It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

Cast your mind back to when cargo pants were a new idea and a record with a naked baby on it had just come out…… yep, the 90’s!

"Let’s Open A Café” he said “We’ll Have Fun” he said….
These were the words my husband [and business partner] Perry used to say to me when we operated the Gourmet Terrace Deli [Charles Street] in the early 90’s.     We were already selling freshly made local breads, the best Tasmanian cheeses and smallgoods, bulk bins full of grains, flours, dried fruits and nuts, jars of condiments, sauces and relishes and even had a peanut butter machine!   Why open a café?   [Why indeed?]

Because Perry was bored and wanted to go onto the next level and our deli customers asked for it.   They wanted coffee to go with their wraps and desserts.  They wanted us to remove the bulk bins and replace with tables and chairs.   They wanted to sit outside and drink chardonnay and pretend they were somewhere else even if just for an hour.    

So we did.   We opened a Café and we had fun.  18 Years later we are still having fun.   It’s a kind of fun that only one who is mad enough to work in hospitality for a long time can understand.   

Working in hospitality is a paradox, a dichotomy,  a love/hate, a joy a despair, and a feeling of desperation and abundance all at the same time.   We couldn’t imagine doing anything else. 

That’s why we would love for you to come and share the experience that we have built for you.  Come and experience the passion and excellence that over 20 years of experience and hundreds of thousands of hours of feedback, tweaking and growing our unique offering can provide you.

It’s not just the fashion that has changed, we have too, and like the fashion, we feel that we have changed for the better!

We look forward to seeing you soon.  Make sure you come in and say Hi.

Expect the best!

Ritsa and Perry

Perry Nicholas back in the Gourmet Terrace Deli days circa 1993

Perry and myself.  This would have been taken around 1998.