07:002009-03-19T21:30:47.007-07:00

3 things.1. renovations to the cafe in april are more than likely to be delayed until we can get finance, millwork designed and built, an electrician and a plumber confirmed.  Not much then!  Two trades we had confirmed bailed on us and the millworker we did have lined up was decent enough to suggest they might be out of their league with the job in hand.  I have a very clear idea of what I want

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-42548091732568771692009-02-21T23:13:00.000-08:002009-02-22T00:20:10.939-08:00

when the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) first formed in 1982 they decided to avoid the term 'gourmet' as it appeared on overused term in the world of coffee....oh my, how nothing has changed!and if I hear 'I like bold coffees' one more time...Back to the subject of coffee and the SCAA.  They try to help directionless souls like me with as many guides, instructions, charts and

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-19078387529723647902009-02-21T21:31:00.001-08:002009-02-21T22:19:56.401-08:00

it's not about haven, but it is important enough to me to mention on my blog: my dearest sister is getting married!  Andy Taylor whisked Julie Summers away to "Bathalona" and proposed.absolute magic.Andy is a cracking fella who last year left his adventurous and somewhat terrifying Army days to seek out a career in commercial diving, which is turning into a real success.  A man who has experience

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-86353235295173223092009-02-04T21:38:00.000-08:002009-02-05T19:40:41.601-08:00

delayed blog of course...but better late than never!  ahem...we had a few more coffee highlights ahead of us when we planned to use the remainder of our time in London.  all this was made possible by our dear friends, matt & charlotte, who made our visit so easy, relaxing and wonderful it was inevitably all the more difficult to leave!back to business.  first up was monmouth coffee, which roasts

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-71440560537137740302009-01-02T00:23:00.000-08:002009-01-02T00:53:24.670-08:00

Carrying on from my previous post, my friends here in Brighton expanded on why the locals are protesting about the Starbucks. It appears that a global corporation is happy to flout the law in order to expand into the markets it sees fit. The starbucks I mentioned has failed to secure the correct planning permission to be allowed to offer drinks onsite. It is also ignoring the pleas of hundreds

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-64638418079363945352009-01-01T03:37:00.000-08:002009-01-01T04:37:33.814-08:00

coffee in the uk pretty much sucks. one of the guys at Transcend (our coffee roastery), Josh, went on a tour around Europe last year and came back rather disappointed. In fact, even in the great cities around the world don't ooze brilliant coffee. Mel, a Haven and Transcend employee, last year was rather let down by her quest around New York to find a decent cup - a trad cappuccino just didn't

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-55475881733905697222008-12-20T01:45:00.000-08:002008-12-20T01:51:13.547-08:00

Julie and I shall be taking a much needed break as we close the cafe between Christmas Day and New Year's opening the doors again on Jan 2nd. We shall be in the UK until the 10th Jan leaving the business in the more than capable hands of our wonderful staff.We hope our customers have enjoyed our first year and we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy new year!Michael & Julie

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-73356593937487312002008-12-20T00:37:00.000-08:002008-12-20T01:26:13.533-08:00

One of the challenges we've had trying to run the cafe during our first proper winter season is determining how much advertising to do; what to say; where to place it and; when to place it. Whilst we still have 4 more crucial days remaining I have learnt a few things:1) concise messages highlighting a specific product/ service are far more productive than general overviews.2) the classic

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-48534769176208031182008-12-01T23:25:00.000-08:002008-12-03T01:07:08.780-08:00

Risk. It's in everything we do. I've spoken to customers over the last few weeks and I've been gauging their opinions on all the economical turbulence being felt in the world. Many mention that this is what happens when companies and individuals decide to be risky. Some stated the irresponsibility of businesses to ignore potential disastrous consequences of their actions.I often get asked why my

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-24618259064778224122008-11-27T01:15:00.000-08:002008-11-27T01:31:12.496-08:00

Well it might not be but having received my Birthday pressie 1 week early I have already become rather fixated with this new way of living.The cafe is feeling good, with last week providing us with our best sales to date, we now look forward to Christmas. The first couple of private parties have gone fairly well with people leaving impressed. It's difficult for people to know whether they'll get

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-4588017455211853482008-11-07T22:40:00.000-08:002008-11-07T22:52:42.156-08:00

yep, the idea of frequent posting didn't last too long....i have a lovely lady who pops in on a regular basis who has challenged herself to blog every day for 100 days. her posts are beautifully written. i think i fear i may struggle to do 1 post every 100 days...nevertheless, here i am on the blog so i should get to the point of my latest news.julie and i have hit a new level with sales really

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-77277076674277245952008-10-02T10:03:00.000-07:002008-10-25T17:26:04.877-07:00

no, no thankfully it's not quite that time of year, in fact Edmonton is enjoying a glorious Indian Summer right now. Nothing quite beats watching red leaves fall against the sky blue background...snowballs as in the workload is starting to snowball. The very notion I have time to write this worries me. I worry that I am ignoring things I know I should be doing. To say that we are getting busy is

