Two Olives

Richmond Hill in Central is home to many tremendous eateries some of which have been featured in past PE Coffee Crawl blog posts.  Thursday's Crawlers headed yet again to this popular area of town for the last Crawl of May.  Though some of our regulars were unable to be with us we numbered twelve Crawlers (including first-timers Pierrette and Nicolette) who met at Two Olives, 1a Stanley Street in Richmond Hill.

Two Olives, co-owned by Mark Moore and Jonathan Gunston, opened in August, 2012.  Up to this point Mark and Jonathan have focused mainly on a menu of breakfasts and artisan breads, tapas selections, and Mediterranean themed lunches/light dinners.  However, coming soon, the owners are adding a full deli section to their business.  The deli launch/grand opening is planned for the last weekend in June.....sounds like it will be a good time.... definitely worth checking out!!!

Meet the Owner
Jonathan Gunston

Meet the Barista
Lucky

In the meantime, Thursday's Crawlers, Beth Vieira, Leanne Waller, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Margaret and Arthur Marshall, Margaret Zoetmulder, Sheila Hurford, Colleen Le Roux, and newcomers, Pierrette De Winne and Nicolette Hijmans, enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, unique decor and awesome Pavin coffee prepped by our barista, Lucky.  I also bought some "to-die-for" fresh ciabatta to take home..... the perfect accompaniment for our pasta dinner that evening!

Two Olives accommodates about 130 patrons with seating available upstairs, downstairs and outside.  The shop is fully licensed and there is plenty of parking on Stanley St. and other side streets.  Two Olives' hours are Tues-Sat, 8a.m.-10p.m., Sun, 8a.m.-3:30p.m., closed on Monday. 

This Week's Crawlers
Leanne, Margaret Z., Stella, Beryl, Arthur, Colleen,
Margaret M., Sheila, Beth, Pierrette, Nicolette

Upstairs dining area



Upstairs balcony

Conversation at the table centered mostly around the Arts in and around PE.  It seems that with concerts, shows, recitals and exhibits at the Feathermarket, the Opera House, NMMU, the boardwalk Amphitheater and numerous museums, there's rarely a weekend that goes by without some production or other to attend here in PE.  Coming up as well at the end of the month and into July is the annual National Arts Festival in Grahamstown (a mere hour's drive).  Catching some shows at this week-long event has become a must for Lou and me since we've been here.  PE Arts fans, get out there and see all that the Friendly City and the surrounding area has to offer!

Love the furnishings!

Barista Jam Update:  Coffee Culture App is sponsoring the June Barista Jam this coming Saturday, June 8, 6 p.m. at Grind (the old Deli Street Cafe) on Stanley Street in Richmond Hill.  Come and watch our very own PE baristas crank out some incredible latte art!  Plenty of free coffee and live music!!!!!

PE Coffee Crawl blog readers - I am traveling to the States this Thursday and will be there for the remainder of June.  Our next official Coffee Crawl is scheduled for Thursday, July 4.  I may post pics from some coffee shops in the U.S.  Keep and eye out!

~Thank you to Mark, Jonathan and Lucky for hosting Thursday's Crawl....good luck with your deli launch!

~Congrats to my nephew, David, as he graduates from High School - June 6

~Happy Father's Day to all Fathers, Grandfathers, and Godfathers! - June 16

~Lots of birthdays to cover before the next post:

  Happy Birthday to:

             My brother-in-law, Roger, in Edinboro, PA - June 6

             Jackie in Tucson, AZ -  June 16

             My brother, Chuck, in Erie, PA - June 17

             Crawler, June Nash - June 20

             David in Tucson, AZ - June 23

             My favorite daughter, Lizzy, in Washington, DC - July 6

Until next time,

Ellen

Happy Lands Farm / B&B

So, after more than two years and over 100 Crawls it was just a matter of time before someone suggested our first PE Coffee Crawl road trip!  On May 2 as the Crawlers were sitting at The Tin House (see May, 2013 post) two lovely ladies, Nita Tayler-Smith and Myrna Bakker, stopped by the table, introduced themselves and joined us for coffee.  Once Nita heard about the Crawl she invited us all to her farm/B&B near Addo for a future Crawl.  Nita and I immediately got busy playing phone tag and sending emails and texts in order to plan the first out of town Crawl.  The Happy Lands Farm / B&B is located on Prospect Rd. in Summerville near Addo about an hour's drive from PE.

This Week's Crawlers and our Hostesses
Standing- Margaret M., Dale, Nita, Stella, Beryl,
Leanne, Sheila, Margaret Z., Myrna
On bench - June, Arthur
On ground - Colleen, Gail

On Thursday, May 23, Crawlers Leanne Waller, June Nash, Margaret Zoetmulder, Sheila Hurford, Dale Mitchell, Colleen LeRoux, Gail Darne, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Margaret and Arthur Marshall piled into three vehicles and headed to Happy Lands.  An hour later we arrived and were warmly welcomed by Nita and Myrna.  Once we got ourselves situated, we were led on a leisurely tour of the grounds including the rose garden, the pool area, the citrus orchard, and the self-catering B&B units.  Upon our return to the main house, a table on the verandah overlooking the gardens, set with savories, cakes, coffee and tea, awaited us!

The Rose Garden



The Orchard



We settled around the table, sampled all the goodies (not good for the waistline but oh so worth it!), and enjoyed the beautiful morning.  Everything was so delicious that we all asked if Nita's and Myrna's recipes were secret or could they share.  Luckily, many of their recipes are found in the Country Cuisine 2nd Edition cookbook published in 2009 to mark the Silver Jubilee of the Addo Rose Show of the Sundays River Women's Institutes.  Better still, there were a few copies in stock for sale!!!!  Needless to say, the two in stock sold immediately and an order list was created for the upcoming shipment!



Arthur and Nita



The Crawlers on the Verandah

The Crawlers not only love cookbooks but all books in general.  Over the years we have become somewhat of a quasi-book club.  I, being the biggest book nerd of the bunch, spent some time perusing the extensive B&B library which included four first printing Jules Verne volumes.  Once everyone was finished eating I brought out the Jules Verne treasures, much to the delight of all at the table.  These books spurred on a conversation about world travel, the places we've been, the places we'd love to go.  It was agreed by all....... so many books to read, so many places to see........... so little time.

From the B&B library

To say that Nita and Myrna spoiled us would be an understatement.  Their hospitality continued, though, as we were departing.  Bags of lemons and oranges for each of us to take home were distributed to us as parting gifts!  Thank you so much, ladies!

Colleen and Margaret with their parting gifts

Country Cuisine cookbook
What should I make first.....
Citrus Souffle or Citrus Surprise?

A quick hour later found us back in PE after a magical morning at Happy Lands.  Now that we have our first road trip under our belts the Crawlers are looking forward to more amazing adventures!

The road home

For more info regarding Happy Lands Farm / B&B (just a 20 min drive from Addo Elephant National Park) contact Mike and Nita Tayler-Smith at 042 234 0422 or check out their website: www.happylands.co.za

~An enormous THANK YOU  to Mike and Nita Tayler-Smith and Myrna Bakker for your hospitality and
  friendship.  The Crawlers had a wonderful time and are looking forward to seeing you at the Crawl in PE
  soon!!!

Until next week,

Ellen

These two met me outside my door when I arrived home.
"Where have you been all day?"

Care Haven Autumn Market

There are numerous opportunities to support local charitable organizations in PE.  Last Thursday, Friday, Saturday (May 16,17,18) the non-profit organization, Care Haven, hosted its annual Autumn Market which was held at 188 Villiers Rd. in Walmer.  The Autumn Market featured a quilt raffle along with South African arts and crafts for sale.  An outdoor tea garden serving various teas, Masterton's Blend 81 coffee, scones and cakes was available for fund-raiser patrons.

June supporting the Care Haven Autumn Market tea garden

Thursday's Crawlers, Beth Vieira, Gail Darne, Stella and Beryl Dawson, June Nash, Leanne Waller, Margaret Zoetmulder, Colleen Le Roux, Sheila Hurford, Margaret and Arthur Marshall, arrived at 10 and decided to order refreshments before heading to the craft sale.  With the weather so wonderful and the tables beautifully set the Crawlers enjoyed a relaxing bit of time discussing the Care Haven organization, then went on to find art and craft treasures among the many stalls.  We all left with our purses a little lighter, but for a good cause.  My vote for best purchase of the morning was Gail's dung beetle tea towel.... only in Africa!!!!

This Week's Crawlers
Beryl, Leanne, Gail, June, Stella, Beth



More of Thursday's Crawlers
Margaret Z., Colleen, Margaret M., Arthur, Sheila



Established in 1986, Care Haven, situated at 14-20 Belmont Terrace in Central, "provides residential and therapeutic care for people who have a history of mental illness, who have been discharged from a psychiatric hospital and who are unable to function independently in society.  Also residents who do not have family or those whose families do not cope with them are referred to [the] centre for accommodation and treatment." (Care Haven informational pamphlet)

The Crawlers attended the Autumn Market on the first of the three-day event.  On Friday the Lake Farm Centre (see May 2, 2013 post) Band.... always a hit..... played to an appreciative crowd of event attendees.  From what I hear the fund-raiser was a huge success.  The Crawlers are looking forward to attending again next year!!! 

I'm still waiting for the phone call letting me know I won that quilt........ 



Still waiting for the call.......



~Thank you to the staff and management of Care Haven for all you do.

~Lots of Crawler birthdays this week.....

  Happy Birthday to:  Daniel and Les - May 22

                                Nomusa - May 23

                                Keith - May 27

Until next week,

Ellen

PE Coffee Crawl #100

On Thursday, May 9, the PE Coffee Crawl hit the century mark!  To celebrate the occasion the Crawlers decided to meet and have coffee at the new Boardwalk Hotel's Kiplings Restaurant.  Kiplings is not a coffee shop, for sure, but everyone wanted to check out the new hotel, and what better excuse than the 100th Crawl!

Boardwalk Hotel lobby

I made the reservation earlier in the week so when we all arrived on Thursday morning we were greeted by the entire Kiplings morning staff and management.  As it was raining on Crawl Day an inside ocean view table was beautifully set for us.  Our amazingly wonderful and talented waiter/barista Frank helped June, Leanne and me with decorative finishing touches.




Meet the Barista
Frank



This Week's Crawlers
Sandy, Margaret Z., Colleen, Gail, Beth, Arthur,
Margaret M., Leanne, June, Beryl, Stella, Sheila

Two of the original four Crawlers
Ellen and Beth 

Even the barista got in on the act!

All morning, Crawlers June Nash, Leanne Waller, Margaret and Sandy Zoetmulder, Stella and Beryl Dawson, Margaret and Arthur Marshall, Gail Darne, Beth Vieira, Sheila Hurford, Colleen LeRoux enjoyed tea and LavAzza coffee along with platters of delicious pastries provided by the Kiplings chef.  We spent the time on Thursday reminiscing about the 100 Crawls and the many tremendous people we have met.

Leanne helping to decorate

Some interesting PE Coffee Crawl stats: 
       In all there have been 94 Coffee Crawlers, 63 females and 31 males.
       The Crawlers range in age from 4 weeks to 90 years!
       The Crawlers have come from 8 different countries.
       We have tasted 22 different coffee brands.
       We have spent 2 Thanksgivings and 3 St. Patrick's Days together.
       The PE Coffee Crawl blog has readers from 6 continents and averages well over 2,000 hits per month

The PE Coffee Crawl has been an amazing experience.  I would like to extend a huge thank you to all the Crawlers and my blog readers, and all the coffee shop owners/managers, baristas and staff members for making the PE Coffee Crawl such a success.  A special thank you goes out to the President of the PE Coffee Crawl Fan Club, my father-in-law, Sabie, who keeps the pressure on me each week to get my post published before the next Crawl!

Here's to 100 fantastic Crawls and to 100 more!!!

*A note to PE coffee lovers- the next Barista Jam will be held this coming Friday, May 17, 7:00 p.m. at
 Como Cafe, 86 Heugh Rd. in Walmer.  Hope to see you there!

~Thank you to the staff and management of Kiplings for hosting our 100th Crawl.
~Happy Birthday to Crawler Gail Darne - May 15
~Happy 4th Birthday to my adorable grandson, Alex - May 19
~Thank you to Janine at Party Stuff, Worraker Rd. in Newton Park for the balloon trees!
~Thank you to the staff at Scrapbook Nook on Main Rd. in Walmer for the 100th Coffee Crawl badges.

Until Crawl 101,

Ellen