There are two crazy ladies at Otaki Beach, but they’re not riding the waves. Angelique Snow andamanda Dumbleton belong to the 2 Crazy Ladies Café, a recently opened venue at 84 Moana Street, but instead of sea and sand, they serving up great coffees, hot chocolates, blueberry tarts and scones, as well as breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The 2 Crazy Ladies Café opened in March this year, and with very little hospitality experience (they come from a banking, clerical and sales background) between them, it’s been a steep learning curve.
“The last two months have been a real rollercoaster. The building had been a café before, but had been closed for some while. Fittings such as tables and chairs had been in storage, so we needed to refurbish,” saidamanda.
Angelique’s husband, Dean, tells me the former United States Armed Forces barracks, “it was moved from Queen Elizabeth Park in the 1940s,” later had a life as the Selwyn Anglican Church, before he acquired it in 1999.
Angelique andamanda hail from Hawkes Bay, but both have strong ties to Otaki, including an Otaki Beach wedding for Dean and Angelique. The two crazy ladies, plus one patient, supportive husband (Dean) commute south weekly to run their café, open from Thursday to Sunday — then it’s back to Napier foramanda, Havelock North for Dean and Angelique.
The café has a homely, funky feel, reinforced by artwork from Sonia Savage and “resident artist, Chris Stroud, who designed and painted the fence sign.” Chris is also responsible for the beach-themed outside artwork.
Although autumn is not a great time to launch a hospitality venture,amanda and Angelique brim with enthusiasm and good will.
“We’ve got heaps of ideas for the future. Maybe high teas, a chowder night, speed dating evenings. We might even do a murder mystery night,” laughs Angelique.
Linked with the humour and love of life is a strong empathy with the Otaki community, in particular the band of voluntary workers who share their time, skills and experiences.
“We’ve produced a thank you discount card to give out to various volunteers. We hope to distribute it to those people working at hospices and other non-profit organisations,” said Dean.
As the two crazy ladies say on Facebook, “Join us for a laugh, we love life and want to share some funny moments with you as we go about running our crazy, little café.”
Opening hours
Thursday, 9am – 4pm, Friday and Saturday, 9am – 3pm, 5pm – late, Sunday, 9am – 4pm. For further information call 364 5566 or email 2crazyladiescafe@gmail.com