When Alina Mackee set her eyes on an old brick building in High Street it was love at first sight.
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She knew it was the place to unite her love of home cooking and giving cooking classes, and as soon as the lease was sorted she started designing the space to illuminate the historical features.
Ms Mackee has added a classical touch to the cafe, called The Cunning Culinarian, to make it feel like a home away from home.
Classic paneling to match the upstairs area and an antique classic tile have helped the mum of three capture the homely style.
“It’s good for this end of the town, there isn’t anything else here like this. I always had my heart set on this building, it has beautiful stained glass windows and big heavy doors,"
- she said
The building, which sits between Rose and Devonshire streets, has been vacant for a few years. Before that it was home to a cafe, hairdresser, beauty therapist and a dentist.
The mum of three opened the cafe on July 4, during the first week of the school holidays.
She has been cooking since she was a child – he dad was a chef and her grandmother was an incredible cook that taught her the ropes from a young age.
She worked for her dad when she was older before she turned to a career as a paediatric nurse and then worked as a barista while she focused on her home cooking.
The move to the food industry in many ways is a return to her roots.
“It’s a great thing to be able to show your children as a mum that you can fulfill your dream and get results,”
- she said.
The menu incorporates fresh salads, tasty delights and The Little Marionette coffee.
It also has a kids lunch box with healthy choices that can be taken away, and it’s been a big hit.
“It’s been so popular, it’s something healthy and the kids get excited about it. If they don’t eat it all you can take it away when you go,"
- she said.
- The cafe is open Monday to Friday between 8.30am and 4.30pm and on Sundays for brunch.