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-74456831386367860802008-09-10T13:04:00.000-07:002008-09-14T13:23:40.203-07:00

coffee beans - adored by all and misunderstood by many. we've started making a point to customers that we sell coffee beans. but more importantly, we trying to educate our market that coffee fresh is as important as getting your produce fresh. coffee is a perishable product that should only be held in bean form for a week or two AND held in the right conditions (no freezing/ fridges please just a

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-45207440082224749782008-08-22T19:29:00.001-07:002008-08-24T11:17:59.871-07:00

held at festival place just up the road from the cafe, julie and i wandered along with friends chad and thea to check out the latest liquor features (thanks to laurie of PMA for the tickets!). i found a couple of pleasant beers made by Yukon Brewing Company. i particularly enjoyed their espresso stout and heard about their cranberry wheat ale that might work for the female audience at the

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-91278696391531413012008-08-22T19:29:00.000-07:002008-08-24T11:06:11.583-07:00

i shake my head in shame at my abysmal attempts to keep this blog in check. however, someone made a comment to me: less is more. so, my next few will be concise entries to allow a little more of a bite-size approach.this week is shaping up to be cafe haven's best to date. a combination of great early week sales followed by an invitation by one of Julie's friends (thank you Alana of Tasty

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-22625347231415311952008-08-13T10:21:00.000-07:002008-09-05T14:25:20.105-07:00

as a way of thanking people for helping make the cafe the way it is today, i am going to write a series of posts. this is the second.when we bought the lease to the premises of jemz meeting place, i don't think julie and i quite understood the sheer size of the task at hand to make our dream come true. if you are ever curious to see how this place used to look before cafe haven, you can give

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-86995541306988631842008-07-28T17:34:00.001-07:002008-07-28T18:05:00.452-07:00

as a way of thanking people for helping make the cafe the way it is today, i am going to write a series of posts. this is the first.out in montreal living with julie's sister, louis ploughed in hours and hours of research and work into making the logo what it is today. louis provided background ideas and concepts and then developed four different creatives.at first, julie and i were thinking

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-23842740444866875932008-07-28T16:32:00.001-07:002008-07-28T16:44:19.548-07:00

out in Victoria, our good friends thea and chad got themselves married! they are quite the match with their combined food, wine and coffee skills. we were hoping to attend but the usual culprits of a business in its first year (staff and money) played their part to play in stopping us from going. bah!but we can't complain. i was present at chad's stag where we dressed him up in a monkey

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-21226415716504125772008-07-11T18:24:00.000-07:002008-07-21T21:48:13.249-07:00

the bluntest forms of advertising still exist it seems. when i first arrived in canadia i was surprised to see that sat on every roadside was a 9' by 5' temporary board decked in neon lettering. businesses of all sizes appeared happy to sell off these ludicrous rough-looking boards. it was cringing to see even the likes of IKEA were using a medium that pretty much raped the brand of any standards

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-83753912219840537092008-07-10T07:52:00.000-07:002008-07-11T18:24:46.271-07:00

wine before beer and you'll feel a little queer.finally getting the wine glass rack installed was a happy moment. i have a habit of buying equipment and then hanging on to it forever whilst I try and find a less than obscene hour when we are closed to install it! a classic example is the set of cupboard doors that just need staining and protecting and then they are ready to replace the ugly

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-85016949754947058462008-07-02T00:05:00.000-07:002008-07-02T00:17:56.783-07:00

a month back julie's sister headed over from montreal to catch up with family and rolled up her experienced sleeves to give us a hand at the cafe (and yes, my abysmal record of not writing about it until months later is laid bare for all to tut at!).cindy was definitely a dab hand in the kitchen and a few lessons on coffee had her slicing up the foam with a cocktail stick to produce almost a

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-88067809825269116322008-07-01T23:44:00.000-07:002008-07-04T23:02:42.544-07:00

four weeks have flown by. i hate blogs that become intermittent, starting out with good intentions only to fall by the way side as life/ work becomes too busy. i intend this to be the longest period without a post to ever occur. apologies to the three of you who read my musings.but at least my check list is a little less busy...- freezer installed and repaired : check- fridge installed, new

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-73958665820142048492008-06-05T21:05:00.000-07:002008-06-05T21:26:14.362-07:00

to the non-british, a "geezer" is defined by the dicitonary as "a queer character, a strangely-acting person". The garage music scene invaded by The Streets, mention on one of their tracks about a bloke being a little geeze. well, my oh my, the dude i've been dealing with to get my fridges and freezers sorted out in the back room is PROPER GEEZE.i never realized how important these cooling cubes

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-6048668309200513662008-05-30T00:21:00.000-07:002008-05-30T00:37:53.606-07:00

she did us proud.last weekend, mel, who has been with us practically from the start, headed up to calgary to support her friend josh who entered into the barista competition. mel took the opportunity to train as a technical judge so that she could help grade the competitors.being an employee meant that she was able to be a judge from cafe haven. this representation was so important since julie

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-24395503631322261082008-05-25T23:42:00.000-07:002008-06-05T21:28:02.542-07:00

in the small world of specialty coffee on the prairies, a regional barista competition took place in calgary over the weekend. This means that skilled barmen who understand the art of making excellent espresso-based drinks compete in order to prove to technical and sensory judges that they are the best in the business.our good friend, chad, who works at transcend coffee and who actually roasts

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-10599329319602964482008-05-22T15:42:00.000-07:002008-06-05T21:28:41.971-07:00

rain. the first proper down pours of 2008. it's pants.you would think an englishman could handle the rain. i can, but unfortunately the cafe can't. yep, the cafe is leaking again.the landlord is doing his best but sourcing leaks is a never-ending battle - you plug one and the water moves to the next most vulnerable spot. the roofing guys could end up never finding the problem. the reality is that

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-50940238113376585112008-05-17T23:26:00.000-07:002008-06-05T21:29:23.190-07:00

wow, what a lot of white legs have come out this week! yep, west canada has suddenly found the summer sun and today was a whopping 28 outside. we started the first day of this long weekend very much how we expect it to be for the next two days: dead quiet. what i have learnt rather quickly is this....with the weather over here being so dramatic, people's lives are much more black and white. not

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-13103864495633522542008-05-15T23:11:00.000-07:002008-06-05T21:30:18.083-07:00

after many many days of sitting in sacks, suddenly green coffee beans are roasted, rested and bagged up. next thing they know, they are in a local cafe, grinded to a specific level and placed in a basket in a porterfilter.this pic is of a naked porterfilter, meaning you can see the 500+ punched-hole basket where the shot of espresso will exit into a cup. possibly more familiar to you if there

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-37948661510875768512008-05-14T21:40:00.000-07:002008-06-05T21:30:49.995-07:00

i don't like creating waste/ trash/ garbage (or rubbish as I like to call it). it makes me feel lazy. thankfully, cafe haven has decided on a few things to help reduce the level of waste and increase recycling efforts. first off, we have six bins/ trash cans which we use to separate mixed paper, milk jugs, bottles/ cans, general waste and other plastics. the landlord also provides containers for

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-2126157456700569342008-05-06T21:50:00.000-07:002008-06-05T21:31:09.115-07:00

dull to talk about it, but life in a cafe is gruelling. i never realised it of course, but working the business for five months has allowed me to reflect on the sheer daily workload. it is a love-hate relatioship but i thought you might be interested in understanding our typical day:6am(ish) - open up. get airpots warmed, season espresso machine, bake muffins/ loaves and a baguette, make soup,

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-33862981377629278242008-05-06T21:09:00.000-07:002008-05-06T21:45:44.623-07:00

i wish i could understand what is going on inside a coffee bean. our new brewer, the fetco CBS-2031e, arguably one of the finest brewers available, is trying hard to help me crack the complex flavours in our beans. fetco would rather i called it an extractor (not a brewer). they have good reason since you can program the machine's coffee volume, percentage of pre-wet, pre-wet delay, brew time,

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-6344459929302505572008-05-02T19:57:00.000-07:002008-05-06T21:09:03.072-07:00

oh dear. oh deary me. when you spend nearly $4k in rent every month you don't want to arrive 6am to find one of your couches sodden in rusty pipe water and patches of floor bubbling up from puddles of rain.we had heard rumours from some of the regulars that rain has a bad habit of making its way into the premises. i was worried because it was not only cutting down the volume of people we could

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-31867344432683782232008-04-27T19:10:00.000-07:002008-05-06T21:08:44.741-07:00

cups, cups and cups - you would think it would be relatively easy to choose cups for a cafe. When first starting the business, we found ourselves with about nine different types - it was ridiculous. there were two styles for large hot drinks; three styles for medium-sized drinks; one style just for tea, one just for medium cappuccino, one just for medium lattes, and so on and so on....it was

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-59932323105793370132008-04-24T21:18:00.000-07:002008-05-06T21:08:24.089-07:00

yep, it's april in alberta. the weekend before last it was 18 degrees, the sun was shining and even our new patio furniture was being used for the first time. peopple were sitting out in the warmth enjoying haven iced coffee.but on Saturday afternoon and within the space of a few hours, the winter gods had popped back to edmonton, obviously having forgotten something ("did I leave the oven on? is

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3881691476638404284.post-33160896012503302162008-04-20T11:02:00.000-07:002008-05-06T21:08:00.835-07:00

that's us. julie and michael harvey married in jasper back in Aug 2007, not even a year ago and only a few months after having returned from around-the-world travels.seems like an age ago. and neither of us would have believed that two months later we would buy the assets of a cafe in sherwood park, canada.but we did.cafe haven is 4 months, 1 week and 6 days old. it says something about starting

Cafe Havenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13129321420844007479noreply@blogger.com0