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FOOD& DRINK: Cafe's a lifestyle choice

September 30, 2006
FOOD& DRINK: Cafe's a lifestyle choice. Check it out:
(The Birmingham Post Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) It is a typical Kings Heath street. Rabbit hutches are piled up outside a pet shop, several sofas peek out of a furniture store and a couple are enjoying a fry up at a greasy spoon across the road.



But there is a hidden gem among these standard array of shops and it has got residents excited.

For those who have bemoaned the rise in charity shops and for the council, which is thinking up a strategy to make Kings Heath "more like Moseley" with a better class of shop, they may be pleasantly surprised that there is hope on the horizon.

Behind some smart iron gates and through a little alleyway off York Road lies Kitchen Garden Cafe - an enterprise set up by two passionate environmentalists keen to add something to this diverse community.

"People seek us out when they come in and tell us this is exactly what Kings Heath needs," says owner Brett Rehling, who gave up his job as an IT manager for Cadbury's to create this cafe and garden shop.

"Within two weeks of opening we were getting 60 to 70 covers and that was without a single bit of advertising. The great thing about Kings Heath and Moseley is that people speak to each other and our business has come from word of mouth," he adds.

Brett, who met his wife Tracey Fletcher while volunteering at Birmingham Friends of the Earth, greets me with a wide smile, keen to show off the huge renovation of this former hardware shop.

He now works at the cafe full time, with Tracey chipping in whenever possible in between working for WWF and caring for their two-year-old son, Sacha.

"This was the old hardware store," he says pointing at the shiny new kitchen where a cheery chef is busy dishing out breakfasts. "And this was an old greenhouse full of rubbish," he says as we walk among the wooden tables. "And over here was Kings Heath's former blacksmiths. When we came, it had been used as a saw mill and was knee deep in sawdust."

It is clear the couple's passion to make such a venture work is reflected in the way they have renovated this old building.

The original brick walls and Victorian windows have been restored, and blue bricks from the former blacksmith's have been used to create a Mediterranean style patio and courtyard.

Chunky wooden tables have been created from scaffolding boards and the chairs and cabinets have been bought from local auctions.

Work from local artists adorn the walls and in the corner a mum and toddler enjoy a quiet moment in the specially created children's play area.

As Brett shows off the building work, Tracey bounds in, keen to explain why the pair decided to embark on this ambitious project.

Both are so enthused, it is soon clear their business is more about creating a sustainable community than it is about making money.

"We want it to be attractive to everyone," says Tracey. "It is a cool place for young people and a nice environment for families."

"When you go to Spain you get restaurants which are like meeting places for families, there is a real mixed bunch of people," Brett chips in.

"Now we have got a child we know what people with young children want - they want to go somewhere other than a Wacky Warehouse," adds Tracey.

The pair are desperate to move away from the chunky cardigan, sandal wearing image an organic cafe might attract and hope the diverse community of Kings Heath will find something here for them.

"It would be the end of the world if the fact we were organic meant we only attracted posh, rich people," says Tracey.

"The cafe dispels two common misconceptions: first, that organic food is an exclusive, over-priced niche market' and second, that organic is boring, all lentil loaves and curd cheese. We wanted to give our customers the opportunity to experience the creativity that is possible with organic, seasonal and local food, at prices they can afford."

But the pair find it difficult to cover costs and overheads without pushing up their prices.

"We are not breaking even yet, and people seem surprised when we tell them that," Tracey explains.

"But we are confident we will get there," Brett adds, as he sets out a vision for evening events from cabaret acts to cheese and wine tasting.

"We are not in the city centre or in Brighton or London - this is Kings Heath and people are not going to spend a lot on lunch. So we have to be very resourceful," he adds.

It is 11am and the cafe is gearing up for what they hope will be a busy lunch. An aroma of tomato soup and marrow fritters flows from the kitchen while a chef's assistant slices thick chunks of fresh organic bread.

The marrow has been taken off a plant grown in the garden, where a variety of plants from olive trees to courgettes are up for sale.

"I always liked food and being a host.

"We used to have a lot of parties, and so we were used to doing it for nothing," says Brett as he explains what made him give up his job for this new competitive world of hospitality.

For Tracey, it was a desire to do more for her local community which prompted the move.

"I started working for WWF eight-and-a-half years ago, which was really fulfilling, but for the last few years it has not been enough for me - I wanted to do something really practical.

"We were doing a regional strategy for WWF, but I wanted to look at what is actually happening in the community - getting real results. I had lots of ambition to have a real sustainable community, have a central meeting point where people can come and relax."

As well as the cafe, the couple have created a small shop and deli selling local foods, such as Fowlers' cheese from Warwickshire and yoghurt from the Dairy House in Herefordshire.

There is also an array of organic veg from a Malvern farm, packs of Tyrrells Crisps, ice-cream from September Dairies in Herefordshire and Frank's hand-made biscuits, also from Herefordshire.

Tracey coaxes me into the garden shop, where everything related to organics can be found.

"I was just fed up of going into garden centres and seeing such a pathetic section on organic gardening," she says.

Everything from bird boxes to organic fertilisers can be found, with both organic and non organic plants scattered around the entrance.

"We wanted to link growing and eating organically," she says.

"We are going to have an apple day soon and next year we hope to stock lots of seeds for the allotment holders around here," she adds.

Their vision had been to find a venue where they could create a community one stop shop, a space for a creche, restaurant and, at one stage, a launderette.

To some it may seem like another, if not attractive looking, cafe. But to them it is a lifestyle they want to share with the rest of Kings Heath.

"We want it to be a community place. In some areas mums meet up in these grim community centres because there is no where else to go," says Tracey. "I hope we have created somewhere attractive for all sorts of people within the community."

Copyright 2006 Birmingham Post & Mail Ltd.


